Trafficker laws not adequate
The government has not taken sufficient measures to protect female victims of trafficking, despite introducing legislative changes in recent years, human rights group Amnesty International said yesterday. The group pointed to gaps in Greek law on trafficking which undermine efforts to help trafficked women and girls. «Continued protection for trafficked women is made conditional on their willingness to testify in court against their traffickers. Some are silenced by threats of reprisals from their traffickers. As a result, traffickers escape justice while their victims do not get assistance,» said Nicola Duckworth, Europe and Central Asia Program director at Amnesty International. «An effective witness protection program is not on offer, nor is relocation to another country where trafficked women might escape reprisals,» she added. The government introduced a series of laws since 2002 but only a handful of trafficked women have received limited protection.