VZCZCXRO7502
OO RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHLN
RUEHLZ RUEHNP RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSK RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHPS #0020/01 0151049
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 151049Z JAN 09
FM AMEMBASSY PRISTINA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8737
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO PRIORITY 1106
RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK PRIORITY
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 1591
RHFMIUU/AFSOUTH NAPLES IT PRIORITY
RHMFISS/CDR TF FALCON PRIORITY
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEPGEA/CDR650THMIGP SHAPE BE PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC PRIORITY
RHMFIUU/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC PRIORITY
RUZEJAA/USNIC PRISTINA SR PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PRISTINA 000020 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR G/TIP, G - ACBLANK, EUR/SCE, EUR/PGI, INL, DRL, 
PRM, USAID 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM KTIP KCRM KWMN SMIG KFRD ASEC PREF ELAB
KV 
SUBJECT: KOSOVO GOVERNMENT CONTRIBUTIONS TO SHELTERS FOR 
VICTIMS OF TRAFFICKING 
 
¶1. (U) SUMMARY:  In 2008, the Government of Kosovo's (GOK) 
Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare (MLSW) took effective 
measures to ensure the continued operation of victims of 
trafficking (VOT) shelters in Kosovo.  In 2007, two of the 
three VOT shelters in Kosovo -- Hope and Homes (HAH) and the 
Center for the Protection of Victims and Prevention of 
Trafficking in Human Beings (PVPT) -- faced major 
difficulties in obtaining funding for their operations.  The 
GOK, in cooperation with international donors, provided the 
critical funding to ensure their continued viability in 2008, 
and in the case of the PVPT, to expand its operations. 
Challenges remain, including improving follow-up services the 
need to establish new shelters outside of Pristina. 
Nevertheless, the GOK has shown a commitment to VOT shelters 
in 2008, an effort which is consistent with their overall 
anti-trafficking work. End Summary. 
 
EFFECTIVE ACTION 
---------------- 
 
¶2. (U) On January 5, Poloff met with representatives of the 
three organizations legally authorized by the GOK to shelter 
VOT in Kosovo: Hope and Homes (HAH), the Center for the 
Protection of Victims and Prevention of Trafficking in Human 
Beings (PVPT), and the Interim Security Facility (ISF).  Each 
shelter has specialized its services for the needs of 
specific VOT groups.  HAH, a local NGO, exclusively shelters 
children ages 3 to 18 at low risk of additional harm from 
traffickers.  HAH maintains one shelter in Pristina with a 
maximum capacity of 12 children.  (Note: The Anti-Trafficking 
Section of the Kosovo Police determines the level of threat 
prior to assigning the VOT to a shelter.  High risk victims 
are those who are witnesses in a trial, or require protection 
for other reasons.  Low risk refers to those victims who are 
not perceived to be in any immediate danger.  End Note.) 
 
¶3. (U) Currently, eight children are sheltered at HAH, all of 
whom are victims of domestic violence; five are boys, and all 
are from Kosovo.  At the start of 2008, HAH was unable to 
obtain funding and would have been forced to cease operations 
had the GOK's Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare (MLSW) not 
provided the necessary monies.  Currently, the MLSW provides 
100% of HAH's funding, equal to 102,000 euro (approx. USD 
138,372) per year. 
 
¶4. (U) The Center for the Protection of Victims and 
Prevention of Trafficking in Human Beings (PVPT), a local NGO 
also based in Pristina, serves both children and adults.  The 
PVPT's shelter operations are smaller than HAH, with a 
maximum capacity of 5 adults (there are currently two adult 
female occupants from Kosovo), but the PVPT also operates a 
Rehabilitation Center.  The Center is capable of serving 
eleven persons and focuses on long-term treatment designed to 
reintegrate VOT into ordinary life.  At the Center there are 
currently three adult VOT and eight children designated as 
possible VOT.  (Note: The children participate in the 
Center's program as a preventative measure designed to teach 
awareness of trafficking.  End Note.)  All the current 
Rehabilitation Center participants are female and from 
Kosovo, although the Center, like all VOT shelters in Kosovo, 
is open to all VOT regardless of nationality.  The Center is 
served by one physician, one psychiatrist, and three 
psychologists.  Additional medical treatment, such as 
examination by a gynecologist or dentist, is made available 
outside the Center when necessary.  Day-to-day activities at 
the center consist of legal counseling by a Kosovo 
Prosecutor, English classes, vocational training, drama 
therapy, as well as access to a gym and library.  The PVPT 
was closed from December 2007 to September 2008 due to lack 
of funding, but it reopened with financial support from the 
Finnish Office and the GOK's MLSW, which provided 
approximately 20% (or 18,900 euro, $24,418) of the PVPT's 
 
PRISTINA 00000020  002 OF 002 
 
 
90,000 euro ($122,053) annual budget.  This financial support 
permitted the PVPT both to restart its operations and to 
expand its programs, such as opening the Rehabilitation 
Center. 
 
¶5. (U) The Interim Security Facility (ISF) is part of the 
GOK, under the Ministry of Justice's Victims Advocacy 
Assistance Unit, and can handle up to 20 VOT at one time. 
The shelter is designed specifically for high risk VOT, 
though it is open to low and medium risk VOT as well. 
Currently, there are two adult women using the shelter: one 
Kosovo citizen, and one Serb.  Both are high risk VOT and are 
witnesses in anti-trafficking trials.  The ISF requires 
greater funding, and its representative noted that medical 
doctors and psychologists had not visited the shelter since 
the end of 2007 due to insufficient staffing.  Instead, VOT 
are required to leave the shelter, under Police escort, and 
travel to their medical appointments.  The Kosovo Police are 
responsive in providing the necessary escort.  The ISF 
representative also reported that the single security camera 
at the shelter had failed in November 2008, and had not yet 
been repaired due to procurement issues.  There are no 
security guards.  In spite of these problems, the ISF 
representative said that the shelter continues to function 
effectively. 
 
CHALLENGES REMAINING 
-------------------- 
 
¶6. (U) The representatives from HAH and PVPT said that they 
are generally pleased with the support from the GOK, but they 
hope to increase their level of service in the future, 
particularly in follow-up support once VOT had left the 
shelters.  Currently, once VOT leave the shelters, there is 
very little follow-up or additional support, and the HAH 
representative was eager to change this.  The ISF 
representative was more critical of the GOK's efforts, noting 
the security and medical difficulties the ISF faced.  While 
procedures exist to obtain the appropriate medical services 
and complete the repair of the security camera, the ISF 
representative complained that onerous paperwork requirements 
had significantly delayed their resolution. 
 
¶7. (U) The GOK also faces a lack of VOT shelters outside 
Pristina.  As a stopgap effort, the MLSW has opened 32 Social 
Centers, one for each municipality.  The Social Centers serve 
a variety of needs, and each employs a social worker that is 
trained to aid VOT.  However, as the MLSW itself has 
recognized, Social Centers are not a substitute for shelters. 
 The MLSW has not yet developed plans to fill this gap. 
 
¶8. (U) COMMENT:  The GOK in 2008 has taken initiative to 
ensure that VOT have safe and appropriate shelters for 
refuge.  Due to their efforts, HAH and PVPT were operational 
in 2008, and the latter actually expanded its operations. 
The ISF continues to operate in the face of budget 
contstraints, and we are encouraged that its representatives 
recognize the need to improve services.  Work remains, but 
the GOK's success in improving the quality of its VOT 
shelters during the past year shows that Kosovo is committing 
resources to improving its anti-trafficking regimen. 
KAIDANOW