Greece: UN Expert Alarmed By Failures In Identification And Protection Of Victims Of Trafficking On Samos

GENEVA (2 December 2024) – A UN expert said today she was alarmed by reports of failures in the identification of possible victims of trafficking, especially women and children, and protection of people identified as victims of trafficking in persons on Samos island.

The Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children, Siobhán Mullally, expressed her concern in a letter to the Government of Greece about the situation of victims and potential victims of trafficking in the Closed Control Access Centre (CCAC) opened in 2021 on Samos. Reception conditions at the Centre, which now accommodates up to 5,000 people, despite its 3,000 limit, are reportedly inadequate and fail to provide its occupants with a safe, dignified and healthy living environment, and restrictions on liberty for those accommodated there are reported to be extreme.

The Special Rapporteur said that out of 2,170 asylum seekers who reportedly arrived on Samos in 2022, 285 were potential victims of trafficking. However, according to accounts by 14 victims/survivors of trafficking, no proper identification, or appropriate accommodation and medical, psychological and material assistance was made available to them. While these 14 women showed clear signs of trafficking upon their initial encounter with the authorities, including physical injuries, sexual violence, pregnancy or gynaecological infections and indicators that they had been trafficked through various countries for the purpose of sexual exploitation or forced labour, only four were identified as victims after a medical and psychosocial evaluation.

“The allegation of lack of adequate identification, is supported by the low numbers of survivors of trafficking identified and referred to the National Referral Mechanism across Greece, which could indicate inadequate identification processes for potential victims of trafficking,” the Special Rapporteur said.

The expert also expressed concern about allegations that the Samos Greek Asylum Service does not appear to take into consideration incidents of trafficking and other forms of violence when assessing the eligibility of applicants for international protection, unless the incidents took place in the applicants’ country of origin. “The asylum claims of these women were inextricably linked to their experiences of trafficking, given the risk of re-trafficking they face upon return to their countries of origin. However, the Greek authorities reportedly did not recognize these women’s status as victims at any point of the process towards the asylum decision,” she said.

The full text of the letter sent to the Government of Greece can be found here.

* The experts: Siobhán Mullally, Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children;

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