SLOVAKIA: TIP TRAINING UNDERWAY

UNCLAS BRATISLAVA 000456 SIPDIS DEPT FOR G/TIP, EUR/PGI, EUR/CE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV KCRM PHUM KWMN ELAB SMIG KFRD PREF ASEC LO SUBJECT: SLOVAKIA: TIP TRAINING UNDERWAY ¶1. Summary: As part of its 2008-2010 National Action Plan to Combat Trafficking in Persons, the Government of Slovakia, in cooperation with the NGO community, developed an extensive training program for NGO workers, law enforcement officials, religious workers, and community social workers. The training is designed to educate these target groups about how to identify, predict, and prevent trafficking, as well as how to assist trafficking victims. On October 2, PolOff attended the second of two trainings for social workers from municipalities in Central and Eastern Slovakia with high concentrations of Roma. The Ministry of Interior hosted the trainings at its conference center in Donovaly, central Slovakia, and the training was conducted by TIP experts from the Bratislava IOM office. End Summary. ¶2. Under the current National Action Plan, the GOS's TIP coordinator Vladimir Cecot, State Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, and his staff, in consultation with NGOs who work on TIP issues, identified groups most likely to come into contact with trafficking victims, or with potential victims in vulnerable populations. The GOS then developed a training schedule for these target groups and began training in June. Since then, the GOS has trained 20 social workers who work with commercial sex workers, 22 individuals from Roma NGOs, and 40 social workers from municipalities with high concentrations of Roma. Through next spring, the GOS plans to train 180 police officers, including 60 members of the border police, 30 trainers from the Ministry of Education, and 45 social workers from the Ministries of Labor and Social Affairs and the Department of Migration of the Ministry of Interior. ¶3. During the training that PolOff attended on October 2, the social workers from Roma municipalities enthusiastically participated in the IOM training modules, which included role play, collective definition making and explanation of the Palermo protocol, and discussion of several TIP-related videos as well as a domestic documentary on TIP in Slovakia produced by IOM and Slovak national television. It was clear that many of the participants had never discussed TIP in a formal way, and appreciated the opportunity to learn the difference between TIP and voluntary prostitution, domestic violence, usury, and other social problems that typically afflict Roma communities. Participants acknowledged that the dire socio-economic situation of the Roma makes male and female teens particularly vulnerable for TIP, but they were glad to know that the GOS has established funding to assist victims and to develop prevention mechanisms such as public information campaigns. ¶4. UNODC, under its National Project on Trafficking in Persons in Slovakia, also recently conducted a training specifically for law enforcement and judicial officials, in Bratislava, September 22-26. UNODC National Project Officer Alexandra Malangone lamented that no Slovak judges were able to attend the training, which included presentations by international TIP experts such as a British prosecutor who successfully prosecuted a case with Slovak TIP victims, and a post-traumatic stress disorder expert from the U.K.-based Helen Bamber Foundation. The instructors said the 11 Slovak officials (four prosecutors and seven police) who participated in the training learned quickly and exhibited a resolve to learn more about how they can effectively fight TIP. ¶5. COMMENT: The GOS, through the Ministry of Interior, seems to be making a good-faith effort to educate law enforcement and social workers about the dangers of TIP, how to prevent it, and how to identify and assist victims. However, since most NGO experts agree that the vast majority of Slovak TIP victims are Roma, the TIP issue often becomes enmeshed in the historical discrimination against the Roma and their limited access to State services. We have seen some attitudes changing, but more work remains to be done. ¶6. COMMENT CONTINUED: The Slovaks who are charged with TIP at the Ministry of Interior are approaching their work seriously and methodically, and have good working relations with the NGOs also serving TIP victims. Embassy Bratislava will remain active on this issue and welcomes G/TIP and EUR support for any regional speaker's program on TIP. We believe a judge or police investigator would be particularly useful. End Comment. OBSITNIK