National structures for combating trafficking in human beings and providing support to victims

Country

Bulgaria

Title

National structures for combating trafficking in human beings and providing support to victims

Partners

  • Bulgarian Hate Crime Recording Coalition (Коалиция за активно докладване на инциденти, свързани с предразсъдъци)
  • Organisation Drom (Организация Дром)
  • Integro Association (Асоциация Интегро)
  • Liberal Alternative for Roma Civil Unification (Либерална алтернатива за ромско гражданско обединение)
  • Roma Academy for Culture and Education Association (Ромска академия за култура и образование)
  • Youth LGBT Organisation Action (Младежка ЛГБТ организация Действие)

Description

In Bulgaria, the mechanisms tackling trafficking in human beings present a promising example of collaboration between different stakeholders engaging in prevention and providing various support services to victims of human trafficking at the local, national and supranational levels.
As a party to all major international agreements in this field, Bulgaria has, over the years, taken significant steps to develop a comprehensive legislative and institutional framework for combating trafficking in human beings. The national anti-trafficking and victim protection policy is set out in theCombatingTrafficking in Human Beings Act (Закон за борба с трафика на хора), adopted in 2003. The act established the national coordination body –the National Commission forCombatingTrafficking in Human Beings (NCCTHB) (Национална комисия за борба с трафика на хора) – under the oversight of the Council of Ministers.
At the local level, local commissions forcombatingtrafficking in human beings have gradually been set up in 10 municipalities. These commissions function under the same administrative guidelines as the NCCTHB and mirror its structure: they are chaired by a deputy mayor and include representatives of the relevant regional authorities.
The NCCTHB also acts as Bulgaria’s national rapporteur or equivalent mechanism within the EU Anti-Trafficking Coordinator’s network. In addition, it is a member of the Network of National Anti-Trafficking Coordinators from South-East Europe and serves as Bulgaria’s contact point for the Transnational Referral Mechanism, developed by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development in Vienna, and for reporting to relevant UN bodies, the Council of Europe and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

DISCLAIMER The information presented here is collected under contract by the FRA's research network FRANET. The information and views contained do not necessarily reflect the views or the official position of the FRA.