TIP NEXT STEPS DISCUSSED WITH MFA

C O N F I D E N T I A L ATHENS 000837 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/12/2018 TAGS: ELAB PGOV PHUM PREL SMIG KCRM KPAO KWMN GR SUBJECT: TIP NEXT STEPS DISCUSSED WITH MFA REF: A. SECSTATE 58442 ¶B. ATHENS 792 Classified By: ACTING POLCOUNS JEFF HOVENIER. REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D). 1.(C) On June 12, DepPolCouns, PolOff, and PolAssistant met with Alexios Zannos, Chief of Staff of MFA Secretary General Agathocles, to discuss Greece's next steps on combating Trafficking in Persons (TIP). We provided Zannos a list of recommended short-term TIP actions that the GOG could take, based on Greek performance on the 2008 TIP report (Ref A. See para 3 below for the text of the recommendations). We told Zannos that progress on the recommendations before G/TIP Ambassador Lagon's visit to Greece tentatively planned for the fall and FM Bakoyiannis' planned women leaders' conference on the margins of the fall UNGA would be an important and positive step. We also noted the emphasis Ambassador Tahir-Kheli placed on TIP issues in her discussions with FM Bakoyiannis and other GOG officials during her recent visit to Athens. (Ref B.) 2.(C) Zannos thanked us for the recommendations and underscored the importance his government placed on making progress on TIP issues this year. He said that an interagency committee would be formed in the next few weeks that would include both the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, and other ministries to deal with TIP issues. Zannos would pass on our recommendations tothe newly created committee and promised toprovide feedback on the agenda items soon. ¶3. (SBU) BEGIN TEXT OF RECOMMENDATIONS. ¶I. Cntinue and Increase Good Practices: -- Holdig &TIP working group" meetings of MFA, IOM, NGO, working-level government authorities, andorigin-, transit-, and destination-country dilomats; -- Increase and regularize cooperatio with NGOs on identifying and screening victims during and after police raids. -- Distributing information card at check points alerting potential victims entering Greece to law-enforcement resources available to help them; -- Funding and implementing training for law enforcement, justices, health personnel and other first-response officers; -- Funding prevention projects in source countries; II. New Steps: Organizational Measures: -- Appointment by Prime Minister of an interagency Trafficking &Czar8 with authority to coordinate activities of all ministries, and to speak authoritatively on the subject to the community (NGOs, public, press, diplomats). -- Preparation and presentation of an Annual Action Plan on combating TIP; -- Establish a system to compile reliable TIP statistics. Create a database on convictions, sentences, and time-served by traffickers, and treatment of victims. Work with police and prosecutors nationwide to obtain continuous updates on cases with the goal of being able to determine the status of any case from beginning to end. Building such a database would benefit the GOG decision-making on future actions and would help identify gaps and weaknesses; Outreach Measures: -- Meet with NGOs to discuss cooperation and agree on funding allocation that would be dispersed in a timely and consistent manner; -- Improving cooperation with NGOs in victim identification and screening, and allowing them access into detention centers to screen for victims and to conduct &know your rights8 presentations; -- Launch public awareness and demand reduction campaigns. Regular posting of TV spots already available by Gender Equality Secretariat and posters in metro stations and other high visibility places would help in raising public awareness and in demand reduction; Legislative Measures: -- Ratification of the Child Repatriation Agreement with Albania of 2006 and the Council of Europe Convention against Trafficking; END TEXT OF RECOMMENDATIONS. SPECKHARD