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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 09 PRISTINA 000128 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EG/TIP, EUR, EUR/SCE, DRL, AND INL, NSC FOR BRAUN, 
USUN FOR DREW SCHUFLETOWSKI, USOSCE FOR STEVE STEGER, OPDAT 
FOR ACKER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV KJUS KCRM EAID KDEM UNMIK KV PHUM ELAB
KFRD, PREF 
SUBJECT: KOSOVO: TIP REPORT SUBMISSION PART ONE OF TWO 
 
REF: STATE 2731 
 
PRISTINA 00000128  001.2 OF 009 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY:  Post's submission for the Eighth Annual 
Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report follows.  (Note: On 
February 17, 2008 the Kosovo Assembly declared Kosovo to be 
an independent state.  On February 18, 2008 the United States 
recognized and formally established diplomatic relations with 
Kosovo.  Kosovo, since 1999, has been administered by the 
United Nations Interim Administrative Mission in Kosovo 
(UNMIK).  End Note.)  For the first time, the Kosovo 
government led Kosovo,s counter-trafficking efforts during 
the entire reporting period.  The Kosovo government has 
gotten off to a promising start despite limited resources, 
and it has demonstrated a political will to address 
trafficking.  Two of Kosovo,s main counter-trafficking 
actors, the Kosovo Police Service (KPS) Trafficking in Human 
Beings Section (THBS) and the Kosovo Special Prosecutor,s 
Office (KSPO), are cooperating closely and taking a more 
strategic approach to counter-trafficking.  Police and 
prosecutors in Kosovo traditionally focused mostly on 
shutting down bars and cafes employing trafficking victims, 
but the KPS THBS and KSPO have begun to do more 
investigations targeting the larger trafficking rings.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
Overview of Kosovo's activities to eliminate trafficking in 
persons 
 
¶2. (SBU) Question 27 (A): Kosovo is a source, transit point 
and destination for trafficked persons, and internal 
trafficking is a concern.  As in previous years, the 
identified victims were women and girls trafficked for the 
purpose of sexual exploitation. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Detailed, reliable statistics are difficult to 
collect and often misleading because organizations active in 
counter-trafficking efforts rely on different definitions of 
trafficking, employ uneven statistical analyses and overlap 
in data collection.  Moreover, the statistics that are 
available are of victims who have been identified by the 
police or, in rarer cases, gone directly to the authorities 
or NGOs.  Many victims are never identified due to the hidden 
nature of the crime.  Finally, there is a dearth of 
statistics for Kosovo Serb victims. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Notwithstanding the challenges of collecting 
accurate statistics, especially for Kosovo Serb areas, KPS 
THBS, Ministry of Justice Victims Advocacy and Assistance 
Unit (VAAU), and International Organization of Migration 
(IOM) statistics do illustrate the magnitude of the problem 
in Kosovo and capture important trends. 
 
¶5. (SBU) For April 1, 2007 through January 21, 2008, the KPS 
THBS reported 32 trafficking victims, 17 of whom were Kosovo 
Albanians and one of whom was a Kosovo Serb.  The majority of 
the remaining 14 victims were from Albania. 
 
¶6. (SBU) The Ministry of Justice's Victims' Advocacy and 
Assistance Unit (VAAU) reported assisting 33 victims of 
trafficking in 2007, about 14 of whom were internally 
trafficked. 
 
¶7. (SBU) IOM reported that it has assisted 569 mainly 
international victims of trafficking since 1999.  Moldovans 
accounted for 51 percent of the victims, followed by 19.5 
percent from Romania, 13 percent from Ukraine, and the rest 
from Bulgaria, Albania, Russia, Serbia, Montenegro, Slovakia 
and Nigeria.  The majority of these victims were between the 
 
PRISTINA 00000128  002.2 OF 009 
 
 
ages of 18 and 24 years.  IOM reported that almost 82 percent 
of the Kosovar victims were internally trafficked, while 
approximately eight percent were trafficked to Macedonia and 
4.5 percent each to Italy and Albania. 
 
¶8. (SBU) KPS THBS, IOM and others involved in 
counter-trafficking work in Kosovo believe that most victims 
are from families with a high level of poverty, unemployment 
and illiteracy and that trafficked minors tend to be Kosovars 
from dysfunctional, abusive families.  IOM statistics for 
2007 indicate that 10 percent of local victims were not 
enrolled in school; 35 percent had only finished primary 
school (fifth grade); 45 percent had finished elementary 
school (ninth grade); eight percent had completed secondary 
education (high school); and less than one percent had 
attended university.  Twelve and a half percent of the 
foreign victims were not enrolled in school; 12.5 percent had 
only finished primary school (fifth grade); 25 percent had 
completed secondary education (high school); and 50 percent 
had received vocational training. 
 
¶9. (SBU) Question 27(B): Victims trafficked to Kosovo 
continue to be almost exclusively women and adolescent girls 
from Eastern Europe, the Balkans and the former Soviet Union. 
 Statistics indicate that most Kosovar victims are minors, 
while most foreign victims are young women.  Numbers of 
identified trafficking victims declined during the reporting 
period and there were more internally trafficked than foreign 
victims.  In 2007, KPS THBS identified 32 victims: 18 
Kosovars (17 Kosovo Albanians and one Kosovo Serb), nine 
Albanians, three Moldovans, one Ukrainian and one Macedonian, 
while in 2006, they identified 64 victims, 20 of whom were 
Kosovars.  KPS THBS attributes the decline in identified 
victims to traffickers becoming more sophisticated, border 
police becoming more efficient and turning back potential 
victims, and a joint KPS THBS and Kosovo Special 
Prosecutor,s Office (KSPO) effort to do more thorough 
investigations in order to crack the trafficking rings 
instead of merely temporarily closing individual trafficking 
bars.  (Note: In the past, police and prosecutors tended to 
go after individual bars rather than try to break the 
trafficking networks.  While the investigations were quicker, 
the bars would often open up again a few months later with 
the same women.  End Note.) 
 
¶10. (SBU) The Kosovo government and UNMIK are aware of the 
human trafficking problem and have demonstrated the political 
will to address it.  They named a national anti-trafficking 
coordinator and adopted a Kosovo Action Plan (KAP) in 
cooperation with many NGOs and international organizations. 
(Note: The KAP expired in December 2006, after having been 
extended for seven months.  Discussions are currently 
underway for a follow-on plan for 2008 through 2010.  End 
Note.)  The government and UNMIK also created a secretariat 
in the Prime Minister's Advisory Office for Good Governance 
(AOGG) to support the national anti-trafficking coordinator 
and an inter-ministerial working group on trafficking in 
persons, as well as four other working groups to tackle 
prevention, protection, prosecution, and trafficking in 
children.  They have also launched numerous anti-trafficking 
campaigns and training sessions under the auspices of the KAP 
and with the support of NGOs, international organizations and 
liaison offices. 
 
¶11. (SBU) Data on traffickers is unreliable, but most people 
working in the counter-trafficking field in Kosovo believe 
organized crime elements are involved.  KPS THBS believes 
most traffickers work in small groups and recruit through 
 
PRISTINA 00000128  003.2 OF 009 
 
 
personal contacts.  They also believe some traffickers are 
former trafficking victims who have returned to their 
countries of origin to recruit new victims.  IOM and the KSPO 
report that most traffickers are local men. 
 
¶12. (SBU) As in previous years, the majority of trafficking 
victims report that someone they know recruited them with a 
false job offer or a false promise of marriage.  IOM reports 
that of the 569 mainly international victims it assisted 
between 1999 and December 2007, 74 percent fell prey to 
traffickers after accepting a bogus job offer abroad, four 
percent claim to have been kidnapped, and four percent were 
promised marriage.  In 83 percent of cases, recruiting was 
through personal contacts; the recruiter was an acquaintance 
of the victim in 29 percent of the cases, and a family friend 
in approximately 16 percent.  Recruiters were most often 
female. 
 
¶13. (SBU) Evidence obtained by the KPS THBS and 
counter-trafficking service providers indicates that 
traffickers target primarily poorly educated and economically 
disadvantaged women.  Foreign targets tend to be 18 to 24 
years old, while local targets are generally 16 to 18 years 
old.  IOM paints a very similar picture based on the 
information it has collected from victims in Kosovo.  Its 
records indicate that traffickers most often recruit poor 
women and girls from rural villages where economic 
opportunities are limited.  According to IOM, traffickers 
particularly target those who have sick family members or are 
from abusive families.  The KSPO prosecutor specializing in 
trafficking says that the traffickers appear to target mostly 
Moldovan women and to bring them to Kosovo on commercial 
flights via Istanbul or Budapest. 
 
¶14. (SBU) While there are still reports of trafficking 
victims being subjected to beatings, rape, denial of access 
to health care and confiscation of travel and identity 
documents, KPS THBS, KSPO, IOM and Catholic Relief Services 
(CRS) report that traffickers are increasingly less brutal 
towards their victims. They say traffickers are allowing some 
freedom of movement and improved living conditions.  KSPO 
reports that victims they have seen are often living in 
apartments near or adjacent to the clubs where they work and 
are allowed to make supervised trips into town.  KPS THBS 
says it even sees evidence of wire transfers from foreign 
victims to their families back home.  Nevertheless, IOM 
reports that most trafficking victims share small motel rooms 
and that many have limited or no freedom of movement. 
 
¶15. (SBU) KPS THBS reports that few trafficking victims enter 
illegally or use false documents.  Most trafficking victims 
possess valid passports and valid employment permits for work 
as waitresses and dancers.  The contracts are registered by 
Kosovo law firms and stamped by municipal authorities. 
According to KPS THBS, some victims receive pay only for 
performing sexual services, and not for the work stated in 
their employment contracts.  IOM also says most victims have 
their documents in order, but they still find some cases of 
victims coming to Kosovo on false documents. 
 
¶16. (SBU) As in past years, the majority of victims are found 
working in bars and restaurants, but some counter-trafficking 
organizations report that traffickers are increasingly 
shifting the commercial sex trade into private homes and 
escort services to avoid detection, a result of KPS THBS's 
increasingly frequent bar and restaurant checks.  KPS THBS 
reports that bar owners are increasingly sending the victims 
and clients to nearby motels to help avoid detection and are 
 
PRISTINA 00000128  004.2 OF 009 
 
 
asking that clients pay the women directly so it looks more 
like prostitution than trafficking if they are caught. 
 
¶17. (SBU) Question 27 (C): The national coordinator for 
counter-trafficking in the Prime Minister's Advisory office 
on Good Government (AOGG) has the lead on anti-trafficking 
work and is supported by a small secretariat.  Other agencies 
involved in counter-trafficking work include the Ministries 
of Education, Science and Technology; Culture, Youth and 
Sports; Interior; Justice; Labor and Social Welfare; Health; 
Public Services; Local Government; Finance; Trade and 
Industry; and Communities and Returns.  International 
organizations and NGOs also play a very active role in 
counter-trafficking efforts in Kosovo. 
 
¶18. (SBU) Kosovo has an inter-ministerial working group on 
trafficking issues, which was tasked with designing, 
implementing and monitoring the recently expired Kosovo 
Action Plan (KAP) and will now work on developing a new KAP. 
It includes members of the Kosovo government, UNMIK, 
international organizations and NGOs.  In 2006, the 
Inter-Ministerial Working Group established sub-working 
groups on prevention, protection, prosecution, and 
trafficking in children.  Their work continued during the 
reporting period. 
 
¶19. (SBU) Question 27 (D): The hidden nature of the problem, 
reluctance of witnesses to come forward, lack of resources, 
poor cooperation and information sharing within the 
counter-trafficking community, and inadequate training of 
judges and prosecutors limit the government's ability to 
address the trafficking problem.  Given the low salaries 
local law enforcement officials receive and the overall 
weakness of the rule of law, susceptibility to corruption is 
a concern. 
 
¶20. (SBU) The government established the Kosovo 
Anti-corruption Agency and the Police Inspectorate of Kosovo 
(PIK) in July 2006, and the Kosovo Special Prosecutors' 
Office (KSPO) in September 2006.  The Kosovo Anti-corruption 
Agency began its operations in February 2007; according to 
its head, Hasan Preteni, it had submitted 37 corruption cases 
to prosecutors by September 2007.  The PIK is designed to 
promote police efficiency and effectiveness, hold police 
accountable for their actions and investigate and punish 
misconduct.  During calendar year 2007, it received 122 
complaints from citizens and initiated 128 investigations 
itself.  As of February 2008, the PIK still had not 
established a disciplinary committee and therefore could not 
undertake any punitive measures.  The KSPO is currently 
working under the tutelage of international prosecutors, but 
it will eventually take full responsibility for sensitive 
cases, including corruption, organized crime and trafficking. 
 There are currently five special prosecutors on staff with 
plans to add four more.   The KSPO also has 10 legal 
officers. 
 
¶21. (SBU) KPS THBS reports many obstacles to fighting 
trafficking.  Traffickers are growing more sophisticated and 
are getting better at making trafficking look like 
prostitution (see paragraph 16).  Officers complain of women 
or girls whom they suspect of being trafficking victims 
denying that they are victims, and they suspect fear of the 
traffickers is to blame.  Witness intimidation is a serious 
problem in Kosovo.  One of the trafficking shelters, the 
Center for Protection and Prevention of Victims of 
Trafficking in Human Beings (PVPT), shut down briefly in 
2007, partly in response to threats it received when its 
 
PRISTINA 00000128  005.2 OF 009 
 
 
location was compromised. 
 
¶22. (SBU) Lack of funding and resources are general problems 
for law enforcement in Kosovo and negatively impacted 
undercover operations during the reporting period. KPS THBS 
operations also suffered from a lack of equipment, however, 
it was somewhat alleviated by donations from the 
international community during the reporting period. 
 
¶23. (SBU) KPS THBS also complains of a lack of human 
resources.  Its ceiling is 34 officers, but it currently has 
only 27 officers, including eight in its Pristina 
headquarters.  KPS THBS currently has female officers in 
every region except Gjilan, and is poised to hire three more 
in its Pristina headquarters in early 2008.  KPS THBS 
recently published a vacancy announcement, and their review 
panel met and recommended qualified applicants from the 
candidate pool. 
 
¶24. (SBU) Another human resources problem is the lack of 
Kosovo Serb officers in the anti-trafficking unit.  This 
problem is likely to be exacerbated in the aftermath of 
Kosovo,s declaration of independence, since Kosovo Serb 
police officers have generally refused to continue working 
with Kosovo Albanian colleagues in the Kosovo Police 
structure. 
 
¶25. (SBU) Resources to assist trafficking victims are scarce. 
 Catholic Relief Services (CRS) noted that the Kosovo Action 
Plan (KAP) was drafted with the expectation of a donor 
conference being organized to fund the different activities 
together with the government.  The conference was not 
organized last year but is expected to take place in June 
¶2008.  A lack of funds prevented some of the 
protection-related projects from advancing before the KAP 
expired. 
 
¶26. (SBU) With the exception of the Ministry of Justice-run 
and Kosovo government-funded Interim Security Facility (ISF), 
which provides shelter for trafficking victims who are at a 
high risk for retribution from their traffickers, funding 
shortfalls also significantly impacted shelters.  While the 
government provided some funding for private shelters that 
accept domestic trafficking victims, it was reportedly not 
sufficient to meet all of their needs and one closed its 
doors during the reporting period.  Nevertheless, it is 
important to note that no comprehensive assessment of 
shelters has been conducted to determine whether the private 
shelters are efficient and whether they are all necessary. 
 
¶27. During calendar year 2007, the Ministry of Labor and 
Social Welfare (MLSW) gave Hope and Homes for Children (HHC), 
which operates a safe house for minors and a semi-independent 
living center, about 191,970 euros (282,030 dollars), 
approximately 28,750 euros (42,240 dollars) of which was 
during the reporting period.  The MLSW gave about 135,000 
euros (198,315 dollars) of that money for the provision of 
services to abused children in HHC,s Prizren and Pristina 
shelters.  The Prizren funds were later reprogrammed to cover 
the Pristina shelter, resulting in full funding for the 
Pristina shelter through June 2008 and the closure of the 
Prizren shelter on December 31, 2007.  The remainder of the 
MLSW,s funding for anti-trafficking shelters was 60,374 
euros disbursed among six other shelters for minors. 
 
¶28. (SBU) The largest shelter for foreign victims of 
trafficking, PVPT, currently receives no government funding, 
and its future is precarious.  To date, most of its funding 
 
PRISTINA 00000128  006.2 OF 009 
 
 
has come from IOM, OSCE and the UK government.  It closed 
briefly in early 2007 because of insufficient funds to cover 
its rent and the fact that its location was compromised and 
staff and residents received threats.  It closed again in 
mid-December 2007, and remained closed as of early-February 
¶2008.  According to CRS, PVPT was unable to qualify for 
Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare (MLSW) funding in the 
last round because the procurement was only open to shelters 
assisting victims of domestic violence.  It may be able to 
qualify for the next round since the MLSW has pledged to open 
it up to shelters serving only victims of trafficking. 
 
¶29. (SBU) Question 29 (E): The government tries to 
systematically monitor its anti-trafficking efforts and is 
willing to make information on its efforts available publicly 
or privately.  Government offices have been responsive to 
requests for information, providing it in a timely manner and 
granting requests for meetings on trafficking-related issues. 
 The National Coordinator for Counter-trafficking in the 
Prime Minister's Advisory Office for Good Governance (AOGG) 
is responsible for coordinating and reporting on 
counter-trafficking efforts.  His secretariat issues periodic 
reports on anti TIP activities but does not offer assessments 
of the implementation of the KAP. 
 
¶30. (SBU) Another effort at monitoring anti-trafficking 
efforts is the KPS THBS yearly report, which was issued for 
the first time in 2006 after the KPS THBS gained full 
competency for anti-trafficking work from UNMIK Police.  The 
report analyzes trends and gives a good snapshot of the 
trafficking situation, but the KPS does not attempt to assess 
its own efforts. 
 
Investigation and Prosecution of Traffickers 
 
¶31. (SBU) Question 28 (A): The Provisional Criminal Code of 
Kosovo (PCCK) or UNMIK/REG/2003/25, which came into effect on 
April 6, 2004, covers internal and external trafficking, as 
well as myriad activities related to trafficking.  Its 
provisions include Article 137 on slavery and forced labor, 
Article 138 on smuggling of migrants, Article 139 on 
trafficking in persons, Article 140 on withholding identity 
papers of trafficking victims, Article 201 on facilitating 
prostitution, Article 183 on violating employment rights, 
Article 193 on rape, Article 195 on sexual assault, Article 
196 on degradation of sexual integrity, Article 197 on sexual 
abuse of persons with mental or emotional disorders or 
disabilities, Article 198 on sexual abuse of persons under 
the age of 16, Article 236 on misuse of economic 
authorizations, Article 274 on organized crime, Article 303 
on failure to report preparation of criminal offenses, 
Article 304 on failure to report criminal offenses or 
perpetrators of criminal offenses, Article 305 on providing 
assistance to perpetrators after the commission of criminal 
offenses, and Article 310 on intimidation during criminal 
proceedings for organized crime. 
 
¶32. (SBU) The PCCK contains some sophisticated provisions on 
trafficking and adequately covers trafficking and 
trafficking-related crimes.  The KPS THBS says some 
prosecutors still lack awareness of the use of the 
instruments now available during investigative and trial 
phases.  At times, the KPS THBS reports that it has had to 
insist on the application of such measures. 
 
¶33. (SBU) Question 28 (B): PCCK Article 139 on trafficking in 
persons provides for two to 12 years imprisonment for 
engaging in trafficking in persons (three to 15 years if the 
 
PRISTINA 00000128  007.2 OF 009 
 
 
victim is a minor), seven to 20 years plus a fine of up to 
500,000 euros for organizing a group to commit the offense, 
six months to five years for negligently facilitating 
trafficking in persons, three months to five years for 
procuring sexual services of a known trafficking victim (two 
to 10 years if the victim is under the age of 18).  These 
sentences are greater if committed by an official.  Under 
Article 139, an official would receive five to 15 years in 
prison for engaging in trafficking, at least ten years for 
organizing a group to commit the offense, and two to seven 
years for negligently facilitating trafficking in persons or 
procuring sexual services of a trafficking victim (five to 12 
years if the victim was a minor). 
 
¶34. (SBU) In calendar year 2007, 31 cases were filed for 
trafficking in persons for sexual exploitation.  Twenty-one 
cases were resolved during the year, resulting in twenty-four 
convictions.  Twenty-two of the convicts received prison 
sentences; the sentences ranged from one year to 20 years. 
One person was fined, and one person received a sentence of 
semi-liberty (parole).  This marked an increase from calendar 
year 2006, when the Kosovo Judicial Council (KJC) reported 
that 12 cases resulted in convictions.  A weak witness 
protection system, inadequate training of prosecutors, a lack 
of technical equipment for undercover operations, victims 
returning to their homes without testifying against their 
traffickers, and victims refusing to testify against their 
traffickers affected conviction rates.  The fact that in 2007 
the Kosovo Special Prosecutors Office (KSPO), wanting to get 
at the source of the problem, began concentrating on building 
strong cases against trafficking networks instead of going 
after individual bars also affected the number of trafficking 
convictions.  Before 2007, prosecutors tended to go after 
bars, only to see them reopen again a few months later with 
the same trafficked women. 
 
¶35. (SBU) Question 28 (C): PCCK Article 137 on establishing 
slavery, slavery-like conditions and forced labor provides 
for imprisonment of two to 10 years plus a fine for general 
cases, three to 10 years if the perpetrator has a domestic 
relationship with the victim, three to 15 years if the victim 
is a child, and five to 12 years if the perpetrator is an 
official (five to 20 years if the victim is a child). 
 
¶36. (SBU) PCCK Article 140 provides for punishment of one to 
five years imprisonment for withholding identification 
documents of victims of trafficking.  If the perpetrator is 
an official in the exercise of his or her duties, the 
punishment is three to seven years imprisonment. 
 
¶37. (SBU) Trafficking in persons for other than sexual 
exploitation is rare in Kosovo, and USOP was unable to obtain 
statistics on imposed punishments for forced labor and 
involuntary servitude.  USOP prosecutorial and judicial 
contacts did not recall such cases ever being tried in Kosovo. 
 
¶38. (SBU) Question 28 (D): PCCK Article 193 covers rape and 
forcible sexual assault.  It provides for prison sentences 
of: two to 10 years imprisonment for rape (five to 20 years 
if the victim is under 16); three to 10 years if the victim 
is unprotected or his or her security is in danger; five to 
15 years if the victim is tortured or injured or if a 
dangerous weapon is used, if the perpetrator has caused the 
victim to become intoxicated, if the offense is committed by 
more than one person, or if the perpetrator knows the victim 
is vulnerable because of age, a handicap, illness or 
pregnancy, or if the perpetrator has a domestic relationship 
with a victim between the ages of 16 and 18; and five to 20 
 
PRISTINA 00000128  008.2 OF 009 
 
 
years if the perpetrator has a domestic relationship with a 
victim under the age of 16.  If the victim dies, the minimum 
sentence is 10 years in prison and the maximum sentence is 40. 
 
¶39. (SBU) Question 28 (E): Voluntary prostitution is a minor 
offense under the Kosovo Law on Public Peace and Order 
Article 18(6), and the law punishes the prostitute, but not 
the client.  The prostitute may receive up to 60 days in jail 
and, if foreign, face deportation. 
 
¶40. (SBU) Under PCCK Article 201, providing the premises for 
prostitution or recruiting, organizing or assisting a person 
with the crime of prostitution is punishable by a fine or 
imprisonment of up to three years.  If prostitution is 
practiced within a 350-meter radius of a school or other 
locality used by children, the facilitator may receive six 
months to five years in prison.  Facilitating prostitution 
for someone between the ages of 16 and 18 in punishable by 
one to 10 years imprisonment, and doing so for someone under 
the age of 16 is punishable by one to 12 years imprisonment. 
 
¶41. (SBU) Question 28(F): In 2007, the Kosovo judiciary 
worked on thirty-one trafficking in persons-related cases. 
Twenty-one cases were resolved during the year, resulting in 
twenty-four convictions.  Twenty-two of the convicts received 
prison sentences; the sentences ranged from one year to 20 
years.  One person was fined, and one person received a 
sentence of semi-liberty (parole).  This marked an increase 
from calendar year 2006, when the Kosovo Judicial Council 
(KJC) reported that 12 cases resulted in convictions. 
 
¶42. (SBU) A weak witness protection system, inadequate 
training of prosecutors and a lack of technical equipment for 
undercover operations contributed to the low rate of 
prosecution.  Victims returning to their homes without 
testifying against their traffickers or refusing to testify 
against their traffickers further weakened prosecutions. 
However, the biggest contributing factor may have been the 
fact that the Kosovo Special Prosecutors Office (KSPO), 
wanting to get at the source of the problem, began 
concentrating on building strong cases against trafficking 
networks instead of going after individual bars.  In the 
past, prosecutors tended to go after bars, only to see them 
reopen again a few months later with the same trafficked 
women. 
 
¶43. (SBU) There is no evidence to suggest that Kosovo is a 
source or destination for forced laborers. KPS THBS reports 
that no forced labor cases came to their attention during the 
reporting period. 
 
¶44. (SBU) Question 28 (G): The government provides training 
on recognizing and investigating trafficking in persons.  KPS 
THBS officers provide specialized and Balkans-specific 
training to recruits at the Kosovo Center for Public and 
Safety Education and Development (KCPSED), Border and 
Boundary Police officers, and organized crime investigators. 
They also give more comprehensive courses to KPS officers 
attending the basic and advanced techniques courses at the 
Kosovo Police Service School (KPSS).  During the reporting 
period, KPS THBS officers gave five training sessions at the 
KPSS to police recruits and officers attending investigations 
techniques courses.  They also did one training for Border 
and Boundary Police trainers, and four trainings for 
investigators of other units, three of which were on the 
standard operating procedures for victim assistance. 
 
¶45. (SBU) A number of international and national training 
 
PRISTINA 00000128  009.2 OF 009 
 
 
organizations also provide comprehensive training programs on 
trafficking in persons to Kosovo judges and prosecutors.  The 
Kosovo Judicial Institute (KJI), the primary national 
training organization, dedicates a significant portion of its 
induction training to trafficking in persons.  The United 
States Department of Justice, Council of Europe, OSCE and 
other international organizations provide specialized 
training programs for judges and prosecutors on different 
aspects of trafficking in persons. 
 
¶46. (SBU) Question 28(H): Kosovo,s cooperation with other 
governments on counter-trafficking has declined since KPS 
THBS transitioned in 2006, largely due to Kosovo's unique 
status preventing it from joining international organizations 
such as Interpol, Europol and the Southeast European 
Cooperative Initiative (SECI). That situation may change due 
to Kosovo,s declaration of independence in February 2008 and 
subsequent recognitions. When they were still under UNMIK, 
KPS THBS had bi-monthly meetings with the Serbian Ministry of 
Interior, as well as good coordination and contact with 
neighboring countries, Interpol and Europol.   KPS THBS 
reports that it continues to provide requested information to 
international organizations and foreign governments, but says 
it does not see a two-way flow of information.  KPS THBS 
reported no official cooperative international investigations 
of trafficking cases during the reporting period, but said 
that KPS THBS officers had good cooperation with their 
Albanian counterparts through the Albanian Liaison Office, as 
well as with their Montenegrin counterparts.  They said the 
Albanians and Montenegrins helped them with specific 
information on trafficking cases in Kosovo. 
 
¶47. (SBU) The national counter-trafficking coordinator 
reports good cooperation with national counter-trafficking 
coordinators from neighboring countries.  He also reports 
that he participated in International Center for Migration 
Policy Development (ICMPD) and USAID-sponsored regional 
seminars on establishing transnational referral mechanisms 
for trafficked persons in Southeastern Europe in Sofia, 
Bulgaria in April 2007 and in Sarajevo, Bosnia in November 
¶2007. 
 
KAIDANOW