VZCZCXRO8737
RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHLN
RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHTH #0365/01 0671520
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 071520Z MAR 08
FM AMEMBASSY ATHENS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1421
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHAST/USO ALMATY 0014
RUEHAE/AMEMBASSY ASMARA 0081
RUEHEK/AMEMBASSY BISHKEK 0079
RUEHCH/AMEMBASSY CHISINAU 0242
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 0633
RUEHOS/AMCONSUL LAGOS 0262
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 0281
RUEHTL/AMEMBASSY TALLINN 0083
RUEHNT/AMEMBASSY TASHKENT 0136
RUEHYE/AMEMBASSY YEREVAN 0137
RHMFIUU/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHINGTON DC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ATHENS 000365 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
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
SUBJECT: GREECE TIP REPORT SUBMISSION 2008 - PART 2 
 
REF: State 2731 
 
ATHENS 00000365  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
Sensitive but Unclassified -- Protect Accordingly. 
 
¶1. (SBU) Below are Embassy Athens' responses to the 2008 TIP report 
questionnaire.  Text is keyed to Ref request for "Prevention" 
Section.  This is the second of four cables. 
 
¶2. (SBU) PREVENTION: 
         ----------- 
-- A. Does the government acknowledge that trafficking is a problem 
in that country?  If not, why not? 
 
The government, including high-ranking officials, publicly 
acknowledges that trafficking is a problem in Greece. 
 
-- B. Are there, or have there been, government-run anti- 
trafficking information or education campaigns conducted during the 
reporting period?  If so, briefly describe the campaign(s), 
including their objectives and effectiveness. 
Please provide the number of people reached by such awareness 
efforts if available.  Do these campaigns target potential 
trafficking victims and/or the demand for trafficking (e.g. 
"clients" of prostitutes or beneficiaries of forced labor)? 
 
In 2007, the government continued the same television campaign used 
in previous years as its public awareness campaign.  Additionally, 
it continued to finance an IOM-produced information card in Greek, 
English, Romanian and Russian to alert potential victims to the law 
enforcement resources available to help them.  The card is 
distributed at all check points to women entering Greece from 
specific countries.  Anecdotally, the card has also been observed 
posted in police stations. 
 
-- C. What is the relationship between government officials, NGOs, 
other relevant organizations and other elements of civil society on 
the trafficking issue? 
 
Government and NGOs largely enjoy good ongoing formal cooperation in 
providing assistance and support to victims.  The GoG provided funds 
to NGOs and IOM to conduct prevention programs in origin countries. 
Government and NGOs cooperate on the basis of a Memorandum of 
Cooperation signed in 2005.  Both parties further enhanced the MOC 
in 2007 by adding a new annex that describes the services available 
to victims by NGOs and by accepting new NGOs as signatories to the 
MOC. One new NGO, Nea Zoi, signed the MOC in 2007. 
 
NGOs and police work directly -- formally and informally -- on 
identifying and screening victims.  In 2007, for the first time, 
police notified NGOs before conducting a raid on locations with 
suspected TIP victims.  The NGOs provided victim screening and 
referring women to appropriate services and shelters and was seen by 
both police and NGOs as being an excellent success.  NGOs, including 
"the Smile of the Child," European Network of Women, and others are 
now regularly called to teach at different training seminars for 
police personnel, justices, prosecutors and other trafficking 
related professionals. An NGO called Med.in, supported by the 
Ministry of Public Order, has an office and a medical unit within 
the major detention center for illegal aliens in Athens. It provides 
brochures about trafficking to potential victims and staff members 
encourage victims to speak with law enforcement after admitting to 
social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists or medical staff that 
they have been trafficked. 
 
? Thessaloniki-based NGO, the Center for Rehabilitation of Victims 
of Torture (CRVT), reports that there have been several occasions 
when it has not been informed by the police of important TIP cases, 
despite it having the only psychiatrist experienced in working with 
trafficking victims.  According to CRCT, the fact that the Public 
Prosecutor makes the referral decision only after an individual is 
acknowledged as a victim, necessarily excludes their psychiatric 
expertise in recognizing victims and results in victims being 
overlooked. CRVT complained that it had only received two referrals 
in the two months previous to this report. 
 
Many NGOs continue to report difficulties in getting funding that 
 
ATHENS 00000365  002 OF 003 
 
 
was promised by the GoG.  The GoG reports that one half of funding 
is distributed at the beginning of a project and the rest is paid 
upon submission of appropriate documentation.  Some NGOs, says the 
GoG, fail to comply with the documentation requirements and some 
change the scope of their previously approved projects.  In 2008 the 
GoG announced that it would review its budget for different NGO 
projects and would limit the number of NGOs receiving funding.  The 
reviewing process has not been completed yet, and its results have 
not been announced. 
 
-- D. Does the government monitor immigration and emigration 
patterns for evidence of trafficking?  Do law enforcement agencies 
screen for potential trafficking victims along borders? 
 
Law enforcement authorities, including border patrol officers and 
airport authorities, screen arrivals for possible TIP victims and 
travelers with fraudulent documents as part of its Schengen 
responsibilities.  Airport and immigration law enforcement 
specialists are included in TIP training programs and are members of 
the diplomatic-NGO-governmental authorities "Working Group."  Greece 
has acceptable border controls in general, though thousands of 
illegal immigrants cross or are smuggled into the country every 
year. 
 
-- E. Is there a mechanism for coordination and communication 
between various agencies, internal, international, and multilateral 
on trafficking-related matters, such as a multi-agency working group 
or a task force?  Does the government have a trafficking in persons 
working group or single point of contact?  Does the government have 
a public corruption task force? 
 
There is an Interministerial Committee at the Secretary 
General level that in previous years met regularly and shares TIP 
information, progress, programs, and trends among ministries, headed 
by the MOJ.  In 2007, the group did not meet between March 2007 and 
January 2008. The MFA and MPO take the lead on coordinating with 
multilateral bodies, such as OSCE, on TIP.  A TIP "Diplomatic Forum 
" was established by the MFA and IOM in November 2005 between 
origin, transit, and destination country diplomats, NGOs, and 
working level government authorities, and they reportedly met one 
time in 2007.  The "Diplomatic Forum" has said it will meet again in 
March 2008. The Ministry of Public Order has an anticorruption unit 
in its Bureau of Internal Affairs, which has investigated a limited 
number of TIP-related cases. 
 
-- F. Does the government have a national plan of action to address 
trafficking in persons?  If so, which agencies were involved in 
developing it?  Were NGOs consulted in the process?  What steps has 
the government taken to disseminate the action plan? 
 
The GoG has a National Action Plan (NAtled 
"National Action Pngs." TheQ 2005 TVPRA, what measures has the government taken 
during the reporting period to reduce the demand for commercial sex 
acts?   (See ref B, para. 9(3) for examples) 
 
--Commercial sex is legal in Greece; we are not aware of measures 
taken by the government to reduce the demand for it. 
 
-- H. Required of Posts in EU countries and posts in 
Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, China, Singapore, 
South Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong:  As part of the new criteria 
added to the TVPA's minimum standards by the 2005 
TVPRA, what measures has the government taken during the reporting 
period to reduce the participation in international child sex 
tourism by nationals of the country? 
 
Article 323 B of the Greek Penal Code provides for imprisonment for 
up to ten years for "any person who organizes, finances, advertises 
or negotiates for tourism, the intention of which is to perform 
sexual intercourse or other lewd acts with a person under the age of 
18 and further provides for at least one year imprisonment for any 
 
ATHENS 00000365  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
person who engages in such travel. 
 
-- I. What measures has the government adopted to ensure that its 
nationals who are deployed abroad as part of a peacekeeping or other 
similar mission do not engage in or facilitate severe forms of 
trafficking or exploit victims of such trafficking? 
 
The Hellenic Army General Staff confirmed that TIP training is 
included in the pre-deployment training for Greek forces that deploy 
abroad.  The training is included in the module for Border Security. 
 Additionally, as a NATO member, Greece has committed to follow the 
NATO Policy on Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, which includes 
a commitment that all personnel taking part in NATO-led operations 
should receive appropriate training to make them aware of the 
problem and how this modern day slavery trade impacts on human 
rights, stability and security. 
 
NOMINATION OF HEROES AND BEST PRACTICES 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶A. Emma Skjonsby Manousaridis (an Amcit) is the director of the 
faith-based NGO New Life (Nea Zoi).  She and her staff of 
volunteers, night after night walk into brothels and up to 
street-walkers to talk to them about getting out of prostitution. 
She and her staff frequently face threats of volnce.  They 
cooperate closely with the Embassy, with the GoG and with Greek 
Police and are always willing to share their helpful insights. 
 
¶B. Major George Vanikiotis is the head of the Athens Anti-TIP unit 
and has taken important steps towards eradicating TIP in Greece.  In 
the summer of 2007, Major Vanikiotis notified one anti-TIP NGO 24 
hours prior to a massive raid.  The NGO was not told specific 
details but was advised to be at the ready.  Shortly before the 
raids, NGO staff came to the police station and Anti-trafficking 
officers brought arrested women to speak with the NGO personnel, 
including a psychologist.  Approximately 6 victims were identified. 
 
 
¶C. Ms. Eva Roussou is a trained psychologist working at the Klimaka 
shelter in Athens.  She works tirelessly on behalf of TIP victims 
and has worked to develop a strong relationship between NGOs and the 
Greek police. 
 
Best practices 
 
As described above, Major Vanikiotis' working in advance with a 
trusted NGO and having them at the police station to meet with 
victims is a best practice that approximates the role of 
victim-witness advocates in the United States and should continue to 
be used by police departments. 
 
Greece 2008 TIP Report Submission Continued Septel.