VZCZCXYZ0003
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHTH #0413/01 0570825
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 260825Z FEB 07
FM AMEMBASSY ATHENS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8245
INFO RUCNMEU/EU INTEREST COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS ATHENS 000413 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR EUR/SE, EUR/PGI, G/TIP 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KCRM PHUM KWMN SMIG KFRD PREL ELAB GR
SUBJECT: ANTI-TIP IN GREECE: NGO & GOG ASSESSMENT OF 
PROGRESS 
 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
¶1. (U) In a series of meetings February 9-13 with visiting 
Cyprus/Greece/Turkey Desk Officer and Embassy PolOff, MFA 
officials repeatedly underscored their appreciation for U.S. 
cooperation in the battle against the "deplorable crime" of 
trafficking in persons (TIP).  Officials stressed Greece's 
political will to combat trafficking, stating that Greece 
should move to Tier 1 in the USG TIP report, as they "believe 
that Greece fulfills the minimum standards for the 
eradication of trafficking, especially in prevention." 
However, they acknowledged that areas for improvement 
remained, including the need to: gather and share more 
reliable statistics; educate prosecutors, police and 
especially judges; and work more closely with NGOs to 
identify victims.  NGOs were perplexed about the persistently 
low number of victims identified in Greece.  Also, although 
most noted an improvement in their relationship with the GoG, 
they felt the GoG should take them more seriously as partners 
in combating TIP. Funding was a contentious issue, partly 
because NGOs were unfamiliar with the GoG process 
requirements. The GoG pointed out that they were half-way 
toward resolving that issue.  End Summary 
 
¶2. (U) In a February 9 - 13 visit to Athens, Elise Mellinger, 
Cyprus Desk Officer/G issues coordinator for Cyprus, Greece, 
and Turkey and Embassy PolOff met with NGOs and MFA officials 
to discuss the state of GoG efforts to combat trafficking in 
persons in Greece.  In meetings with GoG officials that 
included representatives of the ministries of Foreign 
Affairs, Interior, Public Order, Health, and Justice, 
officials repeatedly thanked the U.S. for its on-going 
efforts to assist and cooperate with Greece in eradicating 
what MFA desk officer for the U.S. Greg Vasiloconstandakis 
termed "this deplorable crime."  They noted that cooperation 
will continue to expand, as Hellenic Aid and USAID will soon 
sign a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC).  They highlighted 
Greece's efforts over the past year, citing their expanding 
regional cooperation, involvement with NGOs, strong political 
will, an increased number of shelters, training of Greek 
consular officials in source countries, large projects to 
raise awareness of prosecutors on identification and 
increased coordination between parts of the GoG on TIP.  They 
also noted that they were training police in intensive 
Russian and Albanian courses, and that 16 anti-TIP police 
units were operational country-wide.  IOM continues to work 
with the GoG on developing a main players' network for 
regional cooperation with NGOs and consulates in source 
countries, and recently completed training for 200 out of 400 
total prosecutors, which yielded immediate results in the 
form of prosecutors calling for assistance in identifying 
victims. 
 
AREAS FOR CONTINUED IMPROVEMENT 
------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (U) USG representatives likewise thanked those present for 
their efforts, which saw Greece move off of the Tier Two 
Watch List in the last year, and also highlighted key areas 
for improvement, including the need for the GoG to do 
more to collect and disseminate reliable statistics as an aid 
to moving Greece onto Tier One, its stated goal.  PolOff also 
stressed the need to share officially and consistently 
details of positive developments such as the breaking up of 
trafficking rings or arrests in notorious cases.  Mellinger 
emphasized that a continued area of concern was the fact that 
traffickers appeared to be serving little or no time in jail. 
 Lt. Col. Antonia Andreakou of the Hellenic Police 
Anti-Trafficking Unit explained that this was largely due to 
the lengthy appeals process, permitting convicted defendants 
a completely new second trial after a conviction and the 
right to remain on bail during such an appeal.  Andreakou 
stated that in all of Greece there was currently only one 
person serving a final jail sentence as a result of a 
trafficking conviction.  All agreed that the best remedy to 
this situation was much-needed training for judges and 
prosecutors, emphasizing the possibility of revoking bail for 
convicted traffickers due to the likelihood of flight in the 
face of a lengthy prison sentence. 
 
¶4. (U) The inability of the judiciary to properly deal with 
trafficking cases was a recurrent theme.  A clinical 
psychologist at a shelter operated by the NGO Klimaka told us 
of a recent case where the court refused to permit her 
to testify as an expert witness about trafficking and, 
thereafter, about the same court making disparaging comments 
about the victim's behavior.  ("Why didn't she just run 
away?"  "Why didn't she use her cell phone to call the 
 
police?")  The psychologist explained that such a line of 
questioning makes plain the need for expert testimony so 
courts could begin to understand the effects of trauma on 
victims and why there will frequently be recurring patterns 
of behavior.  Another staff member at Klimaka discussed the 
fact that courts may sentence traffickers to time in prison 
after a conviction, but complained that they then frequently 
released them on bail while the case was on appeal. 
 
GREEK NGOs: "WE'RE NOT ELEPHANTS, (WE'RE MICE)" 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶5. (U) Another recurrent theme was the relationship between 
the GoG and NGOs involved in trafficking issues.  Citing the 
common Greek expression about a mouse who everyone else 
thinks is an elephant and can't persuade others that it 
really is a mouse, NGO reps said that they were always made 
to prove their legitimacy, to prove that "we are not 
elephants."  While most NGO representatives said that the 
relationship was largely good and saw an improvement over 
previous years, there were still striking issues in need of 
resolution.  Several NGOs complained that they continued to 
wait for funding to come through that had been promised in 
2004 and others for as much as half of that promised in 2005 
and 2006. The GoG releases half of their promised funds for 
all projects when they are initiated, then asks for receipts 
in order to disburse the remainder of the funds.  Some NGOs 
were unfamiliar with this process and thus faced bureaucratic 
hurdles which impeded the funding flow.  Unapproved changes 
by NGOs to their budgets after receiving GoG approval for 
specific items and projects also caused difficulties.  The 
MFA YDAS (Greek USAID equivalent) representative explained 
that final payments for 2005 were about to be released, and 
that NGOs now understand and comply more fully with GoG 
funding procedures.  NGOs pointed out that the Greek Orthodox 
Church is the largest beneficiary of GoG aid.  One million 
Euros went to the shelter operated by the Church, while only 
40,000 Euros went to all other NGOs combined.  They noted 
wryly that the Church's shelter only helped a single 
"one-million-Euro" victim in 2006. 
 
¶6. (U) Another complaint voiced by NGO representatives was 
their constant need to prove to the GoG that they were 
reliable and valuable partners in the process.  Despite the 
MOC signed by the GoG, IOM and 12 NGOs in November 2005, some 
complained of only begrudging acceptance of the need for NGOs 
to be involved in the issue.  This became most problematic 
when NGOs were denied access to detention centers warehousing 
women on charges of illegal migration - at least some of whom 
were likely to be victims of trafficking.  However, NGOs 
acknowledged that being signatories to the MOC conferred upon 
them some legitimacy and recognition when dealing with police 
and other officials, and that the GoG was willing to add more 
NGOs to the MOC.  The GoG is currently in the process of 
adding to the MOC "Nea Zoi" (New Life), a street-based 
grassroots organization officially organized only after the 
MOC was signed. 
 
¶7. (U) Several NGOs noted that cooperation with the police 
had improved significantly with Mr. Vanikiotis in charge of 
the Athens Organized Crime Unit.  One declared that 
cooperation is so good that Vanikiotis often calls them at 
night to pick up victims and house them or take them to 
shelters.  However, Nea Zoi, which identified a trafficking 
victim in a detention center (see below on access) was 
frustrated at the slow movement of her case despite their 
repeated visits and requests to the police for her release. 
 
DETENTION CENTER CONDITIONS BLEAK BUT STAFF COOPERATIVE 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
 
¶8. (U) In a visit to the Detention Center at Petrou Ralli in 
Athens, Poloffs were permitted to enter the holding area for 
both men and women.  While clean and sufficiently warm, the 
Spartan environs (5 cement blocks for beds are the sole 
furnishings in each toiletless cell with walls decorated only 
with detainees' drawings and magazine ads) and the complete 
dearth of any activity underscored why the Council for 
Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights said in 2006 that the 
facility was not suited to holding persons for more than a 
maximum of two days.  Nonetheless, Poloffs met detainees who 
had been incarcerated for several months.  (Under Greek law, 
if a detainee is not deported within three months, he or she 
is released and told to depart the country on his or her own. 
 Few do.)  Many of the women stated that they did not know 
when they would be released.  A majority were from Georgia, 
which Greek officials claimed had a poor record of 
cooperation in trying to identify its citizens for 
repatriation; others were from Albania, Russia, China, and 
 
Moldova.  Albanians were usually quickly released and 
repatriated due to close cooperation with Albania. 
 
¶9. (U) Most NGOs said that Greece had made clear progress in 
its efforts to combat TIP in the last 12 months.  But even 
those citing progress wondered how it was possible that in a 
country with so many TIP victims (allegedly more 
than 10,000), the shelters are often nearly empty and such a 
small number of persons were identified as victims under the 
anti-trafficking law. 
 
¶10. (U) A final NGO complaint was limited ability to gain 
access to the detention centers in Greece to speak with 
female trafficking victims; but upon requesting access at the 
MFA meeting, the Athens detention center director met with 
PolOff and Mellinger and quickly agreed to provide a tour. 
He and staff answered questions freely and allowed 
discussions with the detainees.  The detention center 
director admitted that there was no formal procedure for 
recognizing which NGOs should be given access to women and 
which shouldn't.  "We're a small country," he offered, "and 
we can learn from our colleagues who are serious people and 
who are doing good work, and then we let them in."  The MFA 
said that an "annex" to the 2006 MOC was anticipated in the 
next few months and that it would list all signing-NGOs to 
put an end to uneven access.  PolOffs did discover that one 
NGO, "Med-in", visits the center weekly, providing medical 
attention and advice to detainees. PolOff has scheduled a 
follow up visit with this NGO. 
 
PROGRESS ON NIGERIAN VICTIMS' CASE 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶11. (U) In a meeting with NGO leaders, PolOff and Mellinger 
heard that the case of two Nigerian women whom Mellinger met 
in a shelter the previous year was resolved.  The visit last 
year revealed a then nascent trend of Nigerian victims who 
were physically free but coerced through threats of violence 
into sending money to traffickers.  In this well documented 
case, one of the victims, who fled to an island and sold 
items on the street to repay her "debt" to her trafficker 
from a distance, kept bank receipts of her payments.  One of 
the traffickers subsequently received a jail sentence of 19 
years.  The other was not convicted due to lack of evidence. 
Both victims are currently on humanitarian visas.  This case 
illustrates both the progress and the problems in areas of 
protection and prosecution.  The victims were granted 
reflection periods, referred to NGO shelters and at least one 
of their traffickers received a severe sentence.  The final 
resolution of the case, however, remains to be seen pending 
appeals. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶12. (SBU) The GoG has made positive steps in the last year in 
realizing its National Action Plan and several other anti-TIP 
projects.  The next twelve months, however, will be the time 
to prove that promised institutional changes accompany the 
written word.  In our assessment, the GoG is likely to 
continue to move in the right direction and provide the 
training needed for prosecutors and judges, which will begin 
to bring about stiffer penalties and less frequent admission 
to bail of trafficking defendants.  Formalization of the 
names of NGOs working with trafficking victims -- through the 
MOC -- will make access to detention facilities more regular 
and easier for those involved in identifying trafficking 
victims. 
RIES