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PP RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA
RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHPG #0203/01 0591346
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 281346Z FEB 07
FM AMEMBASSY PRAGUE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8665
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHHI/AMEMBASSY HANOI 0098
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 0593
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RHEFHLC/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHDC
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 06 PRAGUE 000203 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT PASS TO HQ USAID WASHDC 
DEPARTMENT FOR G/TIP, G, INL, DRL, PRM, EUR/NCE FOR ERIC FICHTE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KCRM PHUM KWMN SMIG KRFD ASEC PREF ELAB EZ
SUBJECT: PART III OF III: Seventh Annual Anti-Trafficking Report - 
Czech Republic 
 
Ref: 06 STATE 202745 
 
¶1. (U) Sensitive But Unclassified entire text; not for internet 
distribution. 
 
------------------------------------ 
PROTECTION AND ASSISTANCE OF VICTIMS (ref Para 30 SECSTATE 202745) 
------------------------------------ 
 
A) The primary vehicle through which the government assists 
trafficking victims is its Program of Support and Protection of 
Victims of Trafficking in Persons (referred to as the "Program of 
Support" throughout the remainder of this document). The Program of 
Support was established in 2004 as a pilot program, but has since 
become a permanent government-funded program. The Program of Support 
seeks to both assist victims and encourage them to aid in the 
prosecution of their traffickers. Reflecting the 2004 changes to the 
Czech criminal code, the Program of Support is open to both foreign 
and Czech victims of cross-border or internal trafficking, and 
involves close cooperation between the government, NGOs, and police. 
The Program of Support was originally only designed for sex 
trafficking victims, but it has since been expanded to include 
victims of labor trafficking. In practice, the overwhelming majority 
of applicants entering the Program of Support have been female sex 
trafficking victims, although one labor trafficking victim entered 
the Program of Support in 2004, three in 2005 and four in 2006. 
 
The Program of Support is designed in three stages. In the first 
stage, the victim is identified (by police, NGO, or other) and is 
given 30 days as a reflection period, during which time she can 
decide whether or not she would like to enroll in the Program of 
Support and cooperate with law enforcement. The victim is given 
basic crisis intervention, psychological assistance, and is 
accommodated in an NGO shelter. Under law, the victim cannot be 
deported during this stage. In the second stage, if the victim 
cooperates and is accepted into the Program of Support, the victim 
applies for a visa for temporary tolerance of stay. She will have 
legal status in the Czech Republic for the time she is cooperating 
with authorities regarding her case. Victims in the Program of 
Support are housed in shelter housing and given financial support, 
counseling by social workers, psychological counseling, legal 
counseling, employment support, and health care. The third stage 
starts upon completion of criminal proceedings, and the victim is 
offered either assisted voluntary return to her country of origin or 
the opportunity to apply for permanent residence in the Czech 
Republic for humanitarian reasons. 
 
From January through December 2006, 14 new victims enrolled in the 
Program of Support; 47 have been enrolled in since the program 
started in 2004. The overwhelming majority of the victims were sex 
trafficking victims and many of them were identified by police 
officers and subsequently transferred to the care of NGOs. Of the 14 
victims that entered the Program during 2006, ten were women and 
four were men. The four males, three Romanians and one Vietnamese, 
were victims of labor trafficking. Among sex trafficking victims 
five were Czechs, 3 Ukrainians and 2 Vietnamese. One third of the 
victims were younger than 25. The Czech Government has implemented 
several measures that make the model significantly more attractive 
to victims. An important change implemented in 2005 was the decision 
to permit victims in the Czech Republic to obtain visas for 
Temporary Tolerance of Stay and to receive work permits for the 
duration of their visa. NGOs had previously noted that victims would 
often use the lengthy asylum process to prolong their stay, while 
avoiding enrollment in the model. Czech asylum laws have tightened 
considerably since 2004, significantly reducing that practice. 
Although even in previous years asylum was rarely granted, the 
asylum application process did allow a prolonged stay and obviated 
the need for police cooperation. 
 
Victims can be removed from the Program of Support if they refuse to 
continue to cooperate with law enforcement, relapse into 
prostitution, commit crimes, breach shelter housing rules, or 
contact persons from their former trafficked environment. Victims 
may also choose to voluntarily withdraw from the Program of Support 
at any time, and are automatically removed when the case against 
their traffickers is completed. Then they can use regular services 
offered by the NGOs. Victims may also apply for asylum under the 
normal Czech asylum process. For victims who choose not to 
participate in the Program of Support, NGOs like La Strada and 
Caritas operate victim shelter and care facilities and ensure 
victims receive proper medical attention, including optional 
 
PRAGUE 00000203  002 OF 006 
 
 
screening for HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. All 
of the major NGOs dealing in trafficking receive government funding. 
In 2006, La Strada provided comprehensive services, including 
shelter and care, to 44 victims - 7 of whom were in the government 
support program. They had direct contact through their hotline and 
in visits to sex clubs and at risk areas with several hundred other 
victims. Caritas provided comprehensive services, including shelter 
and counseling, to a total of 25 victims - 12 of whom were enrolled 
in the Program of Support in 2006. They assisted an additional 300 
hundred victims through meetings in sex clubs and on the streets. In 
2004, Rozkos bez Rizika (Pleasure Without Risk) was added as an NGO 
participant to the Program of Support. 
 
B) The Interior Ministry provides funding to La Strada, an NGO that 
offers trafficking victims shelter, food, clothing, medical 
treatment, legal and psychological counseling, and assistance in 
returning to their home country (for non-Czechs) or reintegrating 
into Czech society (for Czechs trafficked abroad), and Caritas, 
which provides both immediate and long-term support for trafficking 
victims. The government also funds the activities of the Czech 
branch of IOM. IOM participates in public awareness campaigns as 
well as assisting victims to return to their countries of origin, 
sponsors critical research programs used in the implementation of 
future policy, and repatriation for trafficking victims to return to 
their country of origin. Rozkos Bez Rizika (Pleasure Without Risk) 
also receives government funding, both in general and within the 
context of Program of Support. 
 
In an effort to stem labor trafficking at its source, the Ministry 
of Labor and Social Affairs in cooperation with the Ministry of 
Interior introduced a pilot project that provides government-funding 
to two NGOs (Caritas and IOM) in Ukraine (the source country of a 
majority of legal and illegal workers as well as trafficking 
victims). These NGOs assist in providing information to Ukrainian 
citizens on work opportunities in the Czech Republic and serve as de 
facto labor brokers free of charge in 10 of the largest cities 
located throughout the Ukraine that are known as principle source 
locations for trafficking victims. The goal of the project is to 
eliminate the need for intermediaries and brokers that frequently 
resort to illegal and extortive practices. 
 
C) A formal screening and referral process has been put in place 
under the Program of Support. In cooperation with NGOs, the 
government created eight questions for police to ask victims to 
determine if they are potential victims of trafficking. Police units 
receive training from NGOs in identifying victims of trafficking, 
and are instructed to refer victims to organizations such as La 
Strada or Caritas. The individual responsibilities of police, NGOs, 
and the government are set out in formal contracts under the Program 
of Support. 
 
The Ministry of Health produced a 90-page book for health care 
practitioners on trafficking in persons. The book defines 
trafficking, its causes and forms. It also informs health care 
practitioners on methods of determining whether patients are victims 
of trafficking as well as outlines specific ways trafficking can 
damage a victim's physical and psychological health. The book also 
explains the Czech trafficking statute and outlines steps to take 
when approaching victims. This book has been widely praised by 
doctors and NGOs for its ability to raise awareness among the 
medical community on how to approach and care for trafficking 
victims. 
 
Some victims still attempt to use the asylum process to continue 
their residence in the country. EU accession has, however, entailed 
changes to asylum laws which require potential applicants to apply 
for asylum in the first EU country they enter. Since the Czech 
Republic is completely surrounded by fellow EU member states, this 
creates a less conducive application process for those who enter the 
country by land. The Ministry of Interior's Refugee Facility 
Administration has implemented a system by which victims and 
potential victims of trafficking, as well as other at-risk groups, 
are housed in guarded facilities to prevent unwanted contact with 
traffickers and provided with counseling and psychological 
assistance. If a potential victim is in immediate danger, the 
facility will refer the victim, in cooperation with the UOOZ, to a 
shelter or safehouse operated by La Strada or Caritas. 
 
D) The Czech Republic protects and respects the rights of victims 
under the Program of Support and Protection of Victims of 
Trafficking in Persons. Victims are given 30 days in which to decide 
 
PRAGUE 00000203  003 OF 006 
 
 
if they would like to participate in the Program of Support and 
cooperate with law enforcement, during which time they are given 
care by an NGO. IOM continues to assist with repatriation and in 
some cases, reintegration (depending on the country) for victims who 
choose voluntary repatriation. 
 
In an important program that marked the Czech Republic's transition 
from an aid recipient to a donor country, the government funds an 
IOM repatriation program for persons from Georgia, Moldova and 
Armenia as well as its program to stop labor trafficking at its 
source in Ukraine. 
 
E) Under the Program of Support, victims are given Tolerance of Stay 
visas to remain in the Czech Republic in exchange for their 
cooperation with police in testifying against their traffickers. At 
the completion of their cooperation with law enforcement, victims 
can ultimately qualify for permanent residency; 1 such victim was 
awarded permanent residency in 2006. A large majority of victims 
prefer to return home as soon as possible. 
 
Victims who are granted temporary residence are automatically also 
given permission to work legally in the country. Victims are 
eligible to seek compensation from their traffickers either as a 
part of the criminal sentence or through recourse to civil suits. In 
order to seek civil damages, however, Czech law requires a finding 
of criminal conduct on the part of the defendant. In practice, 
claims for criminal or civil damages against the traffickers are 
rare although they have been granted in the past. Even though in 
some extraordinary cases there has been discussion of direct 
government compensation, there is no Czech equivalent to the 
Victim-Witness Assistance Program found in some US jurisdictions. 
 
F) A witness protection law that took effect on July 1, 2002 allows 
the government to conceal the identity of a witness, provide a new 
identity and/or residence, assist the witness in finding employment, 
and assign bodyguards if necessary to a witness whose safety is 
endangered by their testimony. To date, though, these provisions 
have been used only rarely and they have not been used at all in 
connection with a trafficking case. 
 
Police frequently use their mandate to provide short-term protection 
to potential witnesses, however. The protection may include physical 
protection, use of safehouses, and/or security monitoring. This 
protection may be provided for up to sixty days, and may be extended 
repeatedly with approval of the regional police director. 
 
G) The Czech government has a serious and sustained effort to 
educate its police and other officials on trafficking in persons. 
 
Police training has been extensively revised to include trafficking 
education at all levels of the force. Both the Police Secondary 
Schools and the Police Academy have revised their curricula to 
include trafficking investigation and the identification of 
potential victims. 
Teachers at Police Secondary Schools are also provided regular 
specialized training on how to investigate perpetrators of sexual 
exploitation of children. Several multimedia educational programs, 
including manuals, for teachers were created (e.g on rape and sexual 
assault, domestic violence, sexual exploitation of children, police 
work in cooperation with public and dealing with victims). 
 
In 2005, the Interior Ministry also produced a Manual for Police 
Enforcement in the Field of Trafficking in Persons. The manual is 
designed for non-specialized patrol officers (non-UOOZ) to improve 
the investigation of trafficking cases and aid in the identification 
of victims. Regular round table workshops, seminars, and training 
programs continued with mid and upper echelon regional police 
officials, NGOs, and other state and municipal officials. Police 
have child psychologists who assist in cases involving children. 
 
NGOs are uniformly in agreement that Czech police, while not 
perfect, have greatly enhanced their ability to identify victims of 
trafficking due to diligence of higher-up authorities and the 
Ministry of Interior in reinforcing the importance of combating 
trafficking into the basic police curriculum. Most victims are 
currently identified by the police and NGOs agree that the police 
effectiveness in dealing with victims when compared to just three 
years ago is astoundingly good. They especially praised their direct 
and constant cooperation with the Organized Crime Unit and its two 
trafficking sections for sexual exploitation and forced labor. 
 
 
PRAGUE 00000203  004 OF 006 
 
 
The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs is working with the 
Interior Ministry to expand and improve compliance with the labor 
code and occupational safety inspection regime. The Ministry of 
Labor, local inspectors as well as representatives of Work 
Registration Offices received expanded training to assist in cases 
of Labor Trafficking. The week-long training in October was 
organized in cooperation with the U.S. Embassy and a labor 
trafficking specialist from the U.S. Department of Justice. 
 
The Czech Government produced a manual and a separate reference card 
for physicians to assist health workers in the identification of 
potential trafficking victims. The materials have been distributed 
to state health offices across the country. This manual reflects the 
implementation of EU directives on trafficking, and was the product 
of extensive research and coordination between NGOs and the 
Government. 
 
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs produced new leaflets and manual for 
its Consular Officers in high-risk source and transit countries. The 
goal is to use the visa process as a tool to combat trafficking in 
persons. Literature is also provided to foreign embassies in 
Prague. 
 
In order to assist Czech consular officials in identifying victims 
of trafficking, the Ministry of Interior has assigned officers with 
specialized experience to Czech Embassies in six countries of 
concern (China, Belarus, Egypt, Mongolia, Ukraine and Vietnam). 
These six countries were also chosen due to the high number of 
individuals from them claiming asylum upon arrival in the Czech 
Republic. Due to the growing number of visa applicants in Ukraine, 
the Czech government opened a new consulate focused primarily on 
visa adjudication of Ukrainians. 
 
H) Repatriated Czech victims of trafficking are eligible upon return 
to the Czech Republic to apply to participate in the Model of 
Support and Protection for Victims of Trafficking in Persons. 
 
I) The Government's NGO partners remain unchanged from the 2004 
Report. These NGOs provide intervention, counseling, and other 
assistance, both inside and outside the context of the Model. NGOs 
include: 
 
--La Strada. La Strada is the primary NGO providing services and 
awareness campaigns for young girls and women who may become, or who 
have already become, victims of trafficking. Originally established 
with aid from the Netherlands, La Strada now obtains funding from a 
variety of sources, including Czech ministries. La Strada is an NGO 
participant in the Model. La Strada helps returning Czech women 
obtain new identity documents, find shelter, get legal and 
psychological counseling, arrange medical treatment, and gives them 
a limited amount of financial support. Foreign trafficking victims 
referred to La Strada receive the same services and are put in 
contact with their local embassies to obtain new passports and other 
documentation. La Strada also runs a hotline for victims of 
trafficking and parents in search of their trafficked children, with 
Russian-speaking volunteers once a week. Over the past year, La 
Strada has more than doubled its employees and is now also focusing 
on the forced labor issue. One of La Strada's full-time employees is 
dedicated to working with local migrant communities that are at 
high-risk for labor trafficking. The individual visits local work 
sites and informs laborers of their rights under Czech law. 
 
--Caritas. One of the most important Czech NGOs in the field of 
health and social care, Caritas has established a coordination 
center for helping victims of trafficking in persons. Caritas is an 
NGO participant in the Model. Caritas has a network of anonymous 
shelters, apartments, and other facilities throughout the country, 
and also refers victims to other organizations when appropriate. 
Caritas is the only NGO equipped to assist victims with children. 
Social workers assist foreign victims in obtaining medical and 
psychological care, as well as obtaining travel documents and 
arranging transportation to the victim's home country. Caritas also 
operates a nationwide helpline for victims of domestic violence and 
trafficking in persons. In 2004, Caritas also began streetwork with 
prostitutes and visits to brothels and clubs in South Moravia, along 
the Austrian border and Northern Bohemia, along the German border. 
 
--International Organization for Migration (IOM). IOM conducts 
public awareness campaigns focused on trafficking issues and helps 
women and girls to avoid falling victim to common trafficking 
schemes. IOM also assists in repatriating victims of trafficking; 
 
PRAGUE 00000203  005 OF 006 
 
 
particularly those whose asylum claims have been refused. IOM has 
contributed significant research to the anti-trafficking effort. IOM 
is a participant in the Program of Support. 
 
--Rozkos bez Rizika (Pleasure Without Risk). RR is a Czech NGO with 
an emphasis on providing health care to prostitutes. RR participates 
in the Program of Support and distributes literature, offers health 
and disease checks (including for STDs and HIV/AIDS), and provides 
vaccinations. RR has an extensive streetwork network both in Prague 
and throughout the country. Though primarily a health care 
organization, RR questions clients to try to identify trafficking 
victims, and works closely with Caritas and La Strada to refer 
victims. 
 
--Bily Kruh Bezpeci (White Circle of Safety). BKB, though not a 
formal participant in the Program of Support, is a Czech NGO that 
provides crisis support and counseling for victims of abuse, 
including trafficking victims. 
 
------------------------------------------ 
NOMINATION OF HEROES AND BEST PRACTICES (ref Para 31 and 32 SECSTATE 
202745) 
------------------------------------------ 
 
HEROES 
 
Lucie Sladkova, Head of Mission for the International Organization 
for Migration (IOM) office in the Czech Republic. 
 
Lucie has been on the cutting edge of raising the issue and 
presenting solutions regarding forced labor and human trafficking in 
the Czech Republic. Lucie's unique background of having worked for 
both the Foreigner and Border Police and the Ministry of Interior in 
senior positions prior to working in the IOM office in Prague has 
provided her with the know-how on creating programs that focus on 
the human rights of migrants and refugees. She has been crucial in 
creating taskforces and interagency dialogues in addressing these 
issues. Lucie has worked closely with other NGOs in overseeing 
assistance to victims of trafficking and the Czech government relies 
greatly on her expertise in addressing these issues. IOM currently 
oversees government's repatriation program for trafficking victims 
and Lucie is also currently overseeing programs with the MFA in 
Moldova, Georgia and Armenia to assist in informing visa applicants 
of the dangers of human trafficking. In recognition of Lucie's 
exceptional contributions in defense of human rights, her role in 
combating trafficking in persons and forced labor in the Czech 
Republic, and her efforts to assist migrants and victims of 
trafficking the Embassy in December 2006 awarded Lucie its third 
annual Alice Garrigue Masaryk Human Rights Award. 
 
BEST PRACTICES 
 
- The Organized Crime Unit's creation of a specialized police 
investigative unit to deal with labor trafficking. This has allowed 
the police to focus a large amount of resources and manpower to the 
investigation of sophisticated criminal networks involved in forced 
labor. This unit has also strengthened intergovernmental cooperation 
in the investigation of forced labor through working hand-in-hand 
with representatives of local Work Offices which are responsible for 
controls on legal employment and labor inspectors which are 
responsible for controls of good working conditions. 
 
- Close cooperation between the government, police and NGOs to 
monitor trends in trafficking and in identifying ways to approach 
new problems. In addition to high-level Interdisciplinary Committee 
on Trafficking, the Ministry of Interior's Crime Prevention 
Department and the Security Policy Department as well as the 
police's Organized Crime Unit conduct monthly outreach meetings with 
the NGOs following trafficking in persons closely (La Strada, 
Caritas, Rozkos bez Rizika and IOM). NGOs, police and government 
officials credit these monthly outreach meetings with allowing the 
government, NGOs and police to learn from each others best practices 
and alter anti-trafficking campaigns to address new problems as they 
arise. 
 
- Police and Health Practitioner Manuals on trafficking in persons. 
The "Trafficking in Persons - Manual for Police" was prepared by 
Ministry of Interior in coordination with NGOs has been credited in 
increasing the number of victims identified by the police. The 
manual and subsequent training has also increased overall 
sensitivities to the needs of trafficking victims among average 
 
PRAGUE 00000203  006 OF 006 
 
 
street cops. The Ministry of Health produced manual for health care 
practitioners on trafficking in persons has also provided valuable 
information to individuals likely to come in first contact with 
victims. This manual has been widely praised by doctors and NGOs for 
its ability to raise awareness among the medical community on how to 
approach and care for trafficking victims. 
 
- Funding of NGO activities in Ukraine to stop labor trafficking at 
its source. NGOs assist in providing information to Ukrainian 
citizens on work opportunities in the Czech Republic, assist with 
visa facilitation and serve as de facto labor brokers free of charge 
in 10 of the largest cities located throughout Ukraine that are 
known as principle source locations for trafficking victims. This 
project shows that the Czech Government is serious about solving the 
labor trafficking problem in hopes of eliminating the need for 
illegal and extortive intermediaries and brokers. 
 
- Non-renewal of North Korean work permits and visas. The Czech 
Republic became the first country since the passage of UNSCR 1718 to 
cancel preexisting work programs for North Koreans within their 
country. This decision provides cover for EU member states and other 
countries with North Korean laborers to follow their lead. 
 
¶4. (U) The embassy point of contact for trafficking issues through 
July is Christian Marchant, POLEC Section, ph. 420-257-022-313, fax 
420-257-532-717, email: MarchantCM@state.gov. FS3: 80 hours; FSN9: 
120 hours. Time does not include non-report related TIPS activity 
throughout the course of the year.