Call for Applications: Building Victim-Centered, Trauma-Informed Criminal Justice System Capacities in Slovakia

Deadline: 18-Dec-23

The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs of the U.S. Department of State announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications to carry out a project to deliver capacity building to Slovakia’s law enforcement officials, prosecutors, and judges to better detect, investigate, prosecute, and adjudicate crimes related to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, including those linked to transnational organized crime, human trafficking, and corruption.

The trainings will guide Slovak officials to employ a victim-centered, trauma-informed approach when tackling these crimes and engaging with victims and witnesses.

Project Goal and Objectives

• The project has two Strategic Objectives:
  • Strategic Objective 1: Law enforcement, prosecutors, and judges are better equipped to detect, investigate, prosecute, and adjudicate cases involving organized crime, trafficking in persons, and other transnational crimes by increasing their utilization of a victim-centered, trauma-informed approach. Their subjective awareness and understanding of the seriousness of these crimes, as well as of the necessary approach to tackling them, has improved through the training. They can recognize the models of transnational criminal networks’ operation and are actively using the tools acquired during the training in real-life cases.
  • Strategic Objective 2: Slovakia’s criminal justice system personnel, through implementing a victim-centered, trauma-informed approach, increases their cooperation with civil society and other national authorities, such as social services, child protection, labor offices, migration, and asylum authorities, when investigating and prosecuting crimes involving victim-witnesses and transnational crime, such as trafficking in persons, as well as war crimes and other crimes relating to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Funding Information

• Length of performance period: 24 months
• Anticipated program start date: January 18, 2023
• Number of awards anticipated: 1 (one) award
• Award amounts: awards may range from a minimum of $200,000 to a maximum of $300,000
• Total available funding: $300,000

Project Activities and Deliverables

• Deliverables:
  • Develop a specialized cohort of 20 law enforcement officials, prosecutors (including assistant prosecutors), judges, and judicial clerks who will specialize in handling cases involving transnational organized crime and trafficking in persons, with a particular focus on the crimes committed in the context of war and the displacement of individuals due to conflict.
    • Activity 1 – A targeted capacity building and mentoring program delivered to a dedicated group of officials, including law enforcement, prosecutors, assistant prosecutors, judges, and judicial clerks. This group will have approximately 15-20 participants. Over the period of 18 months, this will include:
      • One intensive, multi-day “bootcamp” training;
      • Two to three additional refresher training sessions;
      • Ongoing mentoring, consultation, and exchange of best practices.
  • Train approximately 100 additional criminal justice professionals (law enforcement, prosecutors, assistant prosecutors, judges, and judicial clerks) to increase their capacities relating to the detection, investigation, prosecution, and adjudication of cases involving transnational organized crime, corruption enabling the activities of criminal networks, and, in particular, cases involving war crimes and trafficking in persons relating to Russia’s fullscale invasion of Ukraine.
    • Activity 2 – Three to six one-time trainings for law enforcement, prosecutors, assistant prosecutors, judges, and judicial clerks. Over the period of 18 months, this will include:
      • Three to six two- or three-day trainings delivered in each of Slovakia’s regions (western, central, eastern Slovakia, ideally with two trainings per region).

Participants and Audiences

• The target audiences of the capacity-building activities are law enforcement, prosecutors (including assistant prosecutors), judges, and judicial clerks. The activities will involve both a smaller focused group including law enforcement, prosecutors, and judges receiving longer-term mentoring, and a larger group benefiting from a shorter training. If possible, the participant selection should strive for diversity, taking into account gender, age, level of expertise, and the geographical scope of work. Project applicants should describe how they will ensure equitable (and safe) inclusion, using participatory, locally led, and intersectional approaches in delivering the capacity-building activities.

Priority Region: Slovakia

Eligibility Criteria

• The following organizations are eligible to apply:
  • U.S.-based non-profit/non-governmental organizations (NGOs);
  • Foreign-based non-profits/non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
• Applicants must also meet the following requirements to be eligible to apply to this NOFO:
  • Demonstrate the capacity to tailor the program to the needs and considering the specific of the country and the project target groups.
  • Ability to deliver the program in Slovak.
  • Demonstrate the ability to deliver trainings using a victim-centered, trauma-informed approach.

For more information, visit Grants.gov.