US embassy cable - 05ATHENS2927

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ATHENS 002927 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR EUR/SE, EUR/PGI, G/TIP, INL/CTR 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PHUM, KWMN, KCRM, GR, TIP 
SUBJECT: GREECE/TIP: RESPONSES FOR INTERIM ASSESSMENT FOR 
SPECIAL WATCH LIST COUNTRIES 
 
REF: A. STATE 188750 
 
     B. ATHENS 2742 
     C. ATHENS 1626 
 
Sensitive but unclassified, please protect accordingly. 
 
Embassy Athens provides the following update, keyed to REF A, 
on Greece's Tier 2 Watchlist Status: 
 
1.  (U) SUMMARIZE THE PROGRESS, OR LACK THEREOF, THE GOG HAS 
MADE IN DEVELOPING AN EFFECTIVE SCREENING AND REFERRAL 
MECHANISM FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT AND NGOS TO USE IN IDENTIFYING 
VICTIMS AND DIRECTING VICTIMS TO APPROPRIATE CARE. 
 
-The GoG is actively negotiating a "Memorandum of 
Cooperation" (MOC) with 14 NGOs and IOM, which is scheduled 
to be signed on November 29.  The draft MOC, which we have 
seen, formalizes NGO cooperation with the GoG, and defines 
the way NGOs should coordinate with the prosecutor's office 
to obtain the 30-day reflection period for potential victims 
of trafficking they identify.  The draft MOC also recognizes 
NGO shelters and defines how child victims should be handled. 
 The GoG is working closely with an IOM-affiliated lawyer 
(and IV grantee) on revisions to the draft based on NGO 
suggestions. 
 
-The negotiation of the Memorandum of Cooperation is an 
effort by the GoG to create a more effective screening and 
referral mechanism for the GoG and NGOs to use to identify 
victims and direct them to appropriate care.  The Ministry of 
Public Order, which has responsibility for Greek law 
enforcement, will also be a signatory to the MOC. 
 
-The GoG continues to co-sponsor training seminars and 
conferences with IOM and NGOs for prosecutors, judges and 
police to define the TIP problem and educate more officials 
on their role in how to appropriately screen and refer 
victims.  At least four such conferences or seminars were 
held in the past six months.  The GoG, in cooperation with 
the International Police Association NGO, has plans for 
upcoming seminars in ten Greek cities. 
 
-In an effort to increase both public awareness and victim 
referrals to appropriate care, the Secretariat General for 
Gender Equality reports that it has produced a public 
awareness campaign including a multi-lingual information 
leaflet and a television advertisement which will be aired by 
the end of the year. 
 
2.  (U) SUMMARIZE THE PROGRESS, OR LACK THEREOF, THE GOG HAS 
MADE IN INCREASING THE NUMBER OF WOMEN REFERRED TO SHELTERS 
AND AFTER-CARE BY PROVIDING NGOS WITH MORE CONSISTENT AND 
SUFFICIENT ACCESS TO IMMIGRANT DETENTION CENTERS TO SCREEN 
AND ASSIST POSSIBLE TRAFFICKING VICTIMS BEFORE THEY ARE 
DEPORTED. 
 
-The GoG identified 79 victims of trafficking in persons from 
January 1 - June 30, 2005.  Of those 79 victims, 69 were in 
legal status in Greece and 10 were in illegal status but had 
deportation orders suspended by a decision of the prosecutor. 
 The GoG offers shelter and protection to all identified TIP 
victims, and eleven victims accepted and were granted this 
protection and aid in shelters.  (Note: Two GoG-funded NGO 
shelters were opened in Athens in October (REF B).)  Five 
victims were repatriated by IOM.  181 victims were identified 
during 2004. 
 
-The GoG reported that in the first six months of 2005, 22 
TIP victims were issued special residence permits. 
 
-As a component of an existing EU-funded project on TIP, IOM 
reports that it expects to begin screening persons being held 
in detention centers in Athens and provide legal assistance 
to victims or potential victims who are found.  The GoG 
reports that the Secretary General of the Ministry of Public 
Order is considering a request by NGOs to be allowed greater 
access to detention centers as a part of the MOC. 
 
3.  (U) SUMMARIZE THE PROGRESS, OR LACK THEREOF, THE GOG HAS 
MADE IN SIGNING, MAKING PUBLIC, AND ACTIVELY IMPLEMENTING THE 
DRAFT PROTOCOL WITH THE ALBANIAN GOVERNMENT ON CHILD 
REPATRIATION. 
 
-The GoG forwarded its final draft of the Greece-Albania 
protocol on child repatriation to the Government of Albania 
in September.  There has been a slight delay in the 
completion of the agreement due to the change of government 
in Albania, but Greek Deputy Foreign Minister Stylianides has 
expressed willingness to sign the protocol as soon as it is 
approved by the Albanian Government. 
 
4.  (U) SUMMARIZE THE PROGRESS, OR LACK THEREOF, THE GOG HAS 
MADE IN ACTIVELY IMPLEMENTING THE 2002 ANTI-TRAFFICKING LAW 
AND SHOWING APPRECIABLE PROGRESS IN CONVICTIONS AND SENTENCES 
OBTAINED UNDER THIS LAW. 
 
-Based on law enforcement efforts, the GoG filed charges 
against 162 TIP offenders during the first six months of 
2005.  352 offenders were charged during 2004. 
 
-The GoG provided total conviction statistics under law 
3064/2002 for the three years since the law entered into 
force on October 15, 2002.  Law 3064 covers trafficking in 
persons as well as offenses potentially relating to TIP, such 
as crimes against carnal freedom, pornography, and economic 
exploitation of carnal freedom.  Over the past three years, 
the GoG reports that 382 cases have been prosecuted under law 
3064, 211 court decisions have been issued, in which 284 
defendants were found guilty out of 327 total defendants. 
Nine defendants were exonerated in six cases.  Two cases 
resulted in dismissals.  Information was not available about 
length of sentences or appeals. 
 
-Conviction and sentencing information for 2005 for cases 
related to trafficking in persons only was unavailable. 
Anecdotal evidence, however, suggests that few traffickers 
ever see the inside of a cell.  In an October trial in 
Serres, for example, three traffickers were respectively 
given 17, 17, and 15 year suspended sentences.  Additionally, 
the defendant in one of the major trafficking convictions of 
2004 in Kavala was reportedly released on appeal.  We will 
press the GoG to provide us with qualitative information on 
prosecutions, convictions and sentences, not just the 
numbers. 
 
5.  (SBU) COMMENT:  The GoG continues to take incremental 
steps to combat TIP by arresting traffickers, opening new 
shelters, issuing residence permits to victims, holding 
training seminars and conferences, moving ahead on a 
Memorandum of Cooperation with NGOs, and considering plans to 
allow greater NGO and IOM access to detention centers. 
Outside of the four benchmarks, the GoG has sponsored the 
creation of a the Ariadne NGO network (REF C), and the 
creation of a national public awareness campaign.  Earnest 
negotiations over the MOC with NGOs point to a greater 
willingness by the GoG to cooperate with NGOs.  While NGOs 
have reported that they feel they are now a real part of the 
GoG's anti-TIP plan, there are still outstanding technical 
points in the MOC that they are continuing to negotiate.  For 
this reason, we can not yet promise a November 29 signing. 
Embassy's assessment is that the GoG has made good faith 
efforts to address TIP since the benchmarks were delivered, 
but the initiatives described here have not yet made an 
appreciable impact on TIP trends in Greece.  Implementation 
of the GoG's well-laid plans remains the primary goal for the 
coming year in every benchmark area, and the only reason to 
move them off the Watchlist.  END COMMENT. 
RIES