GREECE TIP REPORT SUBMISSION 2008- PART 1

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 06 ATHENS 000362

SIPDIS

SENSITIE
SIPDIS

FOR EUR/SE, EUR/PGI, G/TIP, INL/HST, G, DRL, PRM, IWI

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KCRM PHUM KWMN SMIG KFRD PREL PREF ELAB GR
SUBJECT: GREECE TIP REPORT SUBMISSION 2008- PART 1

REF: State 2731

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1. (U) Sensitiv but Unclassified -- Protect Accordingly.

2.(SBU) Below are Embassy Athens' responses to the 2008 TIP report
questionnaire. Text is keyed to Ref A request for "Overview"
Section. This is the first of four cables.


3. (SBU) SUMMARY: Greece continued domestic and regional efforts to
combat TIP in 2007-08. Greece shared comprehensive conviction
statistics on arrests made in 2007. In 2007 Greece identified 100
victims, (27 more than the 83 identified last year). The government
provided assistance to 35 of the victims (four less than last year)
and arrested 121 traffickers (a decrease from the 206 arrests last
year). The number of investigations also dropped in the past year
from 70 in 2006 to 41 this year.

Greece continued to fund numerous important programs to prevent
trafficking and to provide for domestic shelters, legal aid, and
other victim services. It has sponsored, hosted, and funded major
TIP-focused international and domestic conferences and has funded
and implemented training for law enforcement authorities and others.
Formal interministerial cooperation was suspended for approximately
nine months due to elections in September 2007 and the consequent
reorganization of the government, but the new government has voiced
its commitment to continue anti-trafficking cooperation. The MFA
completed a Child Repatriation Agreement with Albania in 2006;
however the agreement remains unratified even while it appears to be
followed in practice. Greece signed the Council of Europe's
Convention against Trafficking on 17 November 2005 and government
officials affirm that Greece will ratify it in 2008. Problem areas
still remain, however. The process by which victims are identified
needs to be strengthened, there must be further progress in ensuring
traffickers serve their sentences rather than receiving suspended
sentences, and there is a continuing dearth of reliable statistics
on a wide range of matters related to TIP in Greece. It is the
Embassy's judgment based on the progress made this year and
reflected in this report, and the need for continued improvement in
key areas, that Greece should remain in Tier Two. Looking ahead,
septel will analyze how best to build momentum in the government and
in public opinion for 2008-2009 with the aim of reaching Tier One
before publication of the next annual TIP report. END SUMMARY.

Overview of Greece's activities to eliminate TIP:
-------------- --------------
-- A. Is the country a country of origin, transit, and/or
destination for internationally trafficked men, women, or children?
Provide, where possible, numbers or estimates for each group; how
they were trafficked, to where, and for what purpose. Does the
trafficking occur within the country's borders? Does it occur in
territory outside of the government's control (e.g. in a civil war
situation)?
Are any estimates or reliable numbers available as to the extent or
magnitude of the problem? What is (are) the source(s) of available
information on trafficking in persons or what plans are in place (if
any) to undertake documentation of trafficking? How reliable are the
numbers and these sources? Are certain groups of persons more at
risk of being trafficked (e.g. women and children, boys versus
girls, certain ethnic groups, refugees, etc.)?

Greece is a destination and transit country for international
trafficking in women and children, and to a smaller degree, men. In
2007 the GoG identified 100 victims of TIP and provided assistance
to 35 of them. International organizations such as IOM and
authorities from other destination countries report that Greece is
sometimes a transit country, with victims being moved on to Italy
and other EU countries. There are no official estimates of the
extent or magnitude of TIP in Greece. In January 2005 sociologist
and criminologist at Panteion University Grigoris Lazos estimated,
based on field research, that there were between 6,100 and 6,250
victims of sex trafficking (women and teenage girls) in Greece.
Lazos, a 2005 Index on Censorship Whistleblower Award winner for his
"tireless campaign against human trafficking," estimated in 2003
that there were 20,000 TIP victims in Greece. Lazos remains the
only person in Greece who has made an effort at estimating the scope
of the TIP phenomenon in Greece. He has attributed the decrease in

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trafficking to decreased demand for prostitution, due to lower
discretionary income of Greeks. (Note: Whether actually true or
not, at the time of the Lazos' study, anecdotal polling results
showed Greeks believed their discretionary income had decreased and
that inflation was outpacing wage increases. End Note.) Other
anecdotal evidence and some NGO workers support the belief that the
high rates of trafficking seen in the earliest parts of this decade
have begun to subside. Without an analysis conducted in accordance
with accepted statistical norms, it remains impossible to verify or
refute this assertion.

Anti-child trafficking NGOs estimated in 2008 that "hundreds" of
children, mainly Roma from Albania, remain victims of trafficking
for labor exploitation; typically selling small items (packs of
tissue or flowers),begging, or stealing. NGOs report that
trafficking of children has decreased due to police efforts in
Greece and because it has become easier for Albanian parents to
immigrate to Greece with their children rather than "rent" their
children to traffickers as was done in the past. There are teenaged
girls trafficked to Greece for commercial sexual exploitation. Last
year one volunteer NGO offering medical services to aliens awaiting
deportation at the Petrou Ralli police detention center said that it
identified one suspected child trafficking victim. The 14 year-old
child, however, refused to testify against the traffickers or to
take advantage of the protections eligible to victims of
trafficking. This year, the same organization said it did not
identify any child trafficking victims in the detention center.

The bilateral Child Repatriation Protocol with Albania, signed in
Tirana in February 2006, will address some of the problems with the
protection of child victims. The Protocol is designed to bring
about cooperation between Albanian and Greek authorities in
returning Albanian children from Greece, in locating the families of
returning children and of placing children in the hands of
appropriate caregivers when families cannot be located immediately.
It also aims at assisting Greek and Albanian NGOs to closely monitor
the reintegration and rehabilitation of the children following their
return to Albania. The agreement remains signed but not ratified,
although authorities assert that it is being followed in practice.
In the meantime, some NGOs allege that only a few of the children
deported to Albania are actually returned to their families. NGOs
claim that many of these children are literally imprisoned in
Albania and slip back into Greece at the first opportunity. Greek
Government officials affirm that the Greek Parliament will ratify
the agreement in 2008.

-- B. Please provide a general overview of the trafficking situation
in the country and any changes since the last TIP Report (e.g.
changes in direction). (Other items to address may include: What
kind of conditions are the victims trafficked into? Which
populations are targeted by the traffickers? Who are the
traffickers/exploiters? Are they independent business people?
Small or family-based crime groups? Large international organized
crime syndicates? What methods are used to approach victims?
(Are they offered lucrative jobs, sold by their families, approached
by friends of friends, etc.?) What methods are used to move the
victims (e.g., are false documents being used?). Are employment,
travel, and tourism agencies or marriage brokers involved with or
fronting for traffickers or crime groups to traffic individuals?

Arrest statistics and police reports indicate that Greek and Eastern
European criminals and mafia are the primary movers in illegal
trafficking rings, though the size and nature of trafficking
organizations is said to vary widely. In Thessaloniki, for example,
trafficking networks are small-to-medium sized, mostly involving
"night" entrepreneurs (bar and club owners) and when there is
connection to Mafia organizations, it is with lower-ranking members.
MPO statistics show that 121 perpetrators were arrested and charged
in 2007 with violations of Article 323A and 351 of the anti-TIP law
(3064/02). NGOs in Greece and abroad, the media, and police report
that some travel agencies, especially those that deal with Eastern
Europe, are involved in trafficking rings. NGO activists and
journalists have reported in the recent past that some Greek
consular officials abroad facilitated trafficking by granting visas,
possibly via bribery or coercion, to TIP victims. There are no
reports to indicate profits going to terrorist organizations;

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information from arrests indicates that most profits go to criminal
entrepreneurs.

The Greek Government demonstrated political will at high levels in
2007-2008 to address trafficking in persons. The GoG updated its
Action Plan for 2007-2008 to include plans to ratify the Palermo
protocol and the Bilateral Agreement with Albania for Minor Victims
of trafficking, although these were already part of the previous
year's plan, and announced in early January its intention to ratify
the Council of Europe Convention on Action Against Trafficking in
Human Beings.

In 2007 it improved regional police cooperation initiatives
including cross-border cooperation through the Southeast European
Cooperative Initiative (SECI) and by further enhancing the "Ilaeira"
Project, launched in December 2006, -- a regional police cooperation
program involving more than twenty countries. The GoG also has
several ongoing multilateral, regional programs to combat
trafficking. One program, begun in 2006, is conducted in
cooperation with USAID and UNICEF in Albania. Another project is
designed to establish a clearing house for missing Children in
southeastern Europe in cooperation with the NGO 'Smile of the
Child;' and another i The GoG extended
its cooperation with NGOs by including one new organization in the
2005 Memorandum of Cooperation signed by 12 NGOs. The thirteenth
NGO to sign the MoC is Nea Zoi. It continued to consult with
diplomatic and consular authorities from victims' countries of
origin. It has structures in place for the protection of victims
and ongoing support and prevention projects in victims' countries of
origin. The Greek government asserts that it lobbies and promotes
trafficking awareness in international organizations including NATO,
the OSCE, the Council of Europe and the Human Security Network.

Some examples of the GoG's resolve to combat TIP are below:

-- Since 2005, Hellenic Aid and IOM are signatories to a
humanitarian repatriation and social integration contract to ensure
the humane repatriation of trafficking victims and to provide for
their social reintegration into their countries of origin.

-- In May 2007, the Secretariat for Gender Equality, the Research
Centre on Equality Issues and the IOM held a three-day seminar in
Ioannina, Northern Greece, for Public Administration officers,
including social workers, psychologists, nurses, police personnel
and judges. The focus was on the combating of human trafficking and
the support of women victims of sexual exploitation.

-- IOM Greece participated as a coordinating partner in the
Developmental Venture for the Promotion of Equal Rights for
Trafficked Individuals. The project was set up to implement an EU
Equal Initiative project, co-financed by the Employment and Social
Protection Ministry and the European Social Fund. One of the
results of the Project was the preparation in May 2007 of a Press
Guide on "Human Trafficking and the Mass Media," the scope of which
is to inform journalists about issues related to the presentation
and communication of human trafficking.

-- As part of the National Action Plan to Confront Trafficking in
Persons, the Union of Public Prosecutors in Greece and the IOM held
a second 3-day conference in November 2007 to train 300 Judges and
Prosecutors in applying the protections guaranteed to victims under
the Greek anti-trafficking legislation. The conference entitled
"Combating Human Trafficking" was financed by the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs Hellenic Aid Division (YDAS).

-- The Ministry of Public Order continued working on the "Ilareira"
police regional cooperation project in 2007. Within its framework,
it held a map exercise on combating human trafficking in April 2007
in the Thracian city of Komotini. The conference was under the
auspices of the European Commission Vice-President Mr. Frattini and
included exercises in victim recognition and referral to shelters,
legal aid and assistance as well as victim protection services.

-- The Hellenic Aid Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

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(YDAS) provided funds for a consultation forum between Greece and
nine South-Eastern European countries along with the U.S. The event
was co-organized by YDAS and the International Center for Missing
and Exploited Children. In October, YDAS also financed a four-day
training seminar for police and judicial personnel from Greece and
South-Eastern European countries organized by the Ministry of Public
Order and the International Center for Missing and Exploited
Children.

-- YDAS and IOM participated in a consultation forum with the
diplomatic and consular authorities from victims' countries of
origin -- including Nigeria. The scope of which is to further
promote coordination and regional cooperation as well as cooperation
between NGOs, International Organizations and representatives of the
GoG.

-- The Federation of Police Personnel continued training all levels
of police personnel in 24 Greek cities in the recognition and
referral of victims. The project was accomplished through
cooperation with the NGO "Antigone," the Greek representative to the
European Union Monitoring Center on Racism.

-- The GoG continued implementing the Transnational Action Against
Child Trafficking (TACT) as a means for combating child trafficking
from Albania to Greece. The project is financed by USAID, Hellenic
Aid, UNICEF and other international donors. Project activities take
place in Greece and Albania and include street-work, establishment
of shelters and protection structures, as well as the humanitarian
repatriation of children to Albania.

-- Secretariat for Gender Equality produced informative materials in
Greek, English, Albanian and Russian about the support services
available for victims.

-- IOM and Hellenic Aid continued to produce an information card in
Greek, English, Romanian and Russian to alert potential victims to
the law enforcement resources available to help them. The card
continues to be distributed at all check points to women entering
Greece from specific countries, and is posted in at least some
police stations.

-- In 2006, the Secretariat for Gender Equality launched a
development assistance project in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo
entitled "Support of Regional Policies Against Illegal Trafficking
of Women." The program has a total budget of 100,000 euros and aims
at providing direct counseling support to victims in Sarajevo and
Pristina. It includes an education campaign in schools in both
cities and support to the IOM structures in both Sarajevo and
Pristina which are already providing assistance and protection to
victims of trafficking in the Balkans. The project is still
on-going.

Some NGOs including Amnesty International and the Greek Helsinki
Monitor expressed concern about legal and practical shortcomings in
the process of identifying trafficked women. Others, including
KEPAD, European Women's Network, and Klimaka recognized that the GoG
had the political will to combat human trafficking but cited the
need for more effective implementation of the tools now in place.

Based on the array of activities carried out by the GoG, only some
of which are shown above, it is the assessment of the Embassy that
the government is demonstrating the political will to continue to
address this issue, by focusing not only on the "benchmarks," but
also on self-generated anti-TIP initiatives and ideas.

TIP Trends in Greece
--------------

--As in past years, NGOs and police agree that most victims
trafficked to Greece are women from former Soviet states, the
Balkans and Africa. These victims work in bars, brothels, and strip
clubs. In 2007, Greek law enforcement authorities identified the
following numbers and nationalities of TIP victims: from Albania (1)
victim),
Bulgaria (26),Lithuania (1),Moldova (2) Nigeria (5),Ukraine (3),
Romania (43),Russia (18),Sudan (1).

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--Most victims continued to enter Greece with legal documentation,
including work permits. Some recognized victims also have legal,
but fraudulently obtained documentation. For example, at least four
Russian victims over the past few years have reported to NGOs that
their traffickers falsified visa applications to obtain visas in the
victims' legal names.

Police and NGOs report that most, if not all, victims in 2007 were
found in Greece with legal visas, which according to NGOs who work
with victims in most cases were expedited by traffickers and issued
without personal interviews.

--There was an increasing trend of immigrant smugglers locking
smuggled immigrants for labor trafficking in apartments once they
arrived in Greece, and demanding a "ransom" from family members in
origin countries.

--There were reports of debt bondage both by victims and by source
country diplomatic representatives in Greece.

--In 2007, the trend continued of increasing numbers of
African, especially Nigerian, women trafficked to Greece for sexual
exploitation. Some of these women believe they are under a "voodoo
spell," and will not, therefore, speak to police and/or NGOs about
their possible victimization, and refuse assistance offered to them.
One NGO, Nea Zoi, was working to combat the effects of these
so-called voodoo curses and held a one-day seminar on the topic.

-- TIP victims are subjected to withholding of documents and
physical and psychological violence and threats. The trend
continued of victims being trafficked into more so-called "humane"
conditions, with some freedom of movement, communication, and small
stipends, but increased psychological abuse. For example, some
victims' lives and the lives of their families were threatened, and
traffickers told some victims they would be arrested, deported, or
even killed if they went to the police.

--Some victims were forced to marry traffickers or traffickers'
associates to "legalize" their status in Greece.

--NGOs report that increasing numbers of women were acting as
traffickers.

Ultimately, the identification of trends becomes more difficult in
the absence of reliable statistics and beyond recounting the
anecdotal evidence above, little can be said reliably.

-- C. Which government agencies are involved in anti-trafficking
efforts and which agency, if any, has the lead?

There are eight national ministries with responsibility for
antitrafficking efforts. Nine Secretaries General (SG) from those
ministries comprise the Interministerial Committee on TIP, of which
the SG of the Ministry of Justice is the president. The Ministry
of:

--Health (MOH) has responsibility for medical care for victims,
operation of shelters, operation of a telephone hotline,
coordination of repatriation program with IOM, and coordination of
emergency services.

--Public Order (MPO) has responsibility for TIP police task forces,
conducting TIP raids, arresting traffickers, producing police
reports as the basis for prosecutions, screening and identifying
victims, and education of police. The MPO has the lead in actively
investigating trafficking cases. The Hellenic Police have deployed
specialized anti-trafficking units in Athens and Thessaloniki since

2003.
The Greek police have 15 active anti-trafficking police units
throughout Greece. The units are specially trained to conduct all
TIP operations and respond to all TIP incidents encountered by other
officers. Further to their operational role, the mandate of the task
forces also includes the exchange of intelligence and other
information with prosecutors, NGO shelters and health authorities.


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--Justice (MOJ) has responsibility for prosecutions, convictions,
education of prosecutors and judges, assignment of prosecutors to
TIP cases, amendment of the legislative framework and keeping a
database on prosecution of trafficking crimes. Prosecutors have a
special responsibility to formally grant (or deny) victim status.

--Foreign Affairs (MFA) coordinates the diplomatic/NGO/GoG working
group, coordinates and negotiates bilateral and multilateral
agreements, such as the Child Repatriation Agreement with Albania,
and acts as a liaison between interested parties. Th spokesman of
the Interministerial
Committee on TIP is an MFA employee with the rank of ambassador.
Hellenic Aid, a part of MFA, funds NGO and IO programs and shelters,
provides legal aid to victims through NGO funding, funds training of
police, judges and prosecutors, and is cooperating with USAID to
contribute to the Transnational Action against Child Trafficking
(TACT) program in Albania.

--Interior (MOI) (including the SG for Gender Equality) has
responsibility for amendment of the legislative framework regarding
migration policy which includes residence permits and reflection
periods, granting of residence permits, nationwide public awareness
campaign, and vocational training, counseling, and social support
for victims.

--Education and Employment ministries have responsibility for
education, vocational training, and job placement of victims.

--Finance has responsibility for authorizing funding for TIP
efforts.

-- D. What are the limitations on the government's ability to
address this problem in practice? For example, is funding for
police or other institutions inadequate? Is overall corruption a
problem? Does the government lack the resources to aid victims?

The government continued making funds available for training of
police personnel and for key civil servants, including judges,
prosecutors, psychologists, social workers, and the personnel
responsible for issuing residence permits. Resources to address
support and assistance needs of victims are more than adequate when
considering the limited number of identified victims in the last
year. The government funds NGOs to maintain shelters and to provide
assistance, aid and other services to victims. However, corruption
within the Greek bureaucracy and a slow judicial system continue to
contribute to limitations on the GoG's ability to address
trafficking in practice. GoG continued efforts to educate the
police force and key civil servants. Plans are in place for
continued training of police, prosecutors and judges.

-- E. To what extent does the government systematically monitor its
anti-trafficking efforts (on all fronts -- prosecution, prevention
and victim protection) and periodically make available, publicly or
privately and directly or through regional/international
osments of these anti-trafficking efforts?

TIPs of Justice, Public OrdHealth, Interior and Foreign Affairs actively monitor the
anti-trafficking efforts of the GoG in prosecution, prevention, and
victim protection. Their inter-ministerial group on TIP, however
failed to hold any meetings between March 2007 and January 2008, due
to elections held in September 2007 and the subsequent organization
of a new government. The GoG makes their assessments available,
both publicly and privately, directly to regional organizations,
international bodies, and embassies. The absence of reliable
statistics, however, continues to be a barrier to assessing
anti-trafficking efforts.

In 2008 as in 2007 the GoG coordinated with NGOs and IOM to provide
information for this report, gathering some statistics directly from
NGOs and forwarding them as-is.

Greece 2008 TIP Report Submission Continued Septel.

SPECKHARD