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