Filipina woman survived abuse in Belgrade Waterfront: came to work as a domestic worker, ended up enslaved

Author: Miloš Ž. Lazić, 17 March 2026

A Filipina national came to Serbia to earn money as a domestic worker, but ended up in the hands of abusive employers who turned her into an enslaved person. She was subjected to abuse, humiliation, and starvation before eventually being rescued.

The abuse took place in the elite Belgrade Waterfront area, where she had come in search of employment, as many of her compatriots do, often valued for their strong work ethic, diligence, and reliability. However, for her employers, this was not enough. They subjected her to systematic abuse, including extreme humiliation. In one particularly degrading act, they forced her to eat food scraps from a garbage bin.

Although this case has only recently come to light, it is unfortunately not an isolated incident.

During 2025, three Filipina nationals contacted the NGO Atina for support and assistance. In one case, the individual was identified as a victim of human trafficking for sexual exploitation, while in the other cases, support included information, risk assessment, and assistance. Although the number of reported cases appears small, experience from practice shows that such cases often represent only the visible part of the problem, as many individuals experiencing exploitation never reach support systems.

The NGO Atina has been working on these issues for years, providing support to victims of human trafficking in Serbia. Atina’s activists are increasingly engaged in identifying and assisting victims, particularly in the context of growing migration flows, where many individuals are at heightened risk of exploitation.

“The increase in the number of foreign workers arriving in Serbia in recent years has been accompanied by a concerning rise in reported cases of labour and sexual exploitation. In 2025, the Association Atina recorded a significant increase in the number of individuals who directly contacted us due to suspicions of human trafficking and labour exploitation. The number of such cases increased by more than 200 percent compared to the previous period. More than 80 individuals contacted Atina directly in 2025 seeking support in exercising their rights, most often due to suspected labour exploitation. In most cases, these were migrant workers from Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nepal, India, and Sri Lanka. These cases highlight the importance of ensuring that migrant workers have access to information, support, and protection of their rights, to prevent exploitation and enable early identification of potential victims of trafficking,” said Jelena Hrnjak from Atina in a statement to Nova.rs.

Victims of human trafficking

According to her, the organisation supports both individuals at risk of trafficking and those who have already experienced trafficking and require assistance in accessing their rights and recovery.

These include Serbian nationals, but increasingly also foreign nationals, particularly migrant workers facing risks of labour exploitation.

“The NGO Atina is a civil society organisation and a licensed service provider within the social protection system. In line with the law, we cooperate with all relevant institutions and actors that can contribute to the protection and realisation of the rights of trafficking victims. This includes daily communication and coordination with the police, the prosecution, social welfare institutions, and healthcare and educational institutions. At the same time, practice shows that coordination and response mechanisms need to be continuously improved to ensure faster, more efficient, and more accessible identification of victims and the protection of their rights. The fight against human trafficking cannot be successful without genuine partnerships between institutions and civil society organisations, as such cooperation enables timely identification, protection, and access to justice for victims,” Jelena Hrnjak explained.

Increase in labour exploitation

Atina’s experience shows that in the past two years, there has been a significant increase in cases of labour exploitation, particularly among migrant workers.

“This does not mean that sexual exploitation is decreasing. In practice, and through fieldwork, we continue to encounter young women and girls who have been exposed to sexual exploitation over extended periods, often without timely identification and protection. What these findings clearly show is that different forms of exploitation occur simultaneously, and that combating human trafficking requires a much stronger and more coordinated systemic response,” Atina representatives stated.

Victims are most often from Africa and Asia

In most cases, victims come from African countries such as Zimbabwe, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Cameroon, as well as from Asian countries including Bangladesh, Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan. This trend follows the growth of labour migration in Serbia and the region, but also highlights the increased risk of labour exploitation and trafficking among migrant workers.

A wealthy Belgrade family kept Samanta as an enslaved person

The case of the Filipina woman held captive in an apartment in Belgrade Waterfront has reminded the public of a similar case involving another Filipina whose passport was confiscated by Serbian employers when she arrived in Serbia in 2021.

She performed household duties and cared for children, often working up to 16 hours a day. Her employers also demanded that she provide massages, including to their relatives. She eventually managed to escape with the help of a colleague, a family driver, who encouraged her to request her passport and later provided her with temporary shelter.

The full original text is available at the following link: Filipinka preživela pakao u Beogradu na vodi - nova.rs