VZCZCXRO2958
PP RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHLN
RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHSQ #0525/01 2311250
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 181250Z AUG 08
FM AMEMBASSY SKOPJE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7614
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE 0396
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUESEN/SKOPJE BETA
RUEHSQ/USDAO SKOPJE MK
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 2334
RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 SKOPJE 000525 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EUR/SCE; STATE FOR G/TIP 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV MK
SUBJECT: MACEDONIA CONTINUES FIGHT AGAINST TIP; NEW 
PROGRAMS AND A WAVE OF ARRESTS 
 
SUMMARY 
 
¶1. (SBU)  Macedonia continues to make progress in fighting 
trafficking in persons (TIP), aggressively pursuing 
traffickers in a wave of recent arrests and prosecutions, 
many involving minor victims.  Additionally, the GOM's 
Anti-TIP Commission has worked with the Ministry of Labor and 
Social Policy to gather data on TIP awareness and developed 
and conducted TIP-prevention programs in communities 
throughout Macedonia.  The Commission also recently conducted 
trainings for journalists on legal issues related to TIP. 
Finally, the National Anti-TIP Commission Secretary, Kiro 
Todorovski, inspired by a recent International Visitors, 
Leadership Program on TIP issues, has shared Macedonia,s 
best practices with other colleagues throughout Europe, and 
has drafted a plan for a national database of child-crime 
perpetrators, based on the U.S. model, which he has put 
before the new Government.  End Summary. 
 
POLICE DISCOVER OTHER VICTIMS OF TIP 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶2.  (SBU)  Trafficking of Minors:  In the last six months 
police arrested 18 perpetrators in six cases of trafficking 
of minors.  Eight minors aged 9-17 years, all Macedonian 
nationals, were identified as victims. 
 
¶3.  (SBU)  In a February case, parents and another relative 
permitted the sexual abuse of a minor child by a taxi driver, 
who, in return, paid them money and provided transportation 
free of charge.  Four persons -- the family members and the 
taxi driver -- were charged in the case, and remain in 
custody awaiting trial.  The child victim was taken to the 
TIP shelter. 
 
¶4. (SBU)  In a March case, two Gevgelia residents were 
charged with trafficking of a 16-year old female.  The victim 
was taken to the TIP shelter, and the suspected perpetrators 
remain in custody awaiting trial. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) In an April case, a nine-year-old girl from 
Pallatica, near Tetovo, was sold by her father to the owner 
of a village cafe for MKD 7,000 (less than USD 200) to work 
as a &companion8 to customers.  Police became involved when 
the bar owner prevented the father from taking his daughter 
back home after learning she was not attending school and was 
going to be re-sold to an owner of a night club in Gostivar. 
Police suspected that her 14 year-old sister was also a 
victim and took them both to the TIP victims, shelter.  Five 
persons were charged in the case, and all remain in custody. 
 
¶6.  (SBU)  In a July case the owner of a cafe in Gevgelia and 
her assistant were arrested for assisting labor exploitation 
and trafficking of two minor girls, aged 9 and 14.  The owner 
and her remain in custody awaiting trial and the victims 
remain in the TIP shelter. 
 
¶7.  (SBU)  In another July case, authorities pressed charges 
against the owner of a Tetovo bar and his assistant for 
sexual and labor exploitation of a 14 year-old girl and 
forced prostitution of a 17 year-old girl.  Both remain in 
custody awaiting trial, and the victims remain in the TIP 
shelter. 
 
¶8.  (SBU)  Forced Prostitution:  In the past six months, 
police investigators have discovered a total of six cases of 
forced prostitution and have arrested 11 perpetrators who 
remain in detention awaiting trial.   Four of the cases are 
being prosecuted as criminal acts of &intermediation and 
prostitution8 committed by five persons, while two others 
fall under &pandering and enabling sexual acts8 committed 
by six persons.  The victims are seven Macedonian nationals, 
aged 14-26 years. 
 
¶9.  (SBU)  Human Trafficking:   In a March case, police 
arrested three residents of the Shuto Orizari section of 
Skopje for trafficking of an 18-year old Bosnian for the 
purpose of forced marriage.  The victim was taken to the TIP 
shelter, and the three suspected perpetrators remain in 
custody awaiting trial. 
 
 
SKOPJE 00000525  002 OF 003 
 
 
 ¶10.  (SBU)  Human Smuggling:  In the past six months, police 
have charged 26 persons with human smuggling in 4 separate 
cases.  All suspects remain in custody awaiting trial.  In 
the largest of the human smuggling cases, dubbed "Operation 
Dragon," 24 Macedonians were arrested in two separate cases 
of trafficking 18 Chinese citizens, who entered Macedonia 
from Serbia, seeking to transit to Greece. 
 
¶11.  (SBU)  In a high-profile case in July, police arrested a 
known trafficker for illegally harboring five women,  four 
Serbians and a Bulgarian, in the Tetovo bar he owns.  The 
case is being prosecuted as &smuggling of migrants8 since 
the women were not found to be held against their will, 
having returned for a third time to Macedonia after two 
previous prosecutions.   The bar owner is in custody awaiting 
trial.  The women were taken to the shelter, but have since 
departed. 
 
¶12.    (SBU)  In another case in early August, police 
discovered six Afghan citizens, aged 18-23, hidden in a truck 
with Turkish license plates at the Macedonian-Albanian 
border.  The Turkish driver was arrested and charged with 
&smuggling of migrants8.  He is in custody awaiting trial, 
while the Afghans were sent to the shelter for illegal 
migrants. 
 
 
ANTI-TIP COMMISSION CONDUCTS TRAININGS AND DEVELOPS NEW 
PROGRAMS 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
¶13. (SBU) The Anti-TIP Commission, in cooperation with the 
Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, conducted a national 
poll of over 1000 respondents on TIP awareness. Based on the 
data, the Anti-TIP Commission organized and conducted 
TIP-prevention town hall meetings with NGOs, youth 
organizations and local authorities in several municipalities 
throughout Macedonia.  The Commission also provided 
additional training for social workers dealing with victims 
of TIP, and to journalists to better inform their reporting 
on TIP cases. 
 
¶14. (SBU) The Commission successfully completed the 
establishment of the Trans-national Referral Mechanism for 
victims of TIP in cooperation with the International Center 
for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD).  Macedonia also 
signed an MoU with ICMPD and became a partner state of the EU 
countries in the organization. 
 
¶15.   (SBU)  Inspired by his recent International Visitors, 
Leadership Program (IVLP) on Anti-TIP strategies,  National 
Anti-TIP Commission Secretary Kiro Todorovski drafted a plan 
for developing a public national register of child sex crime 
perpetrators, which is currently being reviewed by the 
government.  He expects the GoM will approve and fund the 
program in coming months. 
 
FUTURE STEPS OF THE COMMISSION 
------------------------------ 
¶16. (SBU) The Anti-TIP Commission has developed an aggressive 
agenda for the coming six months, including developing a 
detailed budget for the future needs of the Anti-TIP 
Commission, providing additional training for prevention and 
prosecution of TIP crimes, training of a National Reporter 
for anti-TIP efforts in cooperation with OSCE, and developing 
a separate shelter for domestic victims of TIP. 
 
¶17.  (SBU)  The GoM at the highest levels is committed to 
combating trafficking in persons.  In a July 23 meeting with 
Interior Minister Jankuloska, the DCM noted that Macedonia's 
effective performance merited a Tier 1 ranking in the most 
recent June 2008 Trafficking in Persons Report, and 
emphasized the critical importance of prosecuting traffickers 
to protect victims and to prevent people from becoming 
victims.  Jankuloska concurred fully and pledged strengthened 
efforts  In a July 28 meeting, the Ambassador indicated to 
Minister Jankuloska that while Macedonia should be proud of 
the efforts and performance that resulted in the Tier 1 
ranking, the GoM will have to further increase its efforts to 
maintain that standing.  Minister Jankuloska replied that 
reaching that standard took a real commitment and a great 
effort and noted that the MoI now has the responsibility to 
 
SKOPJE 00000525  003 OF 003 
 
 
sustain that level of effort and is committed to make further 
progress in combating trafficking of persons. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
¶18. (SBU) Macedonia is not resting on its laurels following 
its designation by the State Department as a Tier 1 country, 
but instead is pressing forward in a range of areas. 
Excellent coordination between the Anti-TIP Commission and 
other government agencies, the police, and NGOs continues to 
facilitate progress across a range of TIP-related areas.  We 
expect further progress in coming months, including the 
development of a new shelter dedicated to the specific 
long-term needs of domestic victims of TIP, who are now 
co-located with foreign victims who are often only in the 
shelter briefly during a transit period, and further 
development of a regional witness protection program as a new 
option for victims of trafficking.  End Comment. 
 
Navratil