TIP: GOVT. OF SLOVENIA PAYS NGO FOR WORK AND PLANS

UNCLAS LJUBLJANA 000847

SIPDIS


SENSITIVE

DEPT FOR EUR/NCE, G/TIP

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL SI
SUBJECT: TIP: GOVT. OF SLOVENIA PAYS NGO FOR WORK AND PLANS
TO ISSUE A TENDER FOR FUTURE ASSISTANCE.

REF: A. LJUBLJANA 593


B. LJUBLJANA 523

C. LJUBLJANA 247

D. LJUBLJANA 118


1. (SBU) Summary: After nearly 12 months of promises, and
regular and persistent inquiries from the Embassy, the GOS
has finally committed to paying the anti-trafficking NGO
Kljuc for the shelter and other services it has provided to
trafficking victims in 2005. For 2006, the GOS plans to
issue a tender for victim care services. It has assured post
that Kljuc may participate. We are not certain, however, that
Kljuc can recover from the funding drought it experienced
this year. At least one other NGO, Karitas, has been
mentioned as a possible bidder for the project, however, it
is not clear if there exist in Slovenia any competent
alternatives to Kljuc in the field of trafficking in victims.
End Summary.


2. (SBU) Following up on his meeting with the Minister of
Interior (Ref B) and DCM's meeting with the Director General
of the MFA (Ref A),COM sent a letter to Ministers of Foreign
Affairs, Interior, Labor, and Justice on September 20
expressing the USG's deep concern about Slovenia's ability to
protect trafficking victims in light of the NGO Kljuc's
financial difficulties. Kljuc is almost entirely dependent on
government funds for its operations. COM also raised our
concerns in his November 8 lunch with Prime Minister Jansa.
Responses from both the MFA and the Minister of Interior
indicated that the GOS was on the verge of a solution to the
problem of how to care for trafficking victims - which seems
now, finally, to be the case.


3. (SBU) According to the national TIP coordinator, Sandi
Curin, Kljuc must provide the GOS with all receipts related
to its work with trafficking victims and the GOS will then
reimburse them. To date, only a partial reimbursement has
taken place. This lack of funding has resulted in the
decimation of Kljuc's ranks and a severe diminution of its
ability to provide services. By the end of this year, 60% of
Kljuc staff will have been terminated including the
president, Katujsa Kodele Kos, who will nonetheless stay on
in her position on a volunteer basis. Kljuc will be able to
keep some of its programs going including its crisis hotline
available for trafficking victims as well as victims of
domestic violence. It will also continue to do work in the
area of reintegration of victims to society. It will,
however, fully divest itself of victim safety
responsibilities. According to Kodele Kos, Kljuc will sell
its safe-house purchased originally with EU funds, and it
will cancel its leases on other safe-house apartments.
According to Kljuc, 10 potential victims of trafficking were
not offered the use of the safe-house because of a lack of
financial resources this year. Six potential victims,
however, were given psycho-social counseling by Kljuc staff.


4. (SBU) The GOS has said that for 2006 it will issue a
public tender seeking victim protection services, and it
hopes that several NGOs will apply. Among these, Karitas has
been mentioned several times. Karitas currently provides
services for victims of domestic violence. Discussions with
other members of the NGO community dealing with trafficking
are concerned that while well intentioned, Karitas may not
posses the specific expertise needed to effectively and
confidentially deal with trafficking victims. The tender

SIPDIS
will be managed by the Ministry of Labor, where it was
earlier reported (Ref B) that the position of national
coordinator for anti-TIP activities would also be relocated.
It is not clear if Sandi Curin will remain with the Ministry
of Interior in another position or if he will be transferred
to the Ministry of Labor to continue his coordinating duties
from there.


5. (SBU) Comment: The clumsy handling by the GOS of its
concerns about a potential conflict of interest (Ref B)
between the president of the NGO Kljuc and (her husband) the
head of the besieged anti-corruption commission had a
detrimental effect on Slovenia's ability to successfully deal
with trafficking in persons in 2005. We are encouraged,
however, that after nearly five months of dormancy, the
inter-ministerial working group on trafficking in human
beings has begun meeting again in earnest. This shot of
adrenaline comes directly from the MFA. We will continue to
work through the MFA and directly with other ministries to
ensure that Slovenia gets its program back on track with the
goal of earning Tier 1 status. End Comment.
ROBERTSON


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