Slovenia
- Generally
- Excerpt from the questionnaire
- Contacts
No steps as to establishing the National Rapporteur have been taken to date, which is mainly due to the fact that no such need has been expressed. Currently, the coordinator has met the expectations.In the text below, replies to questions related to National Rapporteur shall reflect the role of the National Coordinator.
The National Anti-Trafficking Coordinator was appointed by the Government of the Republic of Slovenia back in 2002. The Coordinator is tasked with aligning the work of different governmental sectors and NGOs whose representatives are members of the Interdepartmental Working Group for the fight against trafficking in persons. Other responsibilities include preparation of annual reports and other strategic documents that are submitted to the Government of the RS for approval. Both the Coordinator and the Interdepartmental Working Group function as consultative authorities with no executive powers.
The National Coordinator convenes in meetings with the Interdepartmental Working Group every two months. Group members include representatives of national NGOs and operational services such as the Police and the Office of the State Prosecutor General. Regular items on the agenda include operational activities in the field of detection and prosecution of trafficking offences and assistance to trafficked victims offered by two national NGOs. Having been selected in a public tender procedure, the two NGOs are financed through government budget. The NGOs keep the National Coordinator posted on their activities on a monthly basis. If needed, the Coordinator gets involved in resolving concrete cases.
The National Coordinator is employed with the Ministry of the Interior which also provides premises and equipment (IT, office space etc.) The only aspect that needs mentioning is lack of technical, administrative and professional support. Each and every duty is performed by the National Coordinator itself.
One of the advantages is that the National Coordinator works in close cooperation with the law-enforcement authority (the Police) which is a body attached to the Ministry. This enables the Coordinator to access data with less effort as well as to resolve individual cases faster and with greater success. Given that the Coordinator is appointed by the Government, its dependency on the Government is self-evident. However, the National Coordinator and the Interdepartmental Working Group do not restrain themselves from making critical comments on the work of individual line ministries and shall recommend action to remedy such deficiencies.
Both the National Coordinator and the Interdepartmental Working Group are not entitled to special funds from the Government itself. They are financed through line ministries. Other anti-trafficking projects are carried out by NGOs which will receive funds after they have been selected in a public tender procedure. NGO projects are outlined in anti-trafficking action plans drawn up by the Coordinator and the Interdepartmental Working Group and adopted by the Government. Action plans define financial value of projects and sources of funding. By adopting an action plan, the Government makes sure that fund providers remain responsible and meet their commitments.
Both the National Coordinator and the Interdepartmental Working Group function as consultative authorities with no executive powers. Recommendations are actually conclusions of the Interdepartmental Working Group and definitions of responsibilities defined in the action plan which become obligatory after the Government's approval of plan.