HUNGARY: 2009 TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS (TIP) REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 11 BUDAPEST 000148 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR G/TIP MEGAN HALL, EUR/CE JAMIE LAMORE, G FOR AC BLANK, INL, DRL, PRM, IWI, EUR/PGI FOR JODY BUCKNEBERG E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM KTIP KWMN ELAB KCRM KFRD PREF SMIG ASEC HU SUBJECT: HUNGARY: 2009 TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS (TIP) REPORT REF: STATE 00132759 BUDAPEST 00000148 001.2 OF 011 Entire cable is sensitive but unclassified; please treat accordingly. ============== SUMMARY ============== ¶1. Despite the successful implementation of the National Strategy Against Trafficking in Human Beings on April 10, 2008, the GOH was unable to sustain the same level of commitment to anti-TIP activities as it had done in previous years. During the year, the GOH eliminated financial and programming support for all NGOs working on TIP issues, and provided only minimal assistance for government programs. GOH officials reported that many of their initiatives and funding prospects will be stalemated until a National Action Plan is finalized by the Ministry of Justice and Law Enforcement. The Action Plan was scheduled to be completed in August 2008 but was still in the planning phase at the end of the reporting period. NGOs and IOs continue to provide the majority of anti-TIP programming and funding in Hungary. Hungary's TIP environment remains relatively unchanged from the previous year. Hungary is primarily a country of origin and transit, and a destination country to a lesser extent. Traffickers primarily target young, rural women and adult female orphans. Women from the poorer eastern region of the country are especially vulnerable. The recent economic downturn in Hungary has led to an increase in supply of domestic victims, and, in turn, has reduced the demand for international victims. Both government officials and NGO representatives expressed concern that the visa free Schengen Zone has made it easier for traffickers to transit international boundaries undetected. Police officials have also been monitoring the effect on trafficking of victims to the United States following Hungary's acceptance into the Visa Waiver Program in November 2008. Law enforcement efforts to combat TIP became increasingly successful since the implementation of a new TIP law enforcement database in December 2008. The database allows police officers anywhere in Hungary to flag any crime that may have a TIP-connection. The National Bureau of Investigation receives these alerts and can follow-up on them as needed. NGOs gave high marks to law enforcement officials for their effective and proactive approach to identifying trafficking victims. The government's support for victims declined significantly from the previous year. For example, during the year, the GOH did not provide financial assistance to any NGO working in the TIP community, contrasted with the approximately USD 150,000 the GOH provided to those NGOs in 2007. The GOH also canceled the lease for a building it owned which housed one of only two victims' assistance shelters in Hungary. However, a government referral system designed in cooperation with the GOH and NGO victims' assistance centers worked effectively during the year. Post believes that Hungary has not followed-through on its own proposals to address the trafficking situation. While the government-based referral system and law enforcement initiatives are proving successful, other areas have been left largely unattended. Hungary has established a solid anti-TIP framework through its National Strategy but now needs to continue with developing and implementing an action plan with the TIP stakeholders. Hungary should also look for ways to support important services for trafficking victims. ======================= HUNGARY'S TIP SITUATION ======================= ¶A. Key government agencies, NGOs, and international organizations provided the majority of the TIP-related information to Post. The Ministry of Justice and Law Enforcement (MOJLE) is the lead government agency on TIP issues and is the primary point of contact on all related BUDAPEST 00000148 002.2 OF 011 issues. Other government agencies involved include the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA),Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor (MSAL),and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI). Several NGOs also provided information related to victims assistance, prevention efforts, and government cooperation. The International Office of Migration (IOM) is an additional source of information. Post considers the sources to be reliable in large part, but believes that some of them may skew their input in favor of the government. NGOs that have received direct financial or programming assistance from the GOH seemed reluctant at times to share information that could negatively impact the USG's assessment of the GOH's TIP activities. ¶B. Hungary is primarily a country of origin and transit, however it is also a destination country. In particular, for women trafficked for sexual exploitation, Hungary is a source, destination, and transit country. Seventy-five trafficking victims were identified during 2008 compared to the 28 victims reported in 2007. Officials reported that of the 75 trafficking victims, 56 were trafficked internally. Internal trafficking for sexual exploitation originates primarily from eastern Hungary and terminates either in Budapest or along the Austrian border. Recent trafficking trends suggest that Hungary is becoming less of a destination country and more of a transit country. Rising poverty rates have increased the supply of domestic victims, thus reducing the demand for international victims. Additionally, the implementation of the visa-free Schengen zone has made it easier for traffickers to traffic external victims through Hungary en route to other countries. Victims were trafficked internationally from Hungary to the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, France, and the United Arab Emirates. The Netherlands is increasingly becoming the destination country of choice for Hungarian traffickers. Other victims were trafficked to Hungary from Ukraine and Romania. Nineteen internationally trafficked victims were identified during the reporting period, however, there were no official estimates of the actual number of victims trafficked from, to, or through Hungary. The impact of Hungary's acceptance into the Visa Waiver Program on November 17, 2008 is being closely monitored by government officials in anticipation that it may spark a new wave of trafficking from Hungary to the United States. ¶C. Victims trafficked within and outside Hungary are trafficked for sexual exploitation. TIP victims in Hungary are forced to solicit clients on rural roads, city streets, and in brothels. Threats and the use of force are used to ensure compliance. Victims are usually housed in apartments owned by traffickers or outbuildings on their property. Virtually all victims' earnings (as well as the victims' travel documents) are taken by the trafficker. Many victims are enticed through employment ads promising well-paying work, either legal or illegal, but Post has no evidence that bona fide employment, travel agencies, or marriage brokers are fronting for traffickers. However, bogus employment ads are published in free weekly publications, on the internet, or spread by word of mouth, for instance, at discos. Some victims know they are being recruited to perform illegal work. Some are recruited as "exotic dancers," but do not expect to have to perform sexual services. Once at a destination, the victim is forced into prostitution to pay off the "debt" she has incurred for being brought to the establishment. There is evidence that many women are sold into prostitution by their families. This typically happens in very low-income families. While government officials comment that it is not uncommon for trafficking victims to use fraudulent documentation, a significant number travel with bona fide documents, making it difficult to identify victims as they are unaware of their intended victimization. ¶D. Traffickers will often target young, rural women and adult female orphans. Women from the poorer eastern region BUDAPEST 00000148 003.2 OF 011 of Hungary are especially vulnerable. NGOs estimate that 90 percent of all orphan girls are in danger of being trafficked. Upon reaching the age of 18 years, an orphan is no longer allowed to reside in state-run orphanages. At that time, the orphan is given a maximum, one-time stipend of approximately HUF 1.6 million (USD 6,866),depending upon how long they were in state care, which they must use to find their own housing. According to NGOs and government officials, the stipend is too small to help the individual start a new life. There is also a mentorship program available to those over the age of 18, but in practice it is not used very often and it is not viewed by NGOs as very effective. As a result, most of these women find themselves indigent and homeless in a matter of weeks. Out of desperation, they often turn to prostitution and quickly find themselves at the mercy of traffickers and/or pimps. ¶E. Government officials and NGOs both stated that, while there are some instances of organized crime engaging in trafficking, the majority of traffickers are individuals or small groups that are oftentimes interconnected through family or social ties, and that many have prior criminal records for crimes related to trafficking, such as document forgery. In cases of international trafficking, these individuals or groups make cooperative arrangements with other small-time operators in the destination country. ============================================= ========== SETTING THE SCENE FOR THE GOVERNMENT'S ANTI-TIP EFFORTS ============================================= ========== ¶A. The government recognizes that trafficking in persons is a problem in Hungary that requires continued law enforcement, prevention, and victim assistance efforts. ¶B. The government's National Strategy Against Trafficking in Persons came into force on April 10, 2008, establishing the framework of cooperation for government agencies involved in trafficking issues. The Ministry of Justice and Law Enforcement has the lead on all trafficking issues and, according to the strategy, should coordinate government activities through a State Secretary-level national coordinator. Other government agencies involved include the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The National Strategy details the trafficking situation in Hungary and lays the groundwork for the formation of a National Action Plan. It also describes the principle tasks of the National Coordinator position to include the development of an action plan and a requirement to maintain routine communication with key stakeholders. The strategy also set an August 31, 2008 deadline to develop the action plan. Despite the stated goals of the National Strategy, the government has not followed-through on its own self-prescribed initiatives. Ten months after the National Strategy was adopted, NGOs reported that they did not know who the National Coordinator was, nor were they ever contacted or consulted about the action plan. The first meeting convened by the National Coordinator occurred on February 9, 2009, apparently in response to Post's request to gather information for this report. ¶C. The government reported both law enforcement and budgetary limitations in combating TIP. Representatives from the National Bureau of Investigation reported that trafficking laws are narrow in scope and fail to fully address the TIP problem. They cited the example of pandering, saying that the law does not treat it as a TIP crime, thus weakening their ability to combat it. The National Assembly has been considering legislation to include pandering as a TIP crime for many years without success. The absence of any special TIP judges or prosecutors in Hungary was also cited as a limiting factor. A severe budget shortfall during the reporting period explained in part the significant cut-backs in government support of TIP programming. The government did not financially support any TIP NGO during the year. In 2007, the GOH allocated approximately USD 150,000 to NGOs for TIP-related programming. BUDAPEST 00000148 004.2 OF 011 ¶D. The National Strategy established a mechanism for the GOH to systematically monitor its anti-trafficking efforts, but there was no evidence that this was done. The National Strategy disbanded both the interministerial working group and the bilateral working group cited in previous reports, and replaced them with the national coordination mechanism. This mechanism requires regular communication and meetings with key TIP stakeholders, but NGOs and GOH officials reported that no such activities occurred. The GOH also did not release regular reports on trafficking, nor did it make available through regional/international organizations its assessments of its anti-trafficking efforts. The individual agencies that are involved in anti-TIP efforts operate independently of each other and rely on informal channels of communication to share information. ============================================ INVESTIGATION AND PROSECUTION OF TRAFFICKERS ============================================ ¶A. In 1999, the crime of TIP was specifically introduced into the Hungarian Criminal Code. The definition of TIP was modified in 2001 to harmonize with the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crimes. Under paragraph 175/B of the Hungarian Criminal Code, any person who sells, purchases, conveys, receives another person or exchanges a person for another person, including the person, or who recruits, transports, houses, hides, or appropriates people for such purposes for another party, is guilty of a felony punishable by imprisonment not to exceed three years. The basic penalty for traffickers is one to fine years imprisonment, if the criminal act is committed for the following purposes: sodomy or sexual penetration; to subject the victim to forced labor; to the detriment of a person kept in captivity; for the unlawful use of human body; in criminal conspiracy; or in a pattern of criminal profiteering. The penalty for these offenses increases to two to eight years if it is committed to the detriment of a person who is in the care, custody, supervision, or treatment of the perpetrator or if it is carried out by force, by the threat of force, by deception, or by tormenting the injured person. The penalty increases to five to ten years if trafficking for the purpose of making illegal pornographic material is involved. If the victim of any of these forms of trafficking is under 12 years of age, the penalty is five to fifteen years up to life in prison. Any person who makes preparations for TIP is guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by imprisonment not to exceed two years. The law covers both internal and trans-border trafficking cases. The GOH acknowledges that the Supreme Court has set strict evidentiary requirements for proving the crime of TIP, which makes successful prosecutions under paragraph 175/B difficult. Unfortunately prosecutors often try traffickers under other criminal statutes, which are related to trafficking and easier to prosecute, but carry lighter sentences, in the hopes of providing a greater chance of conviction. The numbers of these "non paragraph 175/B" prosecutions are included in the Unified Statistical System of Investigations and Prosecutions (ERUBS). These TIP-related statutes may include laws against slavery, kidnapping, promotion of prostitution, living on the earnings of prostitution, pandering, human smuggling, violation of personal freedom, changing the custody of a minor, or changing the family status. The GOH did not enacted any new TIP criminal legislation during the reporting year. ¶B. The basic penalty for trafficking people for sexual exploitation is imprisonment between one to five years if the criminal act is committed for the purpose of sodomy or sexual penetration. The penalty increases to two to eight years if it is committed to the detriment of a person who is in the care, custody, supervision, or treatment of the perpetrator, or if it is carried out by force, by the threat of force, by deception, or by tormenting the injured person. The penalty increases to five to ten years if trafficking for the purpose of making illegal pornographic material is involved. If the victim is under 12 years of age, the penalty is five to fifteen years up to life imprisonment. The GOH did not enacted any new legislation on sex trafficking offenses since BUDAPEST 00000148 005.2 OF 011 the last TIP report. ¶C. The basic penalty for labor trafficking offenses is imprisonment between one to five years if the criminal act is committed to subject the victim to forced labor. As with sexual exploitation, the penalty increases to two to eight years if it is committed to the detriment of a person who is in the care, custody, supervision, or treatment of the perpetrator, or if it is carried out by force, by the threat of force, by deception, or by tormenting the injured person. If the victim is under 12 years of age, the penalty is five to fifteen years up to life imprisonment. The law provides for criminal punishment for both recruiters who engage in recruitment of laborers using knowingly fraudulent or deceptive offers that result in workers being trafficked in the destination country as well as for employers or labor agents who confiscate worker's passports or travel documents, switch contracts without the workers' consent, or withhold payment of salaries as a means of keeping workers in a state of service. If the perpetrator is a Hungarian citizen he/she can be punished for a TIP offense, regardless of the place of the perpetration. If the offender is not a Hungarian citizen, Hungarian law should be applied, if perpetration is in another country, but the offender has connection to Hungary, Hungarian law can be also applied pursuant to the Hungarian Criminal Code. The GOH did not enact any new legislation on labor trafficking offenses since the last TIP report. ¶D. The penalties for rape or forcible sexual assault are similar to trafficking penalties. The basic penalty is between two to eight years imprisonment. The penalty increases to five to fifteen years if the victim is under 12 and if the victim is under the care of the perpetrator or if more than one person has sexual intercourse with the victim on the same occasion, knowing about each other's acts. ¶E. The GOH launched 21 investigations against suspected TIP crimes during the year. According to Ministry of Justice and Law Enforcement data, there were 16 convictions against TIP for sexual exploitation and an additional two convictions for labor trafficking offenses. Of the 16 convictions for sexual exploitation, nine convictions resulted in sentences ranging from one and one-half to nine years in prison. Four of these convictions resulted in prison sentences of under three years, while the other five convictions resulted in prison sentences of more than five years. Of the 16 total convictions, seven resulted in suspended sentences. Of these, five sentences included additional fines. Fines in three of the cases were below HUF 100,000 (USD 415). In the other two cases, the fines were exactly HUF 850,000 (USD 3,526). There was no additional information available to explain the disparity between the fines in these five cases. The two convictions for labor trafficking offenses resulted in prison sentences of two years in one case and one and one-half years in the second case. Both sentences also included an additional two years probation to be served after prison. Compared to the previous year, penalties for convicted traffickers were not as severe in 2008. In 2007, the 17 reported convictions resulted in 16 prison sentences with only one case ending in a suspended sentence. Ninety-four percent of convicted traffickers received a prison sentence in 2007. In 2008, only 9 of the 16 convicted traffickers, or 56 percent, received a prison sentence, while 7 received suspended sentences. A breakdown of the conviction data by county revealed that five of the seven suspended sentences originated in Szabolcs-Szatmar-Bereg County, This county is the easternmost county in Hungary and is reportedly also from where many internally trafficked victims originate. There is no evidence available to explain why the sentencing patterns appear to be less strict in this county relative to the rest of the country. ¶F. The GOH provides training to crisis hotline operators on how to recognize potential trafficking victims. Operators refer possible victims to a victim care NGO for follow-up. BUDAPEST 00000148 006.2 OF 011 The GOH also conducts regular training for consular officers destined for overseas assignments. However, the National Bureau of Investigation reported that it did not receive any funds from the GOH to support TIP training for police officers, including victim sensitivity training. The Hungarian Judicial Academy (HJA) held a two-day course in November 2008 for criminal judges who handle TIP cases. The course goals were to sensitize judges to the needs of victims and to provide insights into how to best listen to victims' concerns. Fifteen judges participated in the training. The HJA planned to repeat the organized training it conducted in 2007 for 342 judges that covered TIP-related subjects, but plans for that training were canceled. The International Office of Migration (IOM) has been active in training in the past but did not conduct any training for government officials during the year. ¶G. The GOH cooperates with other nations on a regular basis, but police officials noted that international cooperation can at times be difficult because the GOH's criminal investigations are treated at a higher level of classification than other international partners. The Hungarian TIP laws' intent to protect the integrity of the TIP investigations limits the ability to share information with international partners. During the year, the Hungarian police cooperated on investigations with officials from the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Spain, and France. In January, Hungarian and French authorities exposed an international trafficking ring involving as up to 100 victims from several countries including Hungary. The operation used men posing as modeling agency representatives to lure women to Paris before forcing them to work there as prostitutes. ¶H. The GOH is willing to extradite foreign nationals charged with trafficking, unless the suspect may be subject to the death penalty. During the reporting period Hungary did not extradite anyone charged with trafficking. Hungary generally does not approve the extradition of its own nationals. The U.S.- Hungary extradition treaty, for example, includes a provision that allows each country to deny extradition of its own citizens. In such cases where citizenship is the only reason for denial, the denying country is obligated to conduct a trial within its own justice system. ¶I. There is no evidence of government involvement in, or tolerance of trafficking, at the local or institutional level. ¶J. There is no evidence that government officials are involved in trafficking. ¶K. The 1999 Anti-Mafia law regulates prostitution in Hungary. According to the law, prostitution is legal if the prostitute is over age 18; however, there are large numbers of restrictions as to where prostitution may be carried out. Examples of restricted areas include within 300 meters of schools, child care institutions, and embassies. Prostitutes caught in restricted areas are subject to a misdemeanor fine. The activities of pimps and brothel owners/operators are criminalized. The law also calls on municipalities to designate "tolerance zones," where prostitution would be legal. While attempts to designate such zones have been made, none currently exist, mainly due to public opposition. In 2007, in an effort to bring prostitutes into the legal economy, the tax authorities allowed prostitutes to apply for entrepreneur permits and provided, with EU assistance, approximately HUF 14.7 million (USD 85,231 at that time) to the Hungarian Prostitutes' Interest Protection Association (HPIPA) to assist individuals in obtaining the permits. The permits allow prostitutes to give receipts to customers and incorporated the sex workers into the legal economy by paying taxes and making social security contributions. During this reporting period, HPIPA said that their attempts to bring prostitutes into the legal economy have been largely unsuccessful. HPIPA estimates that between 15,000 and 20,000 prostitutes are currently working in Hungary, 85 percent of whom are women. BUDAPEST 00000148 007.2 OF 011 ¶L. The GOH investigates, prosecutes, and convicts police officers or military troops working in foreign missions. Police and military officers committing a crime are immediately suspended from office, sent back to Hungary, and prosecuted. The foreign mission and the sending country are notified without delay. No such crime was committed during the reporting period. ¶M. The GOH and multiple NGO and IO sources confirmed that there is no evidence that Hungary is a destination for child sex tourism. ==================================== PROTECTION AND ASSISTANCE TO VICTIMS ==================================== ¶A. Parliament adopted the Act on Entry and Stay of Third Country Nationals (Act No.2) which came into force on July 1, ¶2007. This act grants trafficking victims a reflection period of one month to decide whether they will cooperate with authorities. During this period, victims are entitled to a temporary residence permit and may only be expelled from the country if their continued residence presents a serious threat to national security, public security, or public policy. After the expiry of the reflection period, if they decide to cooperate with authorities, they are entitled to a residence permit valid for six months. The government's implementing decree (No. 114/2007) ensures that victims of trafficking have access to accommodation, health care, and various forms of financial support during their period of legal stay in the country. According to the information provided by the Office of Immigration and Nationality, temporary residence permits on humanitarian grounds were issued to nine people during the reporting period, but there is no information as to how many, if any, were trafficking victims. Several NGOs expressed concern that the government's legal interpretation of "victim" is oftentimes too narrow to include victims of trafficking, thus making it difficult for these organizations to secure government funding. One victim assistance NGO said it is considering reclassifying its trafficking victims as "homeless" in order to improve their chances for government funding. They reported that other victim classifications, including victims of domestic violence, are higher on the list of government priorities. ¶B. There is currently only one victim care facility operating in Hungary which is accessible to trafficking victims. The shelter has been owned and operated by a faith-based NGO since 2005 and provided assistance to 75 trafficking victims during the reporting period, of which 50 were referred to them directly by the GOH. The facility offers a range of services to victims, including legal, medical, and psychological assistance, as well as full room and board, repatriation assistance for third country nationals, and reintegration services. Trafficking victims are permitted to stay in the facility for up to six months. After that, the NGO provides additional assistance to the victims to make the transition out of the facility. Options include a transfer to another, non-trafficking victim facility, repatriation to their country of origin, transfer to another NGO shelter in the country of origin, or assistance with gaining legal residence in Hungary. The NGO had previously operated an additional victim care facility in Budapest in a building provided by the GOH. The GOH terminated that contract on June 30, 2008 and offered a different building in a more isolated location outside the city. Due the facility's "extreme" distance from Budapest, the NGO elected not to accept the GOH's offer because its location would make the facility "non-operational." In 2007 the same NGO received HUF 13 million (USD 74,901 at that time) to operate its shelters and provide qualified social workers, legal, medical, and psychological assistance, and reintegration facilities if necessary. However, during this reporting period, the NGO operated entirely on private funding. BUDAPEST 00000148 008.2 OF 011 ¶C. The GOH does not directly provide trafficking victims with access to legal, medical, or psychological services. However, it does operate a crisis hotline, which has been successful in directing trafficking victims to the appropriate service providers. The hotline is funded entirely by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor and employs a staff of 12 operators and one director position. The NGO that operates the victim care facility reported that most of the 50 trafficking victims referred by the GOH during the reporting period came through this channel. Several other NGOs reported that the crisis hotline operated successfully and effectively during the year. The GOH reported that during 2008 it allocated HUF 132 million (USD 550,000) to victim assistance programs. Nearly all of this funding, however, was designated for domestic violence, not trafficking, victims. Both GOH and NGO contacts confirmed that the GOH ceased its funding of NGOs working with trafficking victims during the reporting year. GOH officials reported that a severe budget crisis hampered the government's ability to provide support. Although GOH officials stated that there are plans in place to provide additional funding in the future, they said the government must first implement the TIP Action Plan, which will establish the government's priorities. The Action Plan was scheduled to be completed by August 2008 but is still in the planning phase. ¶D. The Act on Entry and Stay of Third Country Nationals (Act No. 2) described above (para. A) provides foreign trafficking victims certain rights that facilitate their stay in Hungary. ¶E. The GOH does not directly provide longer-term shelter, housing benefits to victims, or other resources to assist victims rebuild their lives. In previous years, the GOH provided financial support to NGOs that delivered such services. ¶F. A formal victim referral program process, with an emphasis on victim protection, has been in place since 2005. According to one NGO, the referral system is functioning well. NGOs reported that courts and prosecutors' offices use the referral program to their satisfaction. The police updated their directive on counter-trafficking measures in 2007, which provides guidance to all policemen on how to appropriately handle trafficking cases. The guidance places a special emphasis on victim identification, international coordination, and cooperation with NGOs. ¶G. There are no figures or estimates of the actual number of trafficking victims in Hungary. However, 75 trafficking victims were identified during the reporting period. Of these, 50 were referred by the GOH-operated crisis hotline to the victims' assistance NGO for follow-up. Law enforcement officials reportedly do not directly refer victims to care facilities. According to the GOH law enforcement statistics database (ENYUBS),10 victims were officially identified during criminal proceedings. The GOH did not provide assistance to any trafficking victims through government-funded assistance programs during the year. ¶H. NGO representatives reported that law enforcement officials are successfully proactive at identifying possible trafficking victims. Police officers receive a manual on TIP explaining the causes of victimization, interrogation methods for the victim-witness, and specific investigation techniques and tactics. The manual was compiled in the framework of a regional training program of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe and the International Center for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) on implementation of the regulations of Palermo Protocol. Hungarian authorities do not register persons engaged in prostitution. As a result, there is no formal mechanism in place to screen for trafficking victims among this population. ¶I. It is not GOH policy to jail, detain, fine, or deport BUDAPEST 00000148 009.2 OF 011 victims of trafficking, and there were no reports that any of these occurred during the reporting year. According to both the GOH and NGOs, the directive on counter-trafficking measures from the Hungarian National Police to all police officers across the country has had a positive effect on the treatment and identification of trafficking victims. ¶J. The GOH officially encourages victims to assist in the investigation and prosecution of trafficking cases. In 2001, Hungary adopted its Act on Witness Protection. In theory, the program grants physical protection to witnesses. The program is available to victims of trafficking, provided they are willing to testify in a court of law. ¶K. The GOH conducts regular training sessions for consular officers to raise their awareness about potential TIP victims they may encounter while posted abroad. The training program, developed by the MFA's Consular Department and IOM, is mandatory for all Hungarian consuls and is part of the manual issued to all consular officers. The training also serves as a model for other Foreign Ministries in the region. In 2008, consular officers identified 16 trafficking victims and an additional four potential victims. Consular officers identified victims in the United Kingdom, Austria, Mexico, Germany, Italy, Cyprus, and the United States. In all cases, the consular missions issued travel documents in order to facilitate the victim's return home, and in some cases they also provided financial assistance. Hungarian consulates regularly cooperated with local victim assistance organizations and referred many of the victims directly to those agencies for assistance. ¶L. Repatriated nationals who are trafficking victims have access to the range of social services available to all Hungarians. Once repatriated, the GOH does not directly provide any additional assistance to these victims. Instead, the victims are normally referred to the NGO-operated victim care facility for follow-up. ¶M. The most active organization concerned with trafficking is IOM. Since 1999, IOM has conducted the most in-depth training on trafficking in Hungary. In 2007, IOM provided anti-trafficking training assistance and awareness raising interventions to three target groups (child care, education and health experts, and vulnerable groups at risk of being trafficked). These programs directly reached 121 beneficiaries. IOM and the GOH are planning a joint trafficking prevention campaign slated for mid-March 2009. IOM also refers Hungarian victims identified by their offices outside of Hungary to the victims' care facility in Budapest. In 2008, IOM referred seven external Hungarians to this facility. A faith-based NGO (which has asked to remain anonymous for security reasons) has done considerable street-level work, operates the only victims' shelter in the country, and provides counseling services to trafficking victims and prostitutes, as well as international relief services. The NGO finances trafficking awareness programs for its own social workers and experts. WRA is a victims' assistance NGO that operates some of Hungary's regional victims' assistance offices. WRA provides financial and other types of support to victims of all crimes, including trafficking. WRA also runs awareness-raising campaigns using information brochures placed in police stations. Women United Against Violence (NANE) is a small, but active NGO. Although NANE's primary focus is not trafficking, it provides counseling to trafficking and domestic violence victims and promote public awareness of these issues. The Cordelia Foundation is a small NGO providing relief to victims of torture and organized crime. They also work on refugee assistance. Habeus Corpus is a small NGO that provides legal assistance to trafficking and domestic violence victims. BUDAPEST 00000148 010.2 OF 011 The Hungarian Prostitute Interest Association (HPIA) is a small but active NGO that seeks to raise government awareness on the plight of prostitutes. HPIA conducts surveys on the working conditions of street prostitutes, rehabilitates prostitutes, and counsels them on how to avoid being victimized by traffickers. ========== PREVENTION ========== ¶A. The GOH did not conduct any anti-trafficking information or education campaigns during the reporting period. However, the MOJ, in cooperation with IOM, plans to launch a demand-side campaign on March 4, 2009. The three-month campaign will use information fliers posted in gas station restrooms to reach the target audience of 25-45 year old males. The fliers' intent will be to get the audience to consider how certain activities, such as hiring a prostitute, could support the trafficking industry. Additionally, IOM will develop anti-demand related information to be posted on the MOJ website. The MOJ is proposing to incorporate an online survey to track the effectiveness of the campaign, although government officials admitted that the survey may not give an accurate measure of the campaign's impact. The GOH is planning to finance the campaign with HUF 3 million (USD 12,500). ¶B. Since December 21, 2007, Hungary has been a member of the Schengen zone and continues to place a high importance on monitoring its borders. A wide range of modern techniques are in place to detect illegal border crossings (such as sensors, infra-red cameras, etc). Immigration and emigration patterns are monitored and law enforcement agencies pay special attention to cases where TIP may occur during the entrance procedure at the borders. NNI police officials noted however, that the removal of border controls between Hungary and its neighboring Schengen countries has reduced the number of immigration officials screening potential victims and offenders as they cross these borders. ¶C. The GOH established a formal mechanism to facilitate communication between the key TIP stakeholders upon adopting the National Strategy on April 10, 2008. In practice however, this mechanism was never used. NGOs reported having only minimal contact with the GOH during the reporting year and expressed their disappointment in the ineffectiveness of the new system. The most prominent NGO dealing with trafficking issues reported having "no relationship with the National Strategy." The same NGO expressed frustration that the GOH may have created the National Strategy, but had no intention of implementing it in practice. This was a sentiment shared by officials from IOM. According to an IOM representative, a plan proposed by the GOH to establish an internet group for stakeholders to share information was also never established as promised. The National Strategy stipulates that the National Coordinator "shall keep contact with the national and international stakeholders involved." Unfortunately, representatives from every NGO consulted for this report said they never had any contact with the National Coordinator, nor had ever been informed as to who he was. The multi-agency working group, which also incorporated NGOs and IOs, only formally met one time during the reporting year, and only in response to Post's request for a meeting. The US-Hungary bilateral working group, which previously existed to provide information to for the TIP Report, was dissolved with the adoption of the National Strategy. ¶D. The National Strategy laid the foundation for the creation of a National Action Plan and set a implementation deadline of August 31, 2008. However, at the end of the reporting year the Action Plan was still being developed within the MOJ. MOJ officials reported that they expect to adopt the Action Plan in the "near future." NGO and IO representatives from the TIP community reported that they had not been consulted or advised about the Action Plan process. ¶E. There were no reports that the GOH had taken any measures during the reporting period to reduce the demand for BUDAPEST 00000148 011.2 OF 011 commercial sex acts. However, in 2007 Parliament amended the Hungarian Criminal Code to stipulate that any person who pays for sexual intercourse with a person under the age of 18, is guilty of a felony punishable by imprisonment up to three years. ¶F. Law enforcement agencies have no knowledge of Hungarian nationals participating in international sex tourism. The Hungarian Criminal Code stipulates that Hungarian law shall be applied to crimes committed in Hungary, as well as to any conduct of Hungarian citizens abroad, which are deemed criminal in accordance with Hungarian law. Hungarian nationals can be prosecuted on the basis of this article if they commit a criminal offense abroad. ¶G. An assessment regarding Hungary's efforts to ensure that its troops deployed abroad for international peacekeeping missions do not engage in or facilitate trafficking or exploit trafficking victims was unavailable for this reporting period. ========== TIP HEROES ========== ¶A. Post nominates National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) police major Jozsef Poltl and police captain Csaba Kiripovszky for the 2009 TIP Heroes. Both have demonstrated outstanding commitment and dedication to improving law enforcement efforts against TIP. Major Poltl and Captain Kiripovszky lead a team of 12 police officers in the National Bureau of Investigation's Department of Trafficking in Human Beings. They have distinguished themselves as national experts on TIP and have established key partnerships with other international law enforcement agencies. The TIP Department specializes in investigating and dissolving international organized trafficking operations and seizing personal property from the criminals, as well as providing protection to trafficking victims. Since the department's inception in 2004, Major Poltl and Captain Kiripovszky have successfully orchestrated the disruption of several organized crime operations and have seized more than USD 9.7 million from the traffickers. Both men have also provided extensive information to supplement this report for the past several years. Post wishes to congratulate Major Poltl and Captain Kiripovszky for their extraordinary efforts and for the important contributions they make every day to disrupt TIP operations and improve the lives of trafficking victims across Hungary. Major Poltl and Captain Kiripovszky have been vetted through the Consular Lookout and Support System (CLASS). No derogatory information about either was returned. ============== BEST PRACTICES ============== ¶A. The National Bureau of Investigation developed a new law enforcement tool which tracks TIP and TIP-related crimes in a centralized crime database. The database allows police officers across Hungary to use the database to flag any crime that they believe could have a TIP connection. Officials from the NBI Department of Trafficking in Human Beings have access to the flagged data and can examine it to determine whether there is any connection to a TIP offense. The new system is helping to create a clearer picture of the overall TIP situation in Hungary. Since coming online in December 2008, the database has already been credited with identifying 12 verified TIP-related crimes. Foley