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RUEAORC/US CUSTOMS AND BORDER PRO WASHINGTON DC
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 16 LISBON 000071 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT PLEASE PASS TO USAID 
DEPT PLEASE PASS TO INL/G-TIP JENNIFER DONNELLY, G-LAURA 
PENA, INL, DRL, PRM, AND EUR/PGI 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KTIP KCRM PHUM KWMN SMIG KFRD ASEC PREF ELAB
KMCA, PO 
SUBJECT: PORTUGAL: TENTH ANNUAL TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS 
(TIP) REPORT 
 
REF: STATE 2094 
 
Per reftel, this cable addresses questions in paragraphs 
25-30.  Embassy Lisbon's point of contact on trafficking is 
Gina Felix, the Embassy's Political/Economic Assistant, tel: 
351-21-770-2331, fax: 351-21-770-6547.  The 
Political-Economic Assistant spent over 120 hours researching 
and meeting with Embassy contacts in preparation of this TIP 
report cable. 
 
(U) Summary: During the reporting period, the Portuguese 
government, in collaboration with civil society, undertook 
vigorous efforts to combat trafficking in persons, focusing 
on prevention, prosecution of traffickers, and assistance to 
victims.  In 2009, Portugal handed down the first sentence 
for the specific crime of human trafficking under the 2007 
amendments to the Penal Code.  The court convicted and 
sentenced seven Romanian traffickers to an average of 12 
years each, the maximum allowable.  The government took the 
lead in coordinating and implementing an EU-wide TIP 
database, and continued to train government officials and 
civil society leaders and to proactively raise public 
awareness to combat TIP.  Post believes that Portugal,s 
previous Tier 2 ranking should be reconsidered in light of 
the government,s demonstrated political will to combat 
trafficking in persons and its continuous efforts to 
strengthen its commitment to preventing TIP, protecting 
victims, and prosecuting traffickers. 
 
¶25. (U) THE COUNTRY'S TIP SITUATION: 
 
¶A. Portugal has numerous sources of credible information on 
trafficking in persons, including: 
 
     Office of the Coordinator of the National Action Plan 
Against Trafficking in Persons and National Rapporteur of the 
Commission for Citizenship and Gender Equality (CIG), 
Presidency of the Council of Ministers; 
     Monitoring Center for Trafficking in Persons, Ministry 
of the Interior(www.otsh.mai.gov.pt); 
     Ministry of Justice; 
     Association for Family Planning (APF); 
     Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF); 
     Judiciary Police (PJ); 
     High Commission for Immigration and Inter-cultural 
Dialogue (ACIDI); 
     Portuguese Association for Victim Support (APAV); 
     International Organization for Migration (IOM); 
     Commission for the Equality and Rights of Women (CIDM). 
 
Credible information on trafficking can also be found on the 
Cooperation, Action, Investigation and World Vision (CAIM) 
web site (www.caim.com.pt) (see paragraph 25B for information 
on the government's anti-trafficking project CAIM).  This 
comprehensive site has been available since February 2007 and 
provides a wealth of information, including CAIM's 
objectives, national/international partnerships and 
legislation, links to government and NGOs for assistance to 
victims, information guide for victims, media coverage of 
trafficking cases, and national and international trafficking 
reports.  Trafficking statistics in Portugal, including 
 
LISBON 00000071  002 OF 016 
 
 
numbers of investigations, prosecutions, and convictions, are 
available on the website since April 2008.  Access to 
sensitive data is closely controlled and only available 
through passwords obtained from CAIM on an as needed basis. 
At Portugal,s request, various countries, including Brazil, 
have incorporated the CAIM link into their TIP websites. 
 
Since 2008, the Portuguese Ministry of the Interior has been 
leading and coordinating the transnational project 
"Trafficking in Persons - Data Collection and Harmonized 
Information Management System."  Partner countries include 
Slovakia, Poland, and the Czech Republic.  The main goal of 
this data-gathering project, co-financed by the European 
Commission, is to develop, consolidate, and share common 
trafficking indicators to strengthen anti-trafficking 
policies and programs in partner countries. 
 
¶B. Portugal is a country of origin, transit, and destination 
for internationally trafficked men, women, and children for 
commercial sexual exploitation and/or forced labor. 
Trafficking occurs across a mostly uncontrolled border with 
Spain and also within Portugal, including the autonomous 
regions of Madeira and the Azores.  It does not occur in 
territory outside the government's control.  A full-time body 
run by the Ministry of Interior (with assistance from other 
government agencies and NGOs) to monitor and gather data on 
trafficking-related developments has been in operation since 
January 2007.  Trafficking data are collected in a central 
database using input from the various entities that track 
trafficking cases, including police, security sources, and 
NGOs.  According to this monitoring center, most victims 
identified in 2009 were foreigners found in the northern 
region of Portugal, their average age was 30 years old, and 
75 percent were women. 
 
Women:  The majority of victims is from Brazil and is 
trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation in bars and 
clubs.  Typically, victims are women with little education. 
The majority is legal immigrants with proper documents and 
valid visas.  Traffickers of these women often use Portugal 
as a springboard to other European Union destinations. 
 
Men:  Victims are mainly from Eastern Europe (Ukraine, 
Moldova, Russia, Romania), Brazil, and African lusophone 
countries.  They are trafficked for forced labor in the 
construction, agricultural, and hotel industries. 
 
Children:  Neither government authorities nor NGOs have 
direct knowledge of trafficking of children but estimate that 
there may be 50-100 Roma minors, who were brought to Portugal 
by family networks and are forced by parents or relatives to 
work as street beggars. 
 
There have been no changes in the origin or destination of 
trafficking victims since the last TIP report.  The persons 
trafficked are mainly women from Brazil (for sexual 
exploitation) and, to a lesser extent, from Eastern Europe 
(Ukraine, Moldova, Russia, Romania), Brazil, and African 
countries (Nigeria and lusophone countries).  Some 
trafficking victims transit through Portugal en route to 
other European countries. 
 
LISBON 00000071  003 OF 016 
 
 
 
Portugal is not a significant country of origin; however, 
there have been media reports of Portuguese victims of forced 
labor in Spain and the Netherlands. 
 
Since its election in March 2005, the Socialist government 
has initiated key measures to address human trafficking.  In 
December 2005, it launched a pilot project (CAIM - 
Cooperation, Action, Investigation and World Vision) to 
combat the trafficking of women for sexual exploitation in 
Portugal.  In 2007, this project added combating trafficking 
for labor exploitation to its list of objectives.  Task 
forces from the Ministries of Justice and Interior, the 
Commission for the Equality and Rights of Women (CIDM), the 
High Commission for Immigration and Inter-Cultural Dialogue 
(ACIDI), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), 
various NGOs, and security forces collaborated in designing 
the CAIM project and have been working together on a regular 
basis to carry out its objectives.  As its main goals, CAIM 
established a full-time unit in the Ministry of Interior to 
monitor trafficking-related developments through the creation 
of a centralized comprehensive database that has been 
operational since January 2007.  This monitoring center 
includes a registry for filing legal complaints (see 
paragraph 28F).  In 2007, the GOP opened the first 
government-financed safe house specifically for trafficking 
victims. 
 
¶C. Women trafficked for sexual exploitation are kept in 
rooms/apartments in or near brothels or clubs.  Upon arrival, 
their passports may be withheld and turned over to a brothel 
or club operator.  Many, especially Brazilian women, 
initially consent to prostitution activities but may later be 
subject to threats and violence.  Trafficked men are housed 
in similar conditions, usually close to construction sites 
where they work.  They usually consent to the labor activity 
but are sometimes victims of violence, threats, fraud, 
coercion, peonage, and debt bondage.  Police and NGOs have 
reported that Roma children, brought from Romania to Portugal 
by family networks, are sometimes forced by family members to 
beg on street corners. 
 
Trafficking victims are not normally kept locked up. 
However, credible reports from former TIP victims describe 
limited freedom of movement, such as accompanied shopping 
trips. 
 
¶D. Persons more at risk of being trafficked are women, mostly 
from Brazil, for sexual exploitation, but there were also 
reports of men with little education and low socio-economic 
status being trafficked for forced labor. 
 
¶E. SEF reports that the majority of traffickers are 
Portuguese, Eastern European, and Brazilian men between the 
ages of 20 and 50, who are either independent businessmen or 
employees of prostitution-related commercial establishments. 
Victims are often promised lucrative jobs - as domestic 
servants, exotic dancers, or as prostitutes - and are usually 
approached by friends of friends. 
 
Brazilian and lusophone victims mostly arrive through one of 
 
LISBON 00000071  004.2 OF 016 
 
 
Portugal,s various international airports.  Victims from 
Eastern European countries enter Portugal mainly in cars or 
vans through the Spanish border.  False documents are seldom 
used.  Employment, travel, and tourism agencies and marriage 
brokers are rarely involved with or fronting for traffickers. 
 
¶26. (U) SETTING THE SCENE FOR THE GOVERNMENT'S ANTI-TIP 
EFFORTS: 
 
¶A. The Portuguese government recognizes that human 
trafficking is a problem and has undertaken serious efforts 
to address it, working closely with local and international 
NGOs on prevention, prosecution of traffickers, and 
protection of victims. 
 
¶B. The following government agencies, led by the Commission 
for Citizenship and Gender Equality (CIG), are involved in 
anti-trafficking efforts: 
 
     Commission for Citizenship and Gender Equality (CIG), 
under the Ministry for the Presidency of the Council of 
Ministers; 
     Monitoring Center for Trafficking in Persons, Ministry 
of Interior; 
     Ministry of Justice; 
     Ministry of Foreign Affairs; 
     Ministry of Labor and Social Security; 
     Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF); 
     Judicial Police (PJ); 
     Republican National Guard (GNR); 
     Public Security Police (PSP); 
     High Commission for Immigration and Inter-cultural 
Dialogue (ACIDI); 
     Commission for the Equality and Rights of Women (CIDM); 
and 
     Association for Family Planning (APF). 
 
¶C. In spite of severe financial constraints, the current 
government has undertaken serious efforts to address the 
trafficking problem by providing supplementary funds to 
agencies linked to the CAIM project.  Given the importance 
placed by the government on combating trafficking, additional 
funds have been made available for police training and for 
subsidies to NGOs that shelter and assist victims, as well as 
for the establishment and operation of the Monitoring Center 
for Trafficking.  ACIDI depends on government funds and has 
received extra resources to address trafficking. 
 
Institutional corruption is not a problem. 
 
The government has increased resources to aid victims.  It 
funds a safe house for trafficking victims (see paragraph 
28B), and continues to refer victims to NGOs, for both 
protection and assistance. One of these NGOs, the Association 
for Victim Support (APAV), has a funding agreement with the 
government to receive subsidies covering 80 percent of its 
expenses (see paragraph 28C). 
 
¶D. Since January 2007, the Monitoring Center for Trafficking 
Victims has been the official government entity specifically 
charged with gathering and processing trafficking data.  Its 
 
LISBON 00000071  005 OF 016 
 
 
website (www.caim.com.pt) makes publicly available government 
assessments of anti-trafficking efforts.  Upon request, it 
provides to regional/international organizations, privately 
and directly, a password for access to more detailed data. 
The center is further tasked with sharing its information 
with appropriate legal, judicial, and health authorities and 
preparing public awareness campaigns.  As an integral part of 
the CAIM project, the center collaborates with CAIM partners 
in devising the GOP's trafficking policy responses.  It also 
plays a key role in fostering collaborative anti-trafficking 
efforts with other governments.  Between mid 2008 and 2009, 
the Monitoring Center published and made available, publicly 
and privately, two comprehensive TIP reports. 
 
The implementation of the CAIM project has resulted in 
greater coordination among government entities and NGOs, 
facilitating statistical data gathering and making it more 
reliable and accurate.  With the current penal code defining 
human trafficking as a distinct crime, annual statistical 
summaries compiled by the GOP now include TIP in its own 
statistical category.  The Judiciary Police (PJ) and the 
Justice Ministry also monitor and gather trafficking 
statistics.  Information gathering is also carried out by the 
government's High Commission for Immigration and 
Inter-Cultural Dialogue (ACIDI), the chief organization that 
coordinates assistance to  rafficking victims and immigrants. 
 All of these agencies pass their information to the 
Monitoring Center, working together in a concerted effort to 
produce reliable and accurate TIP statistics. 
 
¶E. The government revised the nationality law (Organic Law 
2/2006, regulated by Decree-Law 237-A/2006) and the 
Immigration Law (Law 23/2007) to improve the identification 
of local populations.  The revisions allowed for Portuguese 
nationality to be granted directly to the third generation 
and simplify the legal requirements for the second 
generation, in addition to granting all legal immigrants 
uniform legal status and helping to combat human trafficking 
and illegal immigration.  Following these measures, the 
government implemented inter-ministerial strategies, such as 
the National Inclusiveness Action Plan, which targets more 
than just immigrant and ethnic minorities, and the Immigrant 
Integration Project (Council of Ministers Resolution 
63-A/2007). 
 
--F. The Inspectorate General of Internal Administration 
(IGAI), created in 1995, gathers information on all of the 
country,s security forces and produces a comprehensive 
annual report with an in-depth assessment of law enforcement 
efforts.  The IGAI carries out regular inquiries and on-site 
inspections of police force departments, some as a result of 
public complaints by individuals and civil society 
organizations. 
 
¶27. (U) INVESTIGATION AND PROSECUTION OF TRAFFICKERS: 
 
¶A. Portugal has laws specifically prohibiting all forms of 
trafficking in persons.  They are covered in Article 160 of 
the revised Portuguese penal code, in effect since September 
15, 2007.  These laws cover both internal and external 
(transnational) forms of trafficking.  They broaden the 
 
LISBON 00000071  006 OF 016 
 
 
previous definition of trafficking to cover both sexual and 
labor exploitation, and impose tougher penalties for 
trafficking crimes.  Article 160 states the following: 
 
1) Whoever offers, transfers, recruits, obtains, transports, 
holds or houses a person for the purpose of sexual or labor 
exploitation or extraction of organs: 
a) Through the use of violence, kidnapping or serious threat; 
b) Through deception or fraud; 
c) Through abuse of power resulting from a relationship of 
hierarchical, economic, work or family dependency; 
d) Taking advantage of psychological incapacity or a 
situation of special vulnerability of the victim; or 
e) By obtaining the consent of the person who controls the 
victim; 
is subject to a prison sentence of 3 to 10 years. 
2) The same sentence is applicable to whomever, through any 
means, entices, transports, houses or harbors a minor, or 
transfers, offers or accepts the minor for the purpose of 
sexual or labor exploitation or the extraction of organs. 
3) In the case of paragraph 2, if the agent uses any of the 
means stipulated in paragraph 1 or acts in a professional 
capacity or with monetary intentions, he/she is subject to a 
prison sentence of 3 to 12 years. 
4) Whoever, through payment or other compensation, offers, 
transfers, solicits or obtains a minor, or obtains or 
provides consent for his/her adoption, is subject to a prison 
sentence of 1 to 5 years. 
5) Whoever, having knowledge of the practice of the crime 
stipulated in paragraphs 1 and 2, uses the services or organs 
of the victim, is subject to a prison sentence of 1 to 5 
years, if a harsher sentence is not applicable through other 
laws. 
6) Whoever confiscates, hides, damages or destroys 
identification or travel documents of a victim of crimes 
stipulated in paragraph 1 and 2 is subject to a prison 
sentence of up to 3 years, if a harsher sentence is not 
applicable through other laws. 
 
Furthermore, an immigration law (Law 23/2007, Section V, 
Articles 109-115), in effect since July 4, 2007, includes 
automatic residency permits for immigrant victims of labor 
and sexual trafficking who agree to cooperate with 
authorities to bring traffickers to justice.  In 2009, the 
government granted six permanent residency permits to victims 
of trafficking. 
 
There are laws against slavery (5 to 15 years in prison under 
Article 159 of the penal code) and the exploitation of 
prostitution by means of force, fraud or coercion (1 to 8 
years in prison under Article 169). 
 
Traffickers may also be prosecuted under other laws, such as 
labor-related crimes.  By citing violations of multiple 
provisions, judges may hand down longer sentences. 
 
On January 19, 2008, Portugal ratified the Council of Europe 
Convention on Action against Trafficking in Persons. 
 
¶B. The penalty for human trafficking for commercial sexual 
exploitation is 3 to 12 years imprisonment (see paragraph 
 
LISBON 00000071  007 OF 016 
 
 
27A). 
 
¶C. The penalty for labor trafficking is 3 to 12 years 
imprisonment (see paragraph 27A).  The trafficking laws 
provide for criminal punishment for labor recruiters in 
Portugal who engage in recruitment of laborers using 
knowingly fraudulent or deceptive offers that result in 
workers being trafficked in the destination country. 
Articles 159 (slavery, up to 15 years in prison) and 160 
(trafficking - up to 12 years in prison) punish employers or 
labor agents who confiscate workers' passports or travel 
documents, switch contracts without the workers, consent or 
withhold payment of salaries as means of keeping the worker 
in a state of compelled service. 
 
Before the revisions to the penal code went into effect, 
employers were held responsible for trafficking crimes under 
specific labor laws, outside of the penal code.  Under the 
revised penal code, employers are now held criminally 
accountable for trafficking crimes and slavery.  (See 
paragraph 27E for convictions.) 
 
¶D. The Portuguese penal code stipulates penalties of up to 10 
years imprisonment for rape or forcible sexual assault. 
 
¶E. The Portuguese government investigated and prosecuted 
cases against human trafficking offenders during the 
reporting period.  Final 2009 numbers of investigations, 
prosecutions, convictions, and sentences imposed have not 
been fully compiled by the Ministry of Justice.  They will be 
made available to Post in mid-March.  The Monitoring Center 
has informally provided us with the following unofficial 
interim data (for the first six months of 2009) for our 
reference, which should not/not be used in the TIP report as 
it is pending approval for dissemination: 
 
33 criminal proceedings in the trial phase involving the 
crimes of trafficking in persons for commercial sexual 
exploitation; 
8 persons convicted for trafficking in persons; 
172 persons convicted for trafficking in persons for 
commercial sexual exploitation; 
3 persons convicted for trafficking of minors for commercial 
sexual exploitation. 
 
One of the convictions is especially noteworthy.  In May 
2009, a Portuguese court sentenced seven Romanians to a total 
of 83 years in prison (an average of 12 years each) and 
deportation.  This was the first sentence handed down for the 
specific crime of human trafficking under the 2007 amendments 
to the Penal Code.  The human trafficking, criminal 
association, and pandering were proven and the court handed 
out heavy sentences to the four men and three women, who had 
been held in preventive detention since 2007, following their 
arrest in an SEF operation in Lisbon.  The group trafficked 
into Portugal young women from poor families in Romania, some 
of them minors, for prostitution.  At least nine victims 
testified. 
 
¶F. SEF officials and interns, as well as the GNR, receive 
periodic specialized training on how to recognize, 
 
LISBON 00000071  008 OF 016 
 
 
investigate, and prosecute instances of trafficking.  Since 
2005, SEF training of its incoming inspector class 
(approximately 300 annually) has included a specific module 
on TIP enforcement.  SEF has been using various 
documentaries, including "Lilya 4Ever," a film featuring an 
actual trafficking victim, in its training classes.  Trainees 
are also prepared to treat victims of trafficking, as 
distinct from illegal immigrants and criminals. 
 
As a result of training and awareness programs, the three 
national police forces (GNR, PSP, and PJ) have collaborated 
more closely with each other and with SEF authorities in 
combating trafficking crimes.  There is increasing 
coordination among these entities in targeted police checks 
and smart raids on brothels, bars, and strip clubs.  These 
raids involve extensive planning and information-gathering by 
undercover law enforcement officers and informants.  Planned 
to ensure the safety of all involved and with post-rescue 
care arranged for trafficking victims, these raids have 
rescued victims while minimizing harm to others. 
 
Furthermore, the activities of Eastern European trafficking 
rings, which began operating in Portugal in the early 1990s, 
have significantly dropped due to this increasingly effective 
police response.  As a result, various rings were dismantled, 
prosecuted, and sentenced. 
 
The ongoing court trial of a high-profile case involving a 
dismantled ring accused of trafficking women for sexual 
exploitation in a chain of bars called Passarelle began on 
October 8, 2007.  The case involves 1,200 crimes, 24 suspects 
(including the bar owner), 26 illegal immigrant women, 
connections to seven districts in Portugal, 252 people 
contacted by investigators, and 100 seized telecommunication 
devices (cell phones, computers).  Final ruling and verdict 
are expected by the end of February 2010. 
 
--G. The Portuguese government cooperates with other European 
and non-European governments in the investigation and 
prosecution of trafficking cases.  Portugal substantially 
enhanced prevention, monitoring, and trafficking control 
efforts in multilateral fora.  The government placed 
immigration liaison officers in source countries, including 
Brazil, Mozambique, Romania, Ukraine, Cape Verde, and 
Senegal.  SEF and the PJ have developed strong working 
relations with international TIP working groups.  They share 
and receive information through the EUROPOL organized crime 
database that the GOP co-developed with Spain, Italy, and 
Germany.  SEF also has bilateral agreements with Germany's 
Bundeskriminalamt (BKA) and with Spain's Immigration Service, 
and has established a direct working relationship with 
Ukrainian authorities. 
 
During the 2005 Luso-Spanish Summit, Portugal and Spain 
signed a police cooperation agreement to more closely monitor 
the external EU borders controlled by the two countries, i.e. 
the southern Mediterranean flanks and the Atlantic coast and 
the high seas.  The agreement includes the strengthening of a 
transborder rapid alert system, already in force, and the 
setting up of joint police teams to crack down on the 
networks which traffic immigrants. 
 
LISBON 00000071  009 OF 016 
 
 
 
¶H. We are not aware of any case where the government of 
Portugal extradited anyone for trafficking offenses committed 
in another country. Portugal is a signatory to the US-EU MLAT 
and Extradition Treaty and signed the bilateral implementing 
protocols with the United States in 2005.  The Portuguese 
Constitution prohibits the extradition of Portuguese 
nationals (with the exception of those charged with 
committing acts of terrorism), and we are not aware of any 
intention to change that provision in the case of traffickers. 
 
¶I. There is no evidence of government involvement in or 
tolerance of trafficking, neither on a local or institutional 
level.  The government has a strong anti-trafficking policy 
and legislation prohibiting all forms of trafficking. 
 
¶J.  We have no evidence to suggest that government officials 
are involved in human trafficking. 
 
¶K. There were no reported cases of Portuguese members of 
international peacekeeping missions, EU missions, or other 
similar missions involved in human trafficking. 
 
¶L. Portugal does not have an identified child sex tourism 
problem.  There is no credible evidence of sex tourists in 
Portugal, or evidence that Portuguese nationals are 
perpetrators of child sex tourism, either within the country 
or abroad.  In October 2004, Portuguese courts began hearing 
evidence gathered over the previous year by public 
prosecutors in the high-profile "Casa Pia" case, in which 
eight defendants face charges that include procurement, rape, 
sexual acts with adolescents, and sexual abuse of minors. 
The case, which involves well-known Portuguese media figures 
and politicians, and has had the effect of raising public 
awareness of pedophilia.  Final rulings are expected in the 
coming months. 
 
¶28. (U) PROTECTION AND ASSISTANCE TO VICTIMS: 
 
¶A. Government-assisted victims are provided shelter, 
employment, education, and access to legal, medical, 
psychological, and family reunification services.  Some are 
provided legalization of residency status; others are 
repatriated to their countries of origin or third countries. 
 
The law provides for repatriated victims to be assisted by a 
multi-disciplinary government team in cooperation with the 
IOM, consulates, and other public institutions.  Support is 
provided throughout the entire repatriation process - before 
departure, during the trip, and upon arrival in the country 
of destination, which may be the country of origin or a third 
country.  In order to prevent recurrence of victimization, 
Portuguese authorities continuously work with destination 
country authorities to ensure that the victim is safe and 
protected in the country of reintegration. 
 
The government provided these protections in practice during 
the reporting period. 
 
¶B. Trafficking victims, both foreign and domestic, have 
access to various shelters throughout the country through 
 
LISBON 00000071  010 OF 016 
 
 
referral by security forces, health care providers, and NGOs. 
Women and their children may be housed in the government's 
safe house specifically created for victims of trafficking. 
This shelter, opened in January 2007, is located in the 
northern region of Porto, has a capacity of eight, and is 
available to receive victims 24 hours a day.  It employs five 
monitors, working in shifts, all of whom hold university 
degrees in areas such as psychology and social work. 
Referrals to the shelter are made by both police and NGOs. 
The Ministry of Interior offers security training to the 
shelter's staff and provides guards to patrol the vicinity of 
the safe house.  Under special circumstances, former 
residents of the shelter may receive support from the shelter 
team outside of the shelter facilities. 
 
Male victims of forced labor may be temporarily housed in 
hotels/motels, financed by the Ministry of Labor and Social 
Security, during which time they receive protection and 
assistance provided by the multi-disciplinary CAIM team. 
 
Victims may also be referred to one of several national 
immigrant support centers (CLAI) of the High Commission for 
Immigration and Intercultural Dialogue (ACIDI) in Lisbon, 
Porto, or 78 local centers throughout the country, which 
provide immigrants with information and assistance.  A large 
percentage of those assisted is provided employment and 
legalization status.  Each center has various sources of 
information available to immigrants, including an SOS 
immigrant hotline, manned by a multilingual/multiethnic team, 
a multimedia stand, and pamphlets in three languages 
(Portuguese, English, and Russian).  ACIDI provides 
assistance to between 1,100 and 1,200 immigrants, including 
trafficking victims, per day, at its headquarters in Lisbon, 
and 200 a day in the northern city of Porto.  All ACIDI 
facilities provide victim care services. 
 
The government also refers victims, including children of 
victims, to NGOs, such as APAV and religious orders Irmas 
Adoradoras, Irmas Oblatas, and Irmas de Jesus Bom Pastor for 
protection and assistance. 
 
APAV has one shelter in Porto, another in Lisbon and a third 
in the southern Algarve region.  APAV Algarve assisted eight 
trafficking victims in 2009.  The Irmas Adoradoras operate 6 
shelters across the country that take in victims of all types 
of violence, including trafficking victims.  In order to 
maintain the quality of their services, each shelter is 
limited to a total capacity of 30, which includes victims and 
their children.  Maximum stay is six months but extensions 
are considered on a case-by-case basis. 
 
In both the government safe house and the NGO shelters, 
victims are allowed a 30-60 day reflection period to decide 
whether they will press charges against the traffickers. 
Regardless of their decision, they have the right to a 
one-year residency permit. 
 
Under the penal code, the identity of trafficking victims 
(and victims of other crimes of a sexual nature) cannot be 
revealed by the press without consent by both the victim and 
the Office of the Attorney General. 
 
LISBON 00000071  011 OF 016 
 
 
 
¶C. The government provides funding and other forms of support 
to foreign and domestic NGOs for services to victims.  APAV 
receives approximately 80 percent of its funding from the 
government.  The Irmas Adoradoras receive a fixed subsidy for 
each victim assisted, including children of victims.  The 
Center for Women's Shelter and Orientation, run by Irmas 
Oblatas, receives an annual government subsidy through the 
Lisbon City Hall. 
 
¶D. The government assists foreign trafficking victims by 
providing shelter, employment, education, and access to 
legal, medical, psychological, and family reunification 
services.  Some are provided legalization of residency 
status; others are repatriated. 
 
¶E. After leaving the government-run shelter, former residents 
may receive support from the shelter team outside of the 
shelter facilities to aid the victims in rebuilding their 
lives.  This support includes assistance with obtaining 
employment, returning to school, registering for professional 
training courses, and obtaining public medical and dental 
services. 
 
¶F. Victims who are detained, arrested or placed in protective 
custody by law enforcement authorities are transferred to the 
government safe house or to NGOs for short-term care. 
Increased awareness by authorities and greater coordination 
have yielded positive results.  A growing number of GNR and 
PSP stations have specific designated areas to hold and 
assist TIP victims.  Security forces have begun to work 
closely with the government shelter team to transfer victims 
to the government safe house:  in 2009, there were three 
cases in which the shelter was previously informed by the 
police of upcoming raids on bars suspected of being involved 
in trafficking activities.  The shelter team accompanied the 
security forces during these raids, providing immediate 
assistance and support to the rescued victims. 
 
In 2007, the Ministry of Interior launched an online crime 
reporting system.  All forms of crimes, including trafficking 
for sexual and labor exploitation, may be reported. 
Complaints may be submitted by nationals or foreigners 
residing in Portugal or present on national territory.  Those 
submitting complaints must identify themselves.  Crimes 
reported on this website are investigated by the Public 
Security Police, the Republican National Guard, and the 
Foreigners and Borders Service.  The site offers detailed 
information on trafficking crimes, including legislation, 
ways to identify trafficking victims, and means of assistance 
to victims.  The identity of victims is protected. 
 
¶G. The government does not yet have available the total 
number of TIP victims identified during the reporting period. 
 The TIP Monitoring Center will provide this data in March. 
During 2009, twelve victims were referred to the government 
shelter for assistance by law enforcement authorities. 
 
¶H. The Monitoring Center for Trafficking in Persons 
implemented reliable procedures to facilitate the gathering 
of comprehensive trafficking data.  All security forces are 
 
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required to fill out a standard detailed form if they suspect 
that a person involved in prostitution or violation of 
immigration laws is a victim of trafficking, and to submit it 
to the monitoring center.  This form was originally designed 
for sexual exploitation cases only but was expanded in 2007 
to encompass cases of labor exploitation.  This form is 
carefully analyzed by the center's working group, made up of 
multi-agency staff, which cross-references each case with 
social services and immigration data.  If the case is 
considered trafficking, it is recorded in the database.  All 
government officials involved in anti-trafficking cases have 
access to this confidential form. 
 
In 2008, the Portuguese Ministry of Interior took the lead in 
coordinating the transnational project "Trafficking in Human 
Beings - Data Collection and Harmonized Information 
Management System."  Partner countries include Slovakia, 
Poland, and the Czech Republic.  The main goal of this 
data-gathering project, co-financed by the European 
Commission, is to develop, consolidate and share common 
trafficking indicators to improve trafficking policies and 
programs in partner countries. 
 
¶I. The rights of victims are respected.  Police officers 
receive training on identifying trafficking victims and 
differentiating them from criminals.  Victims who are 
initially detained are later transferred to the 
government-managed safe house, ACIDI or NGOs for protection 
and assistance.  Victims are not fined or prosecuted for 
violations of other laws. 
 
¶J. The Portuguese government, through legal services provided 
by ACIDI, encourages victims to assist in the investigation 
and prosecution of trafficking.  During the reporting period, 
and with the support of SEF officials, six victims assisted 
in the investigation and prosecution of traffickers, and were 
granted residency status in Portugal.  Victims may file civil 
suits and seek legal action against traffickers.  There is no 
impediment to victims' access to such legal redress.  If a 
victim is a material witness in a court case against a former 
employer, the victim may obtain other employment or leave the 
country pending trial proceedings.  ACIDI operates a victim 
restitution program that includes employment services, 
education programs, and access to medical, psychological, and 
family reunification services. 
 
¶K. SEF officials and interns, as well as GNR, PSP, and PJ 
officers receive periodic specialized training on how to 
recognize, investigate, and prosecute instances of 
trafficking.  SEF training of its inspector class, 
approximately 300 per year, includes a specific module on TIP 
enforcement.  Inspectors are trained in how to assist victims 
of trafficking, as distinct from illegal immigrants and other 
criminals.  ACIDI staff also receives similar training. 
 
Under the CAIM project, the government has extended its 
training to healthcare professionals to be better able to 
recognize victims of trafficking and to subsequently refer 
them to the appropriate health services and counseling. 
 
The Monitoring Center staff also organizes specialized 
 
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training courses, made up of multidisciplinary teams from 
various ministries.  In December 2009, a team comprised of 
Monitoring Center staff, the Ministry of Labor and Social 
Security and SEF officials provided training to magistrates 
who handle TIP cases.  In February 2010, a team from the 
Monitoring Center also trained labor inspectors from the 
Labor Ministry. 
 
Through the placement of liaison officers in source countries 
such as Brazil and Mozambique, the government provides 
training to its embassy and consulate employees on how to 
protect and assist trafficking victims, and urges them to 
develop ongoing relationships with NGOs that serve TIP 
victims. 
 
¶L. The government provides assistance to its nationals who 
are repatriated as TIP victims. 
 
¶M. The following international organizations and NGOs work 
with trafficking victims in Portugal: 
 
     International Organization for Migration (IOM); 
     Portuguese Association for Victim Support (APAV); 
     Portuguese Catholic Office for Migrations (OCPM); 
     Religious Entities, Commission for Peace and Justice 
(CJPR); 
     Portuguese Charities Association (CP); 
     Trafficking Victims, Support Committee (CAVITP); 
     Roma Pastoral Office (SPC); 
     Religious Order Irmas Adoradoras; 
     Religious Order Irmas Oblatas; 
     Religious Order Irmas de Jesus Bom Pastor; 
     O Ninho; 
     Portuguese chapter of Doctors of the World; 
     Portuguese Red Cross; and 
     CAIS - Social Solidarity Association. 
 
These organizations provide protection, food, and shelter, as 
well as medical and employment services.  Many have signed 
protocols with the government-run shelter, and provide 
facilitators to work with the victims housed there.  The 
government provides funding and other forms of support to 
some of these NGOs for their services.  For example, APAV 
receives approximately 80 percent of its funding from the 
government, and Irmas Adoradoras receives a fixed subsidy for 
each victim, including children of victims. 
 
¶29. (U) PREVENTION: 
 
¶A. The government conducted anti-trafficking education 
campaigns during the reporting period. 
State-owned RTP television broadcasts a daily program "Nos" 
("We") on immigration, covering a wide spectrum of 
immigrant-related issues, including human trafficking.  It 
aims to raise awareness and increase prevention of human 
trafficking and sexual exploitation among immigrants in 
Portugal. 
 
RTP broadcasts, on a regular basis, public service ads 
warning against trafficking.  These ads are funded by the 
government (ACIDI), media (Diario de Noticias daily 
 
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newspaper, TSF radio station, LusoMundo media group), and 
NGOs (IOM and APAV). 
 
The GOP provides pamphlets and anti-TIP campaign posters to 
Portuguese embassies and consulates around the world, as well 
as to international airports in countries of origin and 
destination. 
 
Furthermore, Portuguese media coverage of the trial of the 
Casa Pia orphanage child abuse case significantly raised 
awareness of the TIP problem in Portugal and constituted a 
compelling public awareness campaign.  Although the 
overwhelming majority of sexual crimes against minors occurs 
within the family unit and is not considered trafficking, the 
attention focused on Casa Pia raised awareness not only of 
child abuse but also of TIP-related sexual exploitation. 
 
The Monitoring Center is currently translating an anti-TIP 
manual targeted to journalists on how to properly investigate 
and report human trafficking stories. 
 
In October 2010, the Monitoring Center will begin work on a 
new trafficking prevention campaign to target various groups, 
including potential trafficking victims, and the demand for 
trafficking. 
 
In 2007, the government appointed lawyer Vitalino Canas the 
first Inspector General for Temporary Labor.  This entity is 
responsible for receiving and inspecting labor complaints 
from workers in temporary jobs.  The Inspector General is 
also responsible for proposing regulations, informing workers 
of their rights, issuing recommendations, and promoting 
public discussions. 
 
According to the Monitoring Center, because of increased TIP 
awareness brought about in large part by anti-TIP campaigns, 
a growing number of students are preparing Ph.D. TIP-related 
theses. 
 
¶B. The government monitors immigration and emigration 
patterns for evidence of trafficking through the Monitoring 
Center.  Although border checks have been removed since 
Portugal and Spain implemented the Schengen Agreement in 
1995, SEF officials remain vigilant and continue to monitor 
Portugal,s border with Spain for cases of trafficking. 
 
According to a government survey of deported women and women 
not allowed to leave Brazil, carried out in the international 
airport in Sao Paulo, Portugal tops the list of countries 
that most effectively bars Brazilian women from entering the 
country.  Twenty-five percent of these women admitted they 
had planned to work as prostitutes in the country of 
destination. 
 
¶C. With the establishment of the Monitoring Center, there is 
now a central body for coordination and communication among 
the various government agencies, international bodies, and 
NGOs on trafficking-related matters.  This larger, 
wider-ranging multi-agency working group assumed the 
responsibilities of the government-commissioned trafficking 
in persons task force established in January 2005 and led by 
 
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the GNR. 
 
The Central Directorate for Combating Corruption, Fraud, and 
Economic and Financial Crimes is the government agency 
responsible for combating all forms of corruption. 
 
¶D. The government has a national plan of action to address 
trafficking in persons.  The national plan, adopted in June 
2007, is the culmination of two years of work carried out by 
the CAIM project, in close collaboration with government 
agencies and NGOs.  CAIM regularly consults and exchanges 
information with the Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF), 
the three police forces (GNR, PJ, and PSP), and NGOs.  It has 
also established transnational partnerships with Italy, 
Lithuania, Poland, Germany, and Estonia, to exchange 
trafficking information with their security forces. 
 
¶E. As of September 2007, the penal code provides specific 
penalties for clients who knowingly procure the services of a 
trafficking victim for sexual purposes (Article 160, 
paragraph 5). 
 
¶F. There is no evidence that Portuguese nationals participate 
in international child sex tourism.  The government 
established in July 2007 the "Internet Segura" (Safe 
Internet) project (www.internetsegura.pt) to increase 
awareness of and to report illegal contents on the internet. 
The project, part of the European Program "Safer Internet 
Plus", is made up of a consortium coordinated by the 
Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC) and includes the 
Directorate-General for Innovation and Curricular Development 
Task Force of the Education Ministry, the National Scientific 
Computing Foundation (FCCN), and Microsoft Portugal.  This 
project educates and informs the public on how to protect 
themselves and their children from the dangers of the 
internet.  Approximately 85,000 copies of an Internet Safety 
Guide oriented to the general public were distributed through 
a Portuguese newspaper.  The project includes a hotline - 
linhaalerta.internetsegura.pt - for citizens to report 
illegal or harmful contents.  Reported cases undergo a 
preliminary screening of contents, which establishes whether 
the case will go to the Judicial Police or to the competent 
international authorities for further investigation. 
 
¶G. The government provides specific anti-TIP training to all 
Portuguese nationals (military troops as well as members of 
the GNR and PSP) deployed abroad as part of peacekeeping or 
other similar missions prior to deployment to ensure that 
they do not engage in or facilitate trafficking or exploit 
TIP victims. 
 
¶30. (U) PARTNERSHIPS 
 
¶A.  The GOP engages with other governments, civil society, 
and multilateral organizations to focus attention and devote 
resources to addressing human trafficking.  It works closely 
with numerous local NGOs in civil society (see paragraph 
28M).  Internationally, the GOP has anti-TIP collaboration 
agreements with Italy (Associazione On the Road), Germany 
(IOM Deutschland), Estonia (National Institute for Health 
Development), Lithuania (Missing Persons, Families Support 
 
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Center), Poland (La Strada Fundacja Przeciwko Handlowi 
Kobietami), Brazil, and Spain. 
 
 
For more reporting from Embassy Lisbon and information about Portugal, 
please see our Intelink site: 
 
http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/portal:port ugal 
BALLARD