Skip to main content

On March 6, Human Rights Watch released a commentary on Greece's draft anti-trafficking legislation. In error, the Human Rights Watch release reported that the legislation was under consideration by the Greek Parliament. The legislation, available on the website of the Greek Ministry of Public Order, had been expected to be introduced in parliament this week, but has been delayed. Human Rights Watch regrets the error and hopes that its commentary will contribute to deliberations on the legislation by the Ministry as well as in Parliament

The Human Rights Watch commentary is based on the findings of a Human Rights Watch "memorandum of concern" on trafficking into Greece published in July 2001. The commentary highlights the following specific problems with the draft legislation:

· The draft law fails to criminalize all forms of trafficking in persons, focusing only on trafficking into the sex industry. This omission excludes victims of trafficking into other forms of forced labor. Those victims deserve the same protections and remedies as those persons trafficked into forced prostitution.
· The draft law fails to provide explicit penalties for complicity and other unlawful involvement in trafficking by law enforcement officials, customs agents, and other state officials. Trafficking in persons only flourishes with the cooperation of corrupt police and other officials. In research conducted in Greece in 2000 and 2001, Human Rights Watch found evidence of police involvement in trafficking in persons.

· The draft law does not explicitly prohibit the detention of persons for being trafficking victims. Trafficked persons are victims of serious human rights abuses and should not be detained or imprisoned.

· The draft law fails to outline explicit measures for witness protection in trafficking cases. Victims of trafficking require measures to ensure their safety, physical and psychological well-being, dignity, and privacy in order to testify against their traffickers.

Your tax deductible gift can help stop human rights violations and save lives around the world.

Region / Country