Human Trafficking
Office of the National Rapporteur on Trafficking in Human Beings (ONR)
Trafficking in human beings is a crime that often goes beyond national borders and constitutes a violation of fundamental human rights. It is the third most profitable criminal activity worldwide, after the illicit trafficking of weapons and drugs, and it responds to the existing demand for illegal or quasi-legal services which the exploited victims are forced to provide. Today many people continue to be victims of exploitation, while traffickers remain unpunished. This calls for the intensification of state efforts worldwide.
Trafficking in human beings is related to the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or reception of persons, including the exchange or transfer of control over those persons, by threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. In the national legal framework, the purpose of exploitation is related to the "earning of illegal financial gain".
Forms of exploitation that may constitute trafficking in human beings, in conjunction with the definition, the actions and the purpose of the crime, are: Sexual exploitation, labour exploitation, debt bondage/bonded labour, servitude, slavery, forced marriage, exploitation of criminal activities, illegal adoption, removal of organs, cells and tissues, exploitation of begging, recruitment of minors in armed operations.
At European Union (EU) level, five main priorities are identified for the development, coordination, and implementation of the European policy on the elimination of the phenomenon:
1. Identifying, protecting, and assisting victims of trafficking.
2. Stepping up the prevention of the phenomenon.
3. Increased prosecution of traffickers.
4. Enhanced coordination and cooperation among key actors and policy coherence.
5. Enriching knowledge and responding effectively to new threats related to all forms of trafficking in human beings, e.g. online forms of human trafficking.
Mission of the ONR
The Office of the National Rapporteur on Combating Trafficking in Human Beings (ONR) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is responsible for the development, coordination and implementation of a national strategy to combat trafficking in human beings at the levels of prevention, repression and prosecution of perpetrators, as well as protection and assistance to victims of trafficking.
In particular, the Office of the National Rapporteur is responsible for:
1. Coordinating all relevant agencies and non-governmental organizations with regard to the process of identifying, locating and assisting potential victims of human trafficking
2. Ensuring, through the organisation of training programs, the prevention and combating trafficking in human beings
3. Cooperating with law enforcement and judicial authorities, as well as with all national and international bodies involved in combating the crime, in order to collect statistics
4. Drawing up the annual national report, which records the statistics on identified incidents of trafficking in human beings and the assessments of new trends resulting from their study, and in which the Office of the National Rapporteur proposes measures to deal more effectively with trafficking in human beings
5. Representing the country in the Network of National Rapporteurs or equivalent mechanisms of the European Union on trafficking in human beings, as well as in international organisations
National Legal Framework against Trafficking in Human Beings
The national legal framework for combating trafficking in human beings is fully harmonised with the relevant international and European conventions and directives. In particular, our country has ratified the conventions of the UN (Law 3875/2010 - Ratification and implementation of the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its three Protocols), of the Council of Europe (Law 4216/2013 - Convention of the CoE for Action against Trafficking in Human Beings) and has transposed the European Directive 2011/36/EU into national law. This Directive is currently under review in the European institutions with the aim of updating it to modern challenges. Following the transposition of the European Directive into the national legal framework by Law 4198/2013 (on the Prevention and Combating of Trafficking in Human Beings and Protection of Victims), as amended by Law 4781/2021, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs undertakes the role of the national coordinating authority for the fight against trafficking in human beings, through the Office of the National Rapporteur on Trafficking in Human Beings.
Actions of the ONR for the Prevention and Combating of Trafficking in Human Beings
1. Establishment of the National Referral Mechanism (NRM)
The creation of the National Referral Mechanism for the protection of victims of human trafficking (NRM) was a key priority of the ONR. The NRM is an internationally recognized collaborative "reporting tool" through which relevant government agencies, international organizations and humanitarian organizations coordinate identification, referral and assistance activities for the practical protection of victims and suspected victims of trafficking in human beings. The NRM was established in September 2016 (Government Gazette 3003/2016), and officially started its operation on 1.1.2019. It now constitutes the national “tool” for gathering the necessary data for victim identification and protection, while serving as the framework for the development of stable cooperation between all partners involved. The ONR exercises a supervisory and coordinating role in the NRM, while the National Centre for Social Solidarity (NCSS) has taken over the management of the Mechanism. The NRM has contact points from each relevant Ministry, as well as from the international organisations and civil society organisations involved in the field.
2. Trainings
The ONR promotes and oversees, with the cooperation of international and domestic partners, the implementation of training programmes and specific training programmes for civil servants and frontline professionals on legislation, as well as on protection and victim support issues. Significant trainings of field professionals have already been implemented by the Training Institute (INEP) of the National Centre for Public Administration, as well as by international organisations such as OSCE/CoE/UN.
3. Social Awakening and Awareness Raising Campaigns
The ONR undertakes information and awareness raising initiatives aimed at reducing the "demand" for services and products from victims of Trafficking & Exploitation of Human Beings.
In the same context, the initiative to raise awareness among the private sector and businesses to rid supply chains of products and services derived from trafficking in human beings.
A similar collaboration exists with the Ministry of Education on the design of interventions in schools to educate and raise awareness of students and parents on human rights, with an emphasis on preventing and combating the heinous crime of human trafficking.
4. Parliamentary Committee on Combating Trafficking in Human Beings
In 2016, the Parliamentary Sub-Committee on Combating Trafficking and Exploitation of Human Beings was established, which operates within the Special Standing Committee on Equality, Youth and Human Rights. A special meeting of three parliamentary committees (the Subcommittee on Combating Trafficking and Exploitation of Human Beings, the Standing Committee on Social Affairs, and the Standing Committee on Public Administration, Public Order and Justice) was organized on the occasion of the UN World Day Against Trafficking in Persons on 30 July 2020. The event was co-organized by the ONR and sent a strong message of commitment of the Greek political system and political leadership in the fight against Human Trafficking. The meeting was attended by the President of the Hellenic Republic who addressed the meeting, the Prime Minister, the President of the Parliament, four relevant Ministers, as well as the Secretaries General of the Ministries.
5. Partnerships
The ONR is responsible for promoting and supporting partnerships aimed at preventing and suppressing the phenomenon of Human Trafficking. Partnerships are promoted at multiple levels, with national bodies, civil society actors, European and international bodies and organisations.
The ONR is cooperating with the General Secretariat for Vulnerable Citizens and Institutional Protection, which was established by Presidential Decree 77/2023 - Government Gazette 130/A/27.6.2023 and which is the competent authority for ensuring the protection of unaccompanied minors and minors separated from their families who are third country nationals or stateless persons in Greece. To this end, the National Emergency Response Mechanism for the protection of child victims operates.
For more information on national support mechanisms for victims of trafficking in human beings:
1. National Referral Mechanism for the protection of victims of human trafficking (NRM)/ National Centre for Social Solidarity (NCSS):
https://ekka.org.gr/index.php/en/ethnikos-mixanismos-anaforas-en
2. General Secretariat for Vulnerable Citizens and Institutional Protection:
https://migration.gov.gr/en/grammateies/geniki-grammateia-evaloton-politon-kai-thesmikis-prostasias/