The agenda of compensation for victims is to be taken over from the Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic and the former Office for the Protection of Whistleblowers (ÚOO) is to be replaced by the new Office for the Protection of Victims of Crimes and Whistleblowers of Anti-Social Activities. The proposal from the workshop of the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) of the Slovak Republic was approved by the government at the meeting on Saturday, and the proposal for abbreviated legislative proceedings was also approved.
“The goal is to respond to the most prominent problems associated with the application of the law to date, primarily in the context of the insufficient rights of the employer of the protected whistleblower and the unclear relationship between the whistleblower and the employer in providing protection,” stated the department in the submission report. According to him, in practice it turns out that the rights of the employer are not sufficiently protected, because the principle of the possibility of reviewing the provision of protection by the employer is not enshrined in the legislation, which endangers the employer’s basic rights.
“Thus, a mechanism is being introduced to equalize the position of the employee and the employer. This step will eliminate the uneven and disproportionate position of the employee and the employer,” added the MV.
The department also pointed out that the draft law should also address the reduced effectiveness of the institutional protection of victims of crimes and whistleblowers of anti-social activities, which is currently divided between several state authorities. “This fragmentation means that persons facing secondary victimization or reprisals do not have sufficiently uniform and effective protection in practice, which can lead to further interference with their fundamental rights,” added the ministry.
According to the submitter, the establishment of a unified Office for the Protection of Victims of Crimes and Whistleblowers of Anti-Social Activities will create a prerequisite for immediate and coordinated protection of vulnerable persons. The law is to enter into force on the day of promulgation.
