SLOVAK TIP MID-YEAR UPDATE

UNCLAS BRATISLAVA 001018 SIPDIS DEPT FOR G/TIP JENNIFER TOPPING E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM PGOV SOCI LO SUBJECT: SLOVAK TIP MID-YEAR UPDATE ¶1. Summary. Jennifer Topping, from the Office of Trafficking in Persons (G/TIP),visited Slovakia from October 22 to 26. Topping applauded the efforts of law enforcement officials in investigating trafficking cases. She also encouraged officials to consider broader governmental coordination on anti-TIP initiatives by forming an interagency working group and appointing a trafficking point of contact. In the framework of her visit, the embassy organized discussions with trafficking organizations and relevant officials to facilitate communication about the trafficking situation in Slovakia. End Summary. Discussion and Working Groups -------------- ¶2. Trafficking is assumed by some observers to be more of a problem in larger cities close to borders, but areas in the middle of the country report more trafficking cases. Discussions organized in Banska Bystrica, the regional capital of Central Slovakia, confirmed that coordination for victim assistance between NGOs and law enforcement is lacking in these areas, more so than in the capital. In January 2003, Justice Minister Lipsic founded an interagency working group to discuss solutions to strengthen victim protection laws and procedures in Slovakia. The group has met twice during the course of 2004 with success. Recently, Parliament passed a new law on victim assistance requiring police to provide victims of any crime a list of organizations that can help them. Trafficking organizations stated that this will help foster closer cooperation between law enforcement officers and active NGOs. Criminal Code Changes and New Police Practices -------------- - ¶3. Parliament approved the UN Protocol to Suppress Trafficking in Persons in May, and it was ratified on Sept ¶21. According to EU directives and UN requirements, Parliament recently amended relevant trafficking legislation to reflect that the crime of trafficking occurs both within the country's border and across the country's borders. The Head of the Anti-Trafficking Unit at the Police Presidium, Anna Babincova, stated that the legal definition of trafficking was expanded to include that the trafficker must use fraudulent means, violence, threat, or other forms of coercion to elicit agreement from a victim older than 18 years person for a crime of trafficking. ¶4. Babincova also outlined some new initiatives from the anti-trafficking unit. By January 2005, a central anonymous information hotline for tips about traffickers or victims will become operational. She stated that police sometimes receive useful information pertaining to trafficking networks, but often too late. The Ministry of Interior (MOI) postponed the plan within the reorganization of the police to change the anti-trafficking unit to a department. It continues to remain a unit under the directorship of the Bureau of Organized Crime. New Ministry of Labor (MOL) Lottery Grants -------------- ¶5. Several anti-trafficking NGOs this year received money from Ministry of Labor (MOL) grants funded through the state lottery system. Ivan Mako, the director of the Young Roma Association, received 100,000 SK (3,225 USD) to operate an awareness program for at-risk Roma communities in Central Slovakia. Dafne, an organization that assists returned victims, estimated that 46 percent of their clients were Roma. Andrea Bucek, Director of the Regional Roma Plenipotentiary's Office, stated that this crime is a problem in Roma communities and needs to be addressed, however more immediate concerns (e.g. education, housing, employment) have taken precedence. ¶6. Two organizations are looking for funds to begin operating a full-time anonymous shelter specifically to assist and protect TIP victims. Dafne has much of the necessary funding through foreign donors and the regional government to operate a shelter, which will cost approximately 130,000 USD a year. They are currently negotiating with the municipal government to acquire a recently closed school, but the city wants to sell it for three million more crowns (125,000 USD) than Dafne can afford. Another organization applied for money but was only given a third of what it needed. With no other donors, the organization will likely return the money. Comment -------------- ¶7. A UN project slated to begin in Slovakia to support legal analysis, the preparation of a National Action Plan, and materials for the anti-trafficking unit continues to be delayed. The MOI, the ministry responsible for the TIP agenda, has not made initial progress in these areas without the dispersal of project funds. Fortunately, the MOI and police have been able to increasingly partner with a number of more active NGOs for training and public awareness activities to combat trafficking. The embassy will continue to meet with government officials about the necessity of increasing inter-governmental cooperation on TIP issues. ¶8. This cable was not cleared by Ms. Topping. WEISER NNNN