VZCZCXYZ0017
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHSQ #0701/01 3231604
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 181604Z NOV 08
FM AMEMBASSY SKOPJE
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 7825

UNCLAS SKOPJE 000701 
 
SIPDIS 
 
EUR/PGI, G-ACBLANK, G/TIP 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KCRM KWMN PGOV PREL SMIG MK
SUBJECT: MACEDONIA: INTERIM TIP ASSESSMENT 
 
REF: SECSTATE 109254 
 
¶1. Summary: Macedonia has continued to make significant progress 
throughout its entire TIP prevention agenda.  The continued 
strengthening of Macedonia's legislative framework has resulted in 
improved victim protection and assistance and made the government a 
bigger stakeholder in the country's shelters.  Macedonia has 
proactively worked to broaden the implementation of its new standard 
operating procedures nationwide.  Improved legislation and 
sentencing guidelines have resulted in substantially increased jail 
time for traffickers and the government has sought to develop a 
clearer picture of TIP awareness among the public. /End Summary/ 
 
¶2. The Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare (MOL) has begun assuming 
responsibility for some of the services provided in the NGO run 
shelters. Proposed amendments to the laws for social welfare and the 
protection of children will result in additional funding and support 
from the MOL for the country's TIP victim shelters.  These 
amendments will also create a legal basis for the establishment of 
the first entirely government-run shelter.  The Parliament is 
expected to pass the amendments by the end of the year.  A new law 
allows for the court to appoint a legal guardian to represent and 
protect the rights of child victims of trafficking crimes.  The 
court has utilized the law in several cases this year where parents 
were either complicit in the crime or refused to cooperate with the 
investigation. Funds have been secured to build additional offices 
in 19 of the country's 27 social welfare centers specifically for 
victims; this will provide a friendlier environment for child 
victims, discrete entrances to protect victims' identities and a 
private atmosphere for law enforcement interviews.  The social 
welfare centers are first responders in many TIP related crimes; 
identifying victims and initiating the national victim referral 
mechanism.  A national TIP victims' database linking the social 
welfare centers, MOL and Ministry of the Interior (MOI) has also 
been created to improve victim tracking and identification. 
 
¶3. The MOL has conducted three national seminars this year with the 
social welfare centers and other key municipal and national level 
TIP prevention officials designed specifically to achieve a broader 
implementation of the new SOPs at municipal levels.  The MOL has 
also provided continuous TIP-related training to the individual 
social welfare offices, with a new training on helping victims to 
overcome trauma planned to start in December.  Officials 
investigating trafficking crimes have respected the new reflection 
period for foreign trafficking victims, but all the foreign victims 
this year have either immediately cooperated with the investigation 
or asked to be returned to their country, according to the MOI. 
 
¶4. Under the new sentencing guidelines, jail times for trafficking 
and smuggling crimes have increased substantially.  Average 
sentences this year for trafficking related crimes have increased by 
nine months compared to the previous three years.  For smuggling 
related crimes, average sentences have almost doubled, increasing by 
fifteen months compared to the previous three years.  Previously, 
most trafficking crimes against minors were prosecuted under forced 
prostitution laws which carried a minimum sentence of only six 
months.  Earlier this year, Macedonia amended its law on trafficking 
to specifically address trafficking crimes against minors.  Now 
these crimes must be prosecuted under the new legislation which 
carries a minimum sentence of eight years.  Five people have been 
sentenced under the new legislation so far this year.  The 
streamlining of trafficking related crimes to a single court at the 
end of last year has resulted in significantly reduced trial times 
and more consistently firm sentencing. 
 
¶5. In a case which was only in the early stages of prosecution when 
the TIP report was released earlier this year, involving 5 policemen 
and one Ministry of Justice official, all 6 officials were 
ultimately found guilty and sentenced in accordance with law, 
demonstrating Macedonia's commitment to prosecuting TIP related 
corruption.  Police dismantled a major international human smuggling 
ring on November 4.  Throughout the investigation, which began in 
July, Macedonian law enforcement officials worked closely with law 
enforcement in Serbia and Albania to uncover a human smuggling 
network that had been transporting migrants from China and Indonesia 
to Belgrade by plane, then through Macedonia by car to Greece. 
Eighteen arrests have been made, including 15 Macedonian citizens, 
and 64 migrants smuggled by the criminal network were discovered in 
Macedonia.  The investigation illustrates Macedonia's elevated focus 
on stopping wider organized trafficking and smuggling networks. 
 
¶6. From May to August this year the MOI conducted a nationwide TIP 
survey to gauge the public's overall awareness of TIP related crime 
in Macedonia.  The survey exposed weaknesses in previous TIP 
awareness campaigns and enabled the government to better identify 
high risk communities for future TIP prevention activities.  Special 
awareness and victim identification trainings are now being 
conducted in many of those communities as a result.  The survey 
results also triggered the MOL to create a series of seminars to 
train the media on its roles and responsibilities in combating TIP. 
The MOI is planning to hold an Anti-Trafficking Week before the end 
of the year.  Events will include all the national stakeholders in 
TIP prevention and feature debates, seminars and forums on current 
and future activities for TIP prevention in Macedonia.  The MOI also 
hopes to have the country's new action plan for TIP prevention 
approved in time to release it to the public as part of the 
Anti-Trafficking Week. 
 
REEKER