This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 ATHENS 000572 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
FOR EUR/SE, EUR/PGI, G/TIP, INL/HSTC, G, DRL, PRM, IWI 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KCRM PHUM KWMN SMIG KFRD PREL PREF ELAB GR TIP
SUBJECT: GREECE PART 1: TIP REPORT SUBMISSION 2006 
 
REF: A. STATE 3836 
 
     ¶B. THESSALONIKI 25 
     ¶C. ATHENS 538 
     ¶D. ATHENS 512 
     ¶E. ATHENS 431 
     ¶F. ATHENS 414 
     ¶G. THESSALONIKI 14 
     ¶H. ATHENS 369 
     ¶I. ATHENS 346 
     ¶J. ATHENS 328 
     ¶K. 05 ATHENS 3157 
     ¶L. 05 ATHENS 3144 
     ¶M. 05 ATHENS 3110 
     ¶N. 05 ATHENS 2959 
     ¶O. 05 ATHENS 2927 
     ¶P. 05 THESSALONIKI 86 
     ¶Q. 05 ATHENS 2802 
     ¶R. 05 THESSALONIKI 81 
     ¶S. 05 ATHENS 2779 
     ¶T. 05 ATHENS 2742 
     ¶U. 05 ATHENS 2113 
     ¶V. 05 ATHENS 1626 
     ¶W. 05 TIRANA 968 
     ¶X. 05 ATHENS 1268 
 
¶1.  The following is Sensitive but Unclassified.  Please 
Protect Accordingly. 
 
¶2. (SBU)  Below are Embassy Athens' responses to the 2006 TIP 
report questionnaire.  Text is keyed to Ref A request for 
"Overview" Section.  This is the first of four cables. 
 
¶3.  SUMMARY:  Greece has made significant efforts 
domestically and regionally in its TIP fight in 2005-06, 
demonstrating compelling evidence of continued, appreciable 
progress from the previous year.  Greece shared comprehensive 
conviction stats on all arrests made in 2005, identified 137 
victims and arrested over 200 traffickers.  Greece has also 
taken a number of steps outside and beyond the benchmarks. 
It funded numerous important programs to prevent trafficking 
and 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. Interministerial cooperation has been 
strong.  The Ministry of Interior has produced a national 
public awareness campaign, building on the momentum of 
numerous press articles detailing the TIP problem in Greece 
(including a comprehensive, full-color expose in a weekend 
edition of the largest-circulation Greek daily).  The MFA 
began a TIP working-level group and completed its Child 
Repatriation Agreement with Albania.  Greece signed the 
Council of Europe's Convention against Trafficking and is 
progressing towards ratification of the Palermo Protocol.  It 
is the embassy's judgment based on the progress made this 
year and reflected in this report, that Greece deserves to be 
moved to Tier 2.  Looking ahead, septel will analyze how best 
to capitalize on current momentum in the government and in 
public opinion for 2007-2008.  END SUMMARY. 
 
Overview of Greece's activities to eliminate TIP: 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
-- A. Is the country a country of origin, transit, or 
destination for international trafficked men, women, or 
children?  Specify numbers 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?  Please include any numbers of victims. 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 2005, the GoG identified 137 victims of TIP: 104 
women, 29 men, and 4 children.  Seventeen perpetrators were 
arrested for labor trafficking in one case involving 31 adult 
victims from Romania.  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 is 
the only researcher who has made estimates of the scope of 
the TIP phenomenon in Greece, and he has attributed the 
decrease in trafficking to decreased demand for prostitution, 
due to lower discretionary income of Greeks.  (Note: Whether 
actually true or not, anecdotal polling results show Greeks 
believe their discretionary income has decreased and that 
inflation is outpacing wage increases.  Greeks may, 
therefore, less frequently visit sex workers.  End Note.) 
 
Anti-child trafficking NGOs estimated in 2004 that "hundreds" 
of children, mainly Roma from Albania, are 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 
intensive prevention effort in Albania, and as 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.  One anti-child 
trafficking NGO said that it identified one suspected child 
trafficking victim whose case was not accepted by the 
prosecutor for children.  The Child Repatriation Agreement 
with Albania, signed in Tirana in February 2006, will address 
some of the problems with the protection of child victims. 
 
-- 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).  Also briefly explain the 
political will to address trafficking in persons. 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?  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)? 
 
Political Will to Address TIP 
----------------------------- 
The Greek Government demonstrated political will at the 
highest levels in 2005-2006 to address trafficking in 
persons.  Some examples of its resolve to combat TIP are 
below: 
 
--March 1-2, 2006, the GoG sponsored a parallel event at the 
UN entitled "Regional Cooperation for Countering Trafficking 
in Women and Girls," organized by the NGO KEPAD with speakers 
including the Greek UN Perm Rep and Secretary General of 
Gender Equality (SGGE). 
 
--In February 2006, the Deputy Foreign Minister signed the 
"Agreement for the Protection and Assistance of Children 
Victims of Trafficking" with Albania. (Septel) 
 
--In February 2006, the Greek Ministries of Justice and 
Public Order focused their Southeast European Cooperation 
Process (SEECP) Ministerial on combating TIP and organized 
crime, agreeing on a joint declaration between nine countries 
to strengthen TIP actions. (Ref Athens 512) 
 
--In February 2006 the Greek MFA provided 50,000 euros 
funding to the Stability Pact Thessaloniki Office for a 
Regional Conference on Transborder Organized Crime. (Ref 
Athens 346, Ref Thess 14) 
 
--In January 2006, the MPO established 12 anti-TIP police 
task forces throughout Greece, in addition to the current 
task forces in Athens and Thessaloniki. 
 
--In January 2006, Greece hosted a major international 
roundtable, organized by Egyptian First Lady Suzanne Mubarak 
and attended by, among others, the Queen of Sweden, business 
executives from major corporations such as Microsoft, and 
former UNSYG Boutros Boutros Ghali, to discuss the global 
business community's responsibility to combat TIP.  The 
roundtable produced a statement of "Ethical Principles" 
regarding TIP to be adopted by businesses, which was 
presented at the World Economic Forum in Davos.  (Ref Athens 
328) 
 
--In Fall 2005, the GoG funded the International Police 
Association's training seminars for Greek police in 10 cities 
throughout Greece.  IPA estimates the seminars reached at 
least 1,300 officers, with presentations by 9 different NGOs, 
IOM, prosecutors, police, lawyers, and university professors. 
 
--In December 2005, the Greek Council for Refugees, with the 
financial support of the MFA, organized the seminar 
"Unaccompanied Minors: Reception, Social Inclusion, and 
Protection from Trafficking" at which the Minister of Justice 
gave opening remarks. 
 
--In November 2005 the first MFA/IOM sponsored "Working 
Group" meeting was held at the MFA.  By February, three 
meetings were held between NGOs, Governmental officials, and 
source, transit, and destination country diplomats stationed 
in Greece to work together primarily on TIP victims' 
protection. (Ref 05 Athens 3157) 
 
--In November 2005 the GoG signed a Memorandum of Cooperation 
with 12 NGOs specifically on trafficking. (Ref 05 Athens 3110) 
 
--In October 2005 the MFA and SGGE held a workshop in Tirana 
aimed at preventing trafficking of women for prostitution 
through sensitization, understanding the risks of sex work, 
and re-integration. 
 
--In October 2005, two GoG-funded shelters were opened in 
Athens. (Ref 05 Athens 2742) 
 
--In August 2005, the Parliament approved new legislation 
centralizing issuance of residence/work permits for victims, 
increasing their validity from six months to one year, and 
mandating a "Reflection Period" for victims. (05 Athens 2113) 
 
--In June 2005 the Ministry of Interior's National Center for 
Public Administration and Local Government held a three-day 
conference for prosecutors, judges, and police entitled "The 
Role of Public Administration and the Judiciary System in 
Combating Discrimination and Trafficking in Humans." 
 
--In June 2005 the 11-country Ariadne anti-TIP NGO network 
was established. (Ref 05 Athens 1626) 
 
--In May 2005 the GoG supported a Training Seminar entitled 
"Prevention and Counteracting of Trafficking in Human Beings 
in the Mediterranean Region" organized by IOM Greece, IOM 
Italy, the Italian MFA, and the Greek MFA, MOJ, MPO, MOH, 
MOL, and SGGE.  Speakers included TIP experts from IOs and 
NGOs from Geneva, Tirana, Rome, Greece, Vienna, and Ankara. 
Invitees to the Training Seminar were Greek NGOs, social 
workers, police, prosecutors, and the diplomatic corps.  The 
Deputy Foreign Minister and nearly all members of the 
Interministerial Council gave opening remarks. 
 
--In May 2005, the Thessaloniki New Democracy Party's Women's 
Section organized their second TIP seminar entitled "Women 
and Trafficking in the Balkans."  Speakers included the 
Deputy Foreign Minister and MOH Secretary General. 
 
Some NGOs complain that there is a lack of political will to 
address TIP evidenced by low numbers of identified victims. 
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 
-------------------- 
--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 2005, Greek law enforcement authorities and 
prosecutors identified the following numbers and 
nationalities of TIP victims: from Romania (53 victims), 
Russia (28), Ukraine (12), Bulgaria (9), Nigeria (8), and 
Moldova (7).  Smaller numbers of trafficking victims were 
identified from the following countries:  Albania (2), 
Armenia (2), Germany (1), Denmark (1), Eritrea (2), Estonia 
(1), United Kingdom (1), Kazakhstan (1), Kyrgyzstan (1), 
Belarus (3), Lithuania (3), The Netherlands (1), and 
Uzbekistan (1). 
 
--Most victims continued to enter Greece with legal 
documentation, including work permits.  Of the 137 victims 
identified in Greece in 2005, only 20 were in the country 
illegally.  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 (See Prosecution - 
K). 
 
--There was an increasing trend of immigrant smugglers 
locking smuggled immigrants 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 2005, 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 "spell," and will not, therefore, speak to police 
and/or NGOs about their possible victimization, and refuse 
assistance offered to them.  In 2006, police and NGOs 
convinced at least three Nigerian women "under voodoo curses" 
to accept GoG assistance; those women are now defendants in 
ongoing trials. 
 
-- TIP victims are subjected to withholding of documents and 
physical and psychological violence and threats.  The trend 
continued of victims being trafficked into more "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. 
 
-- C.  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? 
 
Lack of knowledge about TIP (both generally and in terms of 
counter-TIP techniques and training), corruption within the 
Greek bureaucracy, and a slow judicial system contribute to 
limitations on the GoG's ability to address trafficking in 
practice.  In an effort to educate the police force and key 
civil servants, the GoG conducted in 2005 a series of 10 
training sessions for police personnel, judges and 
prosecutors throughout Greece, implemented by the 
International Police Association, the European Public Law 
Center, and IOM.  In 2006, the MFA signed an agreement with 
the President of the Union of Prosecutors for a TIP training 
for prosecutors throughout Greece.  (Prosecutors have 
responsibility for characterizing TIP victims and trying TIP 
cases.) 
 
Corruption aids the traffickers.  In August 2005 a TIP ring 
was uncovered in Thrace that included three police officers 
-- two of whom were reportedly "high ranking" -- accused of 
bringing dozens of women into Greece from Eastern Europe. 
The case also involved a former local mayor and members of 
the mayor's staff.  The trial was pending as of March 1. 
(Ref Athens 369) 
 
-- D. 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 organizations, its 
assessments of these anti-trafficking efforts? 
 
TIP experts at the Ministries of Justice, Public Order, 
Health, Interior and Foreign Affairs actively monitor the 
anti-trafficking efforts of the GoG in prosecution, 
prevention, and victim protection.  The GoG makes their 
assessments available, both publicly and privately, directly 
to regional organizations, international bodies, and 
embassies.  In the past, NGOs have criticized the GoG for 
producing reports only at the behest of the U.S. Embassy or 
without adequate consultation with NGOs.  This year, the GoG 
coordinated with NGOs and IOM to provide information for this 
report, gathering some stats directly from NGOs and 
forwarding them as-is. 
 
Greece 2006 TIP Report Submission Continued Septel. 
Ries