SKOPJE, 1 July 2009 - Representatives from the state’s anti-trafficking institutions and civil sector will discuss the role of the National Rapporteur institution during an OSCE-supported roundtable meeting that started today. 

The Rapporteur is a recently established institution aimed at strengthening the country’s response to human trafficking.

The discussions will focus on practical recommendations on how the National Rapporteur institution can better gather and process data for the relevant anti-trafficking bodies.

The meeting is organized by the OSCE Spillover Monitor Mission to Skopje in co-operation with the National Commission to Combat Human Trafficking and Illegal Migration, and the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD).

"The National Rapporteur institution is an essential part of the fight against trafficking in the country," said Lisa Tilney, Head of the Rule of Law Department in the Mission. "The Rapporteur should act as an independent institution to monitor human trafficking, analyze data and provide recommendations that are based on a national assessment of the situation and the efficiency of government responses. On this basis, the country can learn more about the problem and fight it more effectively."

Violeta Andonovska, who is the National Coordinator to Combat Human Trafficking and Illegal Migration, added: "The government is interested in creating an anti-trafficking response that is efficient and well-coordinated. This is the main reason that we are supporting the appointment of a National Rapporteur as a driving force to establish proper monitoring practices and as a tool that has already proven its validity in a considerable number of countries in the world."

For PDF attachments or links to sources of further information, please visit: http://www.osce.org/item/38565.html

For further information contact:

Eberhard Laue - Mission Spokesperson

E-mail: Eberhard.Laue@osce.org