VZCZCXRO3549
OO RUEHAG RUEHDF RUEHLZ
DE RUEHRL #1809/01 1791652
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 281652Z JUN 06
FM AMEMBASSY BERLIN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3956
INFO RUCNFRG/FRG COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BERLIN 001809 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/AGS, EUR/PGI, G/TIP, DRL/IL, INL/HSTC, AND PRM 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KCRM PHUM KWMN KJUS SMIG ELAB PREL PGOV GM
SUBJECT: GERMAN OFFICIALS NOTE IMPROVEMENT IN PROVIDING 
ASSISTANCE TO TIP VICTIMS 
 
REF: A. HALL/CONWAY E-MAIL 06/15/06 
 
     ¶B. FRANKFURT 1274 
     ¶C. BERLIN 601 
     ¶D. BERLIN 366 
     ¶E. BERLIN 298 
     ¶F. 05 HAMBURG 96 
 
¶1. (U) Summary:  German officials reject the notion that 
Germany has made little progress in protecting TIP victims 
since 1996.  Representatives of the German Federal Family 
Ministry and the Hamburg State Office of Criminal 
Investigation (LKA) point to vastly expanded counseling and 
assistance.  Officials note as well that Germany established 
a federal/state interagency anti-TIP working group in 1997 
and has expanded training programs to sensitize police 
officers to the unique needs of TIP victims.  Most German 
states now have interagency roundtables that meet regularly 
to address TIP victims' concerns and include police, 
prosecutors, municipal authorities, and immigration 
officials, in addition to representatives of NGOs and 
faith-based organizations that assist victims.  Nine of 
Germany's sixteen states have concluded cooperation 
agreements with NGOs requiring police to refer TIP victims to 
NGOs, counseling centers, or shelters.  In addition to using 
Hamburg's interagency anti-trafficking roundtable to improve 
assistance to victims, the LKA there has created a dedicated 
anti-TIP unit and increased its budget for surveillance of 
suspected trafficking rings.  End Summary. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Ref A requests Mission Germany discuss with German 
government representatives concerns raised in testimony given 
by Masha Gnezdilova in a June 14 hearing of the House 
International Relations Committee's Subcommittee on Africa, 
Global Human Rights, and International Operations.  (Ms. 
Gnezdilova's testimony is available online at 
wwwc.house.gov/international relations/109/gne061406.pdf.) 
Emboffs raised Ms. Gnezdilova's testimony with Birgit 
Schweikert, Director of the Federal Family Ministry's Office 
for the Protection of Women from Violence.  Schweikert noted 
the incidents to which Ms. Gnezdilova refers occurred in 1996 
and that Germany had made important strides in the ten years 
since then in the protection of TIP victims and the provision 
of counseling and assistance.  These steps, Schweikert 
continued, include the establishment of a federal/state 
interagency anti-TIP working group in 1997.  Schweikert 
serves as the working group's co-chair. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Schweikert said she could not exclude the 
possibility that police in 1996 were not properly sensitized 
to the needs of trafficking victims.  However, over the past 
ten years  Germany has expanded training to sensitize police 
officers to the unique needs of TIP victims.  (NOTE: Mission 
Germany has reported previously on German government and NGO 
efforts to improve and expand training to police officers, 
including best practices for identification of potential TIP 
victims, sensitive questioning techniques, and the importance 
of referring TIP victims to NGOs that offer counseling and 
legal assistance.  A best practices document posted by the 
Federal Interior Ministry on a restricted-access German 
police intranet site was based on a similar reference tool 
developed by North Rhine - Westphalia's state police (ref E). 
 The IOM has also noted improved provision of TIP-related 
training to police (ref D).  END NOTE.)  Schweikert stated 
Germany would continue to provide TIP-related training for 
police officers. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Schweikert said most German states have set up 
interagency roundtables that include police, prosecutors, 
municipal authorities, and immigration officials, as well as 
representatives of NGOs and faith-based organizations to 
assist victims.  (NOTE: Nine of Germany's sixteen states also 
have concluded cooperation agreements with NGOs that provide 
counseling and assistance to victims.  The agreements require 
police to provide TIP victims with multi-lingual pamphlets 
informing them of their rights and to contact NGOs, 
counseling centers, or shelters on behalf of victims.  Many 
NGOs also provide training to police officers.  END NOTE.) 
Schweikert noted the German government fully funds the 
Federal Association against Trafficking in Women (KOK), an 
umbrella organization that coordinates the work of German 
anti-TIP NGOs.  As reported ref D, KOK and the Federal Family 
Ministry hosted a January 2006 conference on cooperation 
agreements and best practices for providing assistance and 
protection to TIP victims.  Over 120 representatives from 
state law enforcement agencies, NGOs, counseling centers, and 
state and federal government agencies attended the event. 
Before closing, Schweikert reiterated that individual German 
states have the primary responsibility for law enforcement 
efforts against trafficking in persons and said for privacy 
 
BERLIN 00001809  002 OF 002 
 
 
protection reasons German law prohibits researching the 
details of a particular case without prerequisites such as a 
request of the affected individual, court order, etc. 
 
¶5. (SBU) ConGen Hamburg discussed issues raised in Ms. 
Gnezdilova's testimony with Thomas Menzel, who heads the 
Organized Crime Unit of the Hamburg LKA, and with Frank 
Werner, a Liberal Party (FDP) official who is closely 
involved with anti-TIP NGOs.  Menzel outlined the evolution 
of anti-TIP actions in Hamburg.  Over the past several years, 
he reported, the state government has: 
 
-- dedicated a larger budget to police surveillance of 
suspected prostitution/TIP rings, which had led to increased 
infiltration, interruption, and prosecution of these criminal 
groups. 
 
-- created an anti-TIP roundtable that meets regularly and 
brings together LKA representatives, prosecutors, immigration 
officials, anti-TIP NGOs, and churches to develop joint 
responses and initiatives.  (NOTE: NGO contacts told ConGen 
Hamburg they have been able to use the roundtable group to 
influence police procedures and policies on the treatment of 
TIP victims.  For instance, police now work closely with NGOs 
to ensure TIP victims have access to interpreters and 
counseling while still in initial police protective custody. 
END NOTE.) 
 
-- created a TIP-dedicated three-officer unit placed directly 
within the Organized Crime Unit of the LKA.  This measure 
allows investigations/prosecution to incorporate TIP aspects 
from day one.  The unit has recently scored a major success 
with the unraveling of Hamburg's largest prostitution/TIP 
ring (ref F).  Hamburg authorities have kept up the pressure 
on the ring, with follow-on raids continuing to take place. 
The follow-up has enabled German officials to seek 
wide-ranging prosecutions, ranging from tax avoidance to 
criminal enterprise and TIP charges. 
 
¶6. (U) This message was coordinated with ConGen Hamburg. 
 
TIMKEN JR