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On the occasion of the European Day against human trafficking on 18^th October, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs organized a conference on European policy and the national plan of Greece for control on human trafficking.

This year have increased the cases against traffickers by 65%, the sentences have increased by 52% as well as the number of victims which have been put under protection with prosecutor's orders by 60%, said the Minister of Foreign Affairs Dimitris Droutsas during the presentation of the "Plan for control on human trafficking. "We respond to the commitment to new EU legislation, which provides the necessary political platform on which to base ours in fighting against human trafficking" confirmed Minister Droutsas. He emphasized that the most important thing in fighting against trafficking is the prevention of the phenomenon so as to limit the so-called "demand" of the "services" offered by the people who have become victims of trafficking who are exploited. The plan of the ministry provides for the organization of  five meetings in the next 12 months whose aim is to connect all organizations that act against human trafficking. In addition there will be a campaign to inform the youth by playing on the music channels videos in order to engage the young people and get them to think about this problem. It will also be clarified the role of the private sector and of the companies which should protect their employees from exploitation and labor trafficking within the corporate social responsibility. Initiatives have also been provided, related to trafficking in unaccompanied minors who are being forced into prostitution, as well as for the abducted and missing children, for who was opened a Center for abused and abducted children for Southeast Europe in Athens.

Guidelines for action in the fight against human trafficking, as identified by Minister Droutsas are three: prevention, support of the victims and prevention of trafficking, which depend on the fourth parameter - cooperation between the organizations and the countries. Channels for cooperation will be opened between the states for better coordination of activities and for the development of action plans, "because for the networks of traffickers there are no borders and their commodity are the people, and their goal is profit," said Mr Droutsas and added that "in order to stop this phenomenon we should more effectively exchange information about the victims and the progress on cases against human traffickers".

In Greece there is a national coordination mechanism for control on trafficking through which informally the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was able to carry through a policy for the prevention in the countries from which are coming the most of the victims as well as on location - in Greece, through the prevention of trafficking of people. Mr. Droutsas named hunger, poverty, wars, natural disasters as part of the main reasons why the people from poor countries who are trying to migrate become victims of traffickers. "We are trying to limit mass migration and to strengthen the local communities," said the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Also Greece cooperates with the International Organization for Migration and within the fight against trafficking it has trained thousands of judges, prosecutors, policemen, port officials, labor inspectors, who are meeting with victims of trafficking during the performance of their work duties. The country is also working to strengthen the cross-border cooperation through bilateral agreements, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is constant contact with the embassies, funds activities for social and legal support of the victims and their social reintegration in Greece or in their home country, said Mr Droutsas .

"We hope that the action plan which we are presenting today along with the other competent ministries, our social partners and the International Organization for Migration, will have results. With the finances of the National Strategic Framework (ESPA) 2007-2013 we will create a website and an analytical and systematic updated database, both for the victims and for the progress on criminal cases against traffickers," said the minister, and added that along with France, Belgium, Sweden, Bulgaria and Romania, Greece participates in a program for the establishment of a common system for identification of the victims among the participating countries. Under this program all relevant staff will be trained in the correct practices by large organizations that are leaders in the fight against contemporary forms of slavery. We should not and we cannot be calm as long as contemporary forms of slavery exist and Greece has to become among the pioneers in the fight against human trafficking and exploitation, finished his presentation the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece.