A delegation of the Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) carried out an evaluation visit to Greece from 3 to 7 October 2016, during which it visited, inter alia, a specialised shelter for women victims of human trafficking run by the NGO A21, a state-run accommodation centre for unaccompanied minors in Thessaloniki, a shelter for unaccompanied minors run by the NGO Praksis, and the refugee sites Eleonas in Athens and Diavata in Thessaloniki. Following the visit, GRETA will prepare a report to be adopted and published in line with GRETA’s procedures.
In its 2nd evaluation report on the UK, published on 7 October 2016, GRETA welcomed the procedures developed at Heathrow and other UK airports and ports for improving the detection of possible victims of trafficking. GRETA stressed the importance of international co-operation to identify possible victims of trafficking, including in the context of UK immigration checks conducted in France and Belgium at boarding points for trains and ferries going to the UK, in particular for unaccompanied and separated children. Furthermore, GRETA called for effective measures to prevent trafficking of children, including through facilitating lawful migration and family reunification. GRETA also asked the UK authorities to improve the identification of victims of trafficking in detention centres and to ensure that such victims are removed from detention and offered assistance.