The topic discussed in today’s conference is one of the most significant topics of human society in general, to which we have not been and are not immune yet.
Thus, Honorable Minister Sefaj, I congratulate you on the organization of this conference. I feel honoured that we are together in this great fight for human dignity.
Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare is indeed the “Responsible Head” for organization and provision of social services in our place, but without the will of our society in overall we would never be where we are and we would never manage to be here by your side, to make people safe and to save them with dignity.
We offer an equal access to social servises for all residents of Kosovo.
Dicastery that I lead has done a great work in this field. MLSW has established “ Social Work Centers” in all municipalities of Kosovo. This step , being one of the basic steps in social life, is functional and has a professional staff for provision of qualitative services for people in need.
These Social Work Centers, based on the decentralization process, since the 1st of January 2009, are municipal institutions with decentralized services, functioning under the mandate of the municipalities.
Honorable participants,
today we have a topic not only of human pain, but also of the burden of our conscience. This serious consequence of a social illness must be eradicated and we will work hard together, protecting the victims and punishing the crime.
We must provide security and rehabilitation conditions for the victims, while for the crime, justice must show it all.
Regarding the protection of victims of trafficking, our Ministry is faced with numerous responsibilities and we are here to say that our duties such as:
• draft legislation;
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•policy development;
• drafting minimum standards for the provision of social and family services for victims of trafficking;
• monitoring and inspecting the quality of services;
• Ensuring the implementation of policies, legislation and minimum standards for service provision;will be our constant priority until we heal the wound of our society.
In this context, the Ministry of Labor and Welfare, according to its mandate for the protection of persons in need, with special focus on the protection of children who are victims of trafficking and children at risk of being trafficked, has in its program the direct protection and long-term reintegration in society of these people . Our social policies foresee the provision of social protection even for adults who are victims of trafficking.
Our Dicastery, together with governmental and non-governmental partners, works on advancing social protection programs and helps coordinate activities to protect this category in need throughout the functional system.
The Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare is a member of the National Authority, which is headed by the Minister of Internal Affairs, respectively the Office of the National Coordinator against Human Trafficking.
As regards with the fight against human trafficking in Kosovo, the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare has given and continues to give its professional contribution to the drafting of national and transnational documents for the fight, prevention, protection and reintegration of victims of trafficking .
Regarding the direct protection, which includes: housing, rehabilitation and treatment of this category, MLSW manages temporary and secure shelters. Shelters, where high-risk and high-level trafficking cases are sheltered.MLSW also works in partnership with international organizations operating in Kosovo, a partnerships that improve the work of this Ministry to protect victims of trafficking.
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We pay a great attention to the strengthening of cooperation with the non-governmental sector, where over the years, MLSW supports this sector with subsidies for provision of social and family services to children and adults who are victims of trafficking and those at risk of being trafficked.
Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare has a partnership with local NGOs, respectively with the NGOs that have shelters for victims of trafficking. This partnership is emphasized by the Ministry in the Agreement for support of victims of trafficking through subsidies and the Agreements for professional cooperation with these NGOs. -
To make the cooperation and to incorporate all contributors, Ministry of Labor and Social Welafare, in February 2013, has started the process for licesing providers of social and family services through the General Council for Social and Family Services.
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This process is foreseen to be developed in three phases. In the first and the second phase it is done the licensing of providers of social and family services by the General Council for Social and Family Servises whereas in the third phase has started the licesing of Juridical Subjects and Non-Governmental Organizations that provide social and family services from the Department of Social and Family Policies (MLSW).
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Being thankful for the opportunity to address to this honorable panel, I want to thank all who have worked in this significant issue.
Lastly, I want to ensure you that the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare will continue to work with all the subjects in the fight against human trafficking in Kosovo, with a great emphasis on the protection of children as victims of trafficking.
Thank you!
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