A delegation of the Council of Europe's Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) carried out a second evaluation visit to Slovenia from 10 to 13 April 2017. The visit provided an opportunity to assess developments in the implementation of the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings since the first evaluation by GRETA in 2013.
During the visit, the GRETA delegation met Mr Boštjan Šefic, State Secretary in the Ministry of the Interior, as well as Mr Sandi Čurin, National Co-ordinator for Combatting Trafficking in Human Beings. Discussion were also held with officials from the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, the Ministry of Health, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as with representatives of the Office of the State Prosecutor General, the Specialised State Prosecutor's Office, the Criminal and the Border Police, the Labour Inspectorate, the Government Communication Office and the Office for National Minorities.
The delegation also met Members of the Slovenian National Assembly, the Deputy Human Rights Ombudsman, Mr Tone Dolčič, and Higher and District Court judges.
Separate meetings were held with representatives of non-governmental organisations, trade unions and lawyers. The GRETA delegation also met officials from the local offices of the International Organization for Migration and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
In the course of the visit, the GRETA delegation visited an NGO-run shelter for victims of human trafficking, as well as a reception centre for asylum seekers in Ljubljana, and an accommodation centre for unaccompanied children in Postojna.
The visit was carried out by Mr Davor Derenčinović and Ms Kateryna Levchenko, members of GRETA, who were accompanied by Mr Markus Lehner of the Secretariat of the Convention.
Following this visit, GRETA will prepare a draft report, which will be sent to the Slovenian authorities for comments. GRETA will subsequently adopt a final report which will be made public in early 2018.
