DECEMBER 2007 TIP UPDATE: CHURCH OF CYPRUS JOINS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NICOSIA 001010 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR G/TIP, EUR/SE, G/IWI E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL TIP KCRM KWMN CY SUBJECT: DECEMBER 2007 TIP UPDATE: CHURCH OF CYPRUS JOINS THE FIGHT AGAINST TIP, NGOS KICK OFF CAMPAIGN ¶1. SUMMMARY: December proved a busy and fruitful month in the fight against trafficking in persons (TIP) in Cyprus. First, a new and highly-visible actor -- the Church of Cyprus -- vowed to "get involved" in combating trafficking. The Church intends to study the severity of TIP on the island and issue a special report, liaise with other Orthodox churches in crafting a unified approach, and cooperate with the Embassy on anti-TIP programs. Also in December, five NGOs from both the Greek- and Turkish Cypriot communities kicked off their (Embassy-funded) TIP awareness campaigns. The Embassy's Trafficking in Persons film festival, presented in cooperation with other diplomatic missions and the MTV Europe Foundation, drew favorable media coverage and large audiences, and provided a forum for NGO and government officials to network. Seemingly under greater pressure to step up its anti-trafficking efforts, the GoC increasingly is requesting guidance and support from us and other international actors, a positive development. END SUMMARY. The Church Of Cyprus Gets Involved in Fighting TIP -------------- -------------- ¶2. The Bishop of Famagusta-Salaminis, Vassilios, informed the Embassy on December 13 that the Church's Holy Synod had decided to get involved in combating TIP, a move the Ambassador earlier this year had urged the Archbishop to take. The Synod had appointed a select committee of high-ranking bishops to study human trafficking and submit recommendations for combating it. As a first step, the Church will pressure the GoC to take TIP "more seriously" and stop granting "artiste" visas. ¶3. Since the vast majority of TIP victims in Cyprus came from Orthodox countries, Vassilios explained, the Church would cooperate with sister churches to educate and counsel potential victims. Bogus and/or dubious-origin employment agencies in source countries merited special attention; the Church hoped to ensure that all work permit applicants read even the fine print on their employment contracts. The Church also will encourage the Church of Greece to convene a conclave of Orthodox churches in Athens in order to discuss TIP and eventually forge a united strategy to combat it. According to Vassilios, the Greeks have agreed to the proposal and will begin initial preparations in early January. ¶4. The Church also wants to cooperate with the Embassy and other diplomatic missions in organizing anti-trafficking programs, and intends to convoke a meeting of interested partners in early January. A potential model would be the interfaith church project facilitated by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Moldova, in which churches from several different denominations have banded together to create a training workshop and materials for Moldovan clergy. NGOs Launch Anti-TIP Campaign -------------- ¶5. With funding from the Embassy Bi-communal Support Program and as part of the "Sixteen Days of Activism Against Gender Violence" campaign, five NGOs on December 10 launched an island-wide TIP awareness campaign that included television and radio spots, posters and fliers, meetings with authorities in both communities, and a well-covered press conference. The Mediterranean Institute for Gender Studies (MIGS) organized a bi-communal victim identification conference in December; it was the first TIP conference organized exclusively by a Cypriot entity. Additionally, NGO Index Dialogue and Research is completing a policy paper on best practices regarding the implementation of anti-trafficking legislation in EU countries, and Turkish Cypriot NGO (and Embassy grantee) Prologue Consulting is completing policy recommendations on anti-trafficking legislation for T/C authorities. TIP Film Festival a Success, Government Requests Assistance -------------- -------------- ¶6. The Embassy-sponsored Trafficking in Persons film festival, also part of the "Sixteen Days" campaign, drew large audiences to each of its five sessions. Each evening focused on a different theme: NGOs' part in the TIP fight, the role of the international community, the MTV Europe Foundation's anti-trafficking campaign, law enforcement tactics, and the responsibility of the media in confronting TIP. The Ambassador and his counterparts from the UK and French embassies kicked off the sessions. A wide array of NICOSIA 00001010 002 OF 002 people attended, including government officials, NGO representatives, law enforcement, media, third-country diplomats, and empathetic citizens from both communities. Particularly encouraging was the very visible and substantive dialogue between NGO and government reps at the conclusion of each evening's program. ¶7. Just days after the festival ended, Foreign Ministry contacts requested from the Embassy information regarding anti-TIP best practices, for use by the MFA and other GoC ministries. UK High Commission diplomats are seeking to cooperate with the Embassy and the T/C Human Rights Foundation on anti-trafficking efforts in the north, perhaps in organizing a similar film series there. Finally, the Georgian charge d'affaires has offered to recruit representation from Moldova and Ukraine, two of the largest trafficking source countries, to participate in the Next (mid-January) meeting of the Embassy-sponsored, inter-mission anti-TIP working group. SCHLICHER