SRI LANKA MAKES CONCERTED EFFORT ON SEVERAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 COLOMBO 001191

SIPDIS

Department for SA, SA/INS, G/TIP

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/16/14
TAGS: PHUM KCRM PHUM KWMN SMIG ELAB CE
SUBJECT: SRI LANKA MAKES CONCERTED EFFORT ON SEVERAL
FRONTS TO COMBAT TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS


(U) Classified by Jane Ross, Acting Deputy Chief of
Mission. Reasons: 1.5 (b, d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: G/TIP Program Officer and Embassy
officials met with Government officials and local NGO
representatives in Colombo to discuss the multifaceted
issue of trafficking in persons in Sri Lanka, including sex
tourism, prostitution, and external migrant workers.
Officials throughout the GSL highlighted their commitment
to addressing this issue and the efforts they were taking
to work collaboratively. Hotel managers are part of the
dialogue on combating sex tourism, while training courses
target migrant workers to raise their awareness before they
could be potentially victimized. Much progress has been
made, particularly in law enforcement and labor issues,
although all interlocutors spoke of the need for further
assistance to fight trafficking in persons issues. END
SUMMARY.


2. (C) During a June 28 - July 4 visit, Sally Neumann,
program analyst in the Department's G/TIP Office, and
Embassy officials met with Sri Lankan Government officials
and representatives from various NGOs in Colombo.
Trafficking in persons, especially in the areas of
prostitution, sex tourism and foreign employment migration
continues to be a serious concern, but one that is
increasingly being addressed by the Government. Much work
remains, however. Overall, officials seemed optimistic and
enthusiastic about progress in combating these issues, and
several training programs and shelters are operating, with
more being established. These ongoing efforts were
highlighted during visits to the Don Bosco home for
trafficked children and a training center run by the Sri
Lanka Foreign Employment Bureau, both of which are
partially funded by the U.S. Department of Labor through
the International Labor Organization.

Sex Tourism
--------------


3. (C) Sex Tourism continues to be an issue in Sri Lanka,
though the practice seems to be moving into less high-
profile locations because of the recent arrests of
foreigners, including an American (see more below),and
stricter measures taken by hotels, the primary sites of
such incidents. Many pedophiles are now escaping more
stringent hotel regulations, such as the prohibition of
unaccompanied minors on certain hotels' premises, and
instead operating from rental homes and guesthouses. This
recent pressure from hotels is due in part to restrictions
enacted by the Sri Lanka Tourist Board. According to
Tourist Board Director General S. Kalaiselvam, association
with pedophilia would lead to suspension of a hotel's
license, blocking access to a liquor license as well. The
Tourist Board is also contemplating other ways to combat
sex tourism, such as re-introducing previously successful
airport campaigns condemning pedophilia and placing
limitations on the hours that hotel bars may serve liquor,
as they have found that most pedophiles' initial contact
with children occurs between one and two a.m.


4. (C) Officials with the National Child Protection
Authority (NCPA) have made several arrests of foreigners in
recent months, including one American. The sixty-year-old
AmCit was apprehended in Kandy on May 1 after a year-long
investigation. Professor Harendra de Silva, Chairman of
the NCPA, stated that if the man is convicted of engaging
in sexual misconduct with a minor, he could get a minimum
of ten years imprisonment. Professor De Silva also
discussed the July 2001 arrest of an alleged Australian
pedophile in Sri Lanka. Instead of a hotel, the Australian
had been operating out of one of the laborers' houses on a
plantation. Although he was not convicted, Professor De
Silva stated that he planned to use the Australian's case
in public statements in order to raise awareness about the
issue and deter foreigners from engaging in sex tourism in
Sri Lanka.


5. (C) The NCPA is also making progress on other fronts by
dealing with the potential victims of sex tourism. The
organization is currently running a three-year project to
develop six centers around the country that will educate
children on HIV, drugs & alcohol, and child abuse. The
centers will be located in areas where the likelihood of
child trafficking is high, such as around army camps, in
key tourist areas such as beach resorts, and other regions
where large numbers of street kids reside.

Prostitution
--------------


6. (C) Though significant strides have been taken by Sri
Lankan officials to combat the issue, prostitution
continues to be a social concern with the trafficking of
women from both inside and outside Sri Lanka. Sarath
Lugoda, Director of the Sri Lanka Police Colombo Crime
Division, expressed confidence in recent crackdowns on
prostitution, however, asserting that the effects of
improved policing can be seen through the recent trends
toward "mobile brothels," prostitution rings run from
rented vehicles which are frequently changed. These
"mobile brothels" are harder to shut down, but their
increased usage represents a move away from more
"traditional" brothels, as many of those have been raided
and closed. In the past, most of these prostitution rings
were run as licensed health clubs or in rental homes where
the landlords would be paid higher rents to keep silent.


7. (C) Lugoda also expressed concern over the plight of
the women involved, as many get drawn in unwittingly. A
lot of the women are young, uneducated, from broken
families, and respond to misleading advertisements in the
newspapers for jobs at "karaoke clubs." Once they are
coerced into prostitution, however, they are trapped and
denied any outside contact. Trafficking of women from
China, Russia, and Thailand is also a considerable setback
in keeping prostitution under control. Many of these
foreign women obtain a three-month visa to Sri Lanka and
intend to continue on to Singapore after this period. If
they are caught and tried, however, the prostitution
managers that employ them instruct them to plead not guilty
so that they will be released on bail. As their passports
are usually not impounded during this process, they are
then able to flee the country as soon as they are released.
About 90 percent of apprehended foreign prostitutes follow
this practice, making it unfeasible for authorities to
identify them or get them into any treatment or counseling
centers.


8. (C) Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Sarath
Jayasundara, the Officer-In-Charge of the Police Women and
Children's Bureau, nevertheless appeared optimistic in
regards to recent efforts to combat prostitution and stated
an increase in civilian awareness and reporting. The main
downside to this improved reporting is information
overload. Reports are received every day from 347 police
stations and, without funding for a database, it is
increasingly difficult to keep track of information.
Jayasundara reported that in 2003 alone there were 1,748
cases of child prostitution and abuse, most of which
involved Sri Lankan citizens.

External Migrant Workers
--------------


9. (C) Women who migrate legally and illegally to areas
such as the Middle East, often to be domestics, are also at
high risk for trafficking. SSP Sumaratunga of the Sri
Lanka Criminal Investigation Department reported that those
who do so illegally usually leave the country in three
ways: they obtain a legal passport through forged
documents, they travel to Singapore or Thailand and then
proceed illegally from there, or they depart on unseaworthy
vessels that are designed to transport fish. Most
migrants, both legal and illegal, are unaware of the perils
they face and once they reach their destination countries,
may not be in a position to control their situation if it
becomes intolerant or dangerous. Yet even if these women
have heard stories of situations that have gone wrong, they
continue to be attracted abroad in order to receive better
pay, escape domestic problems, and avoid the social stigma
of working as a "servant" in Sri Lanka. Nevertheless,
according to statistics kept by the Sri Lanka Bureau of
Foreign Employment (SLBFE),less than one percent of
migrant workers in the Middle East actually end up in a
trafficked situation.


10. (C) To help prevent migrant workers from getting into
dangerous situations, the Bureau of Foreign Employment has
attempted to impose proactive regulations. Karunasena
Hettiarachchi, Chairman of the Bureau, stated that an
internet hotline has been established for the women, as
internet cafes abroad are often the most accessible modes
of communication, given restrictions imposed by employers
on outside contact. The Bureau has also started a system
of complaint gathering with consequences including
blacklisting of the agencies and workers implicated in both
Sri Lanka and the destination countries and/or a suspension
of a particular agency's license. To date, 40 foreign
agencies and 18 domestic agencies have been blacklisted and
15 agencies have been suspended by the Bureau. The Bureau
also offers monetary compensation for the repatriation of
the trafficking victims involved. Hettiarachchi also
commented on reports claiming that Sri Lankan Government
officials were involved in trafficking incidents in the
Middle East. He stated that there had been a few incidents
of Sri Lanka Embassy-operated safe houses in Kuwait being
used as brothels and that these cases were currently under
investigation.


11. (C) In addition to their other efforts, the SLBFE has
set up 31 training centers around the country with 125
female instructors to educate prospective migrant workers
about how to manage and what to expect in their new
environments. During a visit to one site, Embassy
officials learned that the Bureau provides a total of four
courses, one of which is a refresher course for returning
migrant workers, two of which are destination-specific
(Middle East versus non-Middle East),and a basic English
literacy course, as literacy is a pre-requisite for the
other three. In these courses, women are trained on
handling emergencies, financial management, family
arrangements, HIV/AIDS, personal hygiene, visa procedures,
usage of electrical equipment, and other necessary basic
information. All legal migrants are required to complete
this free training before they leave the country, and
although the Bureau has not sought any official feedback,
they have observed that the number of problems reported
after the training was made compulsory has significantly
declined.

Comment
--------------


12. (C) Sri Lanka is pointedly making an effort to address
the issues of trafficking in the country. Notably, many
different government sectors -- law enforcement, labor and
employment -- seem to be engaged in these issues. However,
there are still problems that remain, for example, in the
need to further develop rehabilitation options for victims.
Mission looks forward to continuing this dialogue with
government officials and identifying areas where USG
resources can provide aid.


13. (U) Ms. Neumann did not clear on this cable before
leaving Sri Lanka.

LUNSTEAD