Once the ferry arrived, Human Rights Watch stood close by and watched the boys disembark. Shakib K., together with other boys, was swiftly approached by a contact. The Human Rights Watch interpreter was a young-looking Afghan and mingled with the boys from the ferry. He was promptly approached by a stranger who offered him a place to stay. The price for the accommodation, he was told, would be discussed once they get there.301 Several police officers stood 15 meters away from this scene and took no interest in where these boys were going next. Inadequate Procedures Fail to Identify Trafficking or Risk of Falling Victim to It Indeed, officials appear to remain blind to the inadequacy of their procedures which mean that trafficking—and the risks that children of becoming trafficking victims— may not be recognized. Visiting the Kyprinou immigration detention facility in Fylakio, Human Rights Watch asked the senior official in charge (the chief of police in Orestiada, in the Evros border region) whether there might be trafficking victims among half a dozen women of Eastern European origin and a number of unaccompanied children, among them a 12-year-old girl, at the center. He responded: “we don’t have trafficking victims. I’m trained on this matter and we can identify them.” 302 Despite his assurances, Human Rights Watch noted that there was no interpreter among the staff in the detention center. Furthermore, the Afghan girl who traveled with her underage brother and cousin told Human Rights Watch that neither she nor her brother had been interviewed since their arrival. They were only told they would be detained for three months, and their presence was dealt with as if they were adults.303 Human Rights Watch was unable to further investigate whether other children with special needs were present in the center because the authorities did not grant us permission to speak to all detainees. 301 Not all persons who offer accommodation when the ferry arrives are necessarily traffickers. However, trafficking networks have an easy hand to operate and recruit unaccompanied children who arrive to Athens without a place to stay. 302 The detention center had been without social worker for more than four months, as the former employee’s contract expired, but it had a nurse on staff the day of our visit. 303 In fact, the 12-year-old girl had been detained for two months before she, her brother and cousin were detected by UNHCR/GCR staff. Nobody in the detention center, including medical staff, alerted a specialized organization about her presence. After the intervention by GCR, UNHCR, the Greek Ombudsman and several other NGOs, the children were transferred to a care center; Human Rights Watch interview with Panayotis Papadimitriou, Orestiada, May 25, 2008; Human Rights Watch interview with Sharzad P. and Sardar P., Kyprinou detention center, May 25, 2008. 89 Human Rights Watch December 2008