The ministers of interior affairs and labour, Gordana Jankuloska and Spiro Ristovski, promoted Sunday the national strategy and national action plan to combat human trafficking and illegal migration for the period between 2013-2016.

The strategy and action plan offer an overall policy on the fight against trafficking in human beings containing coordinated activities by all relevant institutions and organisations advocating human rights protection, according to Ristovski.

"The key points of the strategy and action plan envisage strong preventive measures addressing the causes for human trafficking and work with vulnerable groups in a bid to eliminate this phenomenon. Activities will aim at raising public awareness, strengthening vulnerable groups economically and organising campaigns for reducing the demand for services from victims of human trafficking," minister Ristovski stated.

Recently, Jankuloska said, the Interior Ministry has amended the criminal law by introducing stricter punishments for human traffickers, especially if the case involves minors, implementing standard procedures for treatment of victims that are identical in ten SEE countries, establishing a data base of perpetrators and victims of human trafficking, etc.

"The new 2013-2016 action plan envisages many activities with which we will manage to further curb trafficking in human beings in Macedonia," the minister urged.