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
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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
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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

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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