TIP: INTERIM ASSESMENT FOR NEA SPECIAL

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 004737 SIPDIS SENSITIVE STATE FOR G/TIP, INL, DRL, NEA/RA AND NEA/ARPI E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PHUM ELAB KCRM KWMN SMIG AE SUBJECT: TIP: INTERIM ASSESMENT FOR NEA SPECIAL WATCHLIST-UAE REF: A. STATE 194903 ¶B. ABU DHABI 3074 ¶C. ABU DHABI 2833 ¶D. DUBAI 5393 ¶1. (U) Summary: Since being placed on the Tier 2 Special Watch List, the UAEG has made steady progress in addressing the problem of trafficking, especially with regard to women in the sex trade and children in the camel racing industry. The answers in paragraphs 2-5 below are keyed to the four questions specifically asked in ref A. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) Q: What progress has UAEG made in enacting a comprehensive trafficking law that criminalizes all forms of trafficking? A: After the UAEG enacted the law criminalizing the participation of children under the age of 18 in camel racing in July 2005, the Government formed a committee to draft a comprehensive trafficking law addressing all forms of human trafficking, according to Colonel Najm Al Seyyar, director of the Abu Dhabi Social Support Center within the Ministry of Interior. Al Seyyar, who sits on the Special Committee on Juvenile Jockeys, said the Interior and Justice ministries are currently circulating draft laws within their respective offices. He added that the committee to draft a trafficking law plans to submit a draft to the Federal National Council during the FNC,s 2006 session. ¶3. (SBU) Q: What progress has the UAEG made in instituting systematic screening measures to identify trafficking victims among the thousands of foreign women arrested for prostitution and deported each year? A: There is steady progress in the effort to identify trafficking victims among women arrested for prostitution. In October, the Dubai Police Criminal Investigations Department (CID) established a Human Trafficking section that cooperates closely with the Human Rights Care Department (HRCD)(ref D). According to Major Aref Mohammed Baqer, the Deputy Director of HRCD, whenever CID has a possible trafficking case, it takes the victims into custody and performs an initial interrogation. Subsequently HRCD conducts interviews with those detained to determine who might be a victim of trafficking. HRCD turns over the results of its interviews to CID for further investigation and prosecution. Contrary to past practices, instead of summarily deporting women arrested for prostitution, HRCD now houses in hotels all women who are victims of trafficking, or who can provide evidence about trafficking, until they can testify in trials against the traffickers. In Dubai, police and immigration officers are also actively cooperating to shut down travel agents that sell visas or facilitate trafficking. ¶4. (SBU) Q: What progress has the UAEG made in increasing investigations and prosecutions of traffickers, particularly for trafficking of children for camel jockeying? A: Progress continues to be made in investigating and prosecuting traffickers, particularly for trafficking of children as camel jockeys. Between June 2, 2005 and November 9, 2005, the UAEG reports that there have been 17 convictions for child trafficking in relation to camel jockeying, and an additional 31 individuals are currently under investigation. The defendants in these cases are primarily nationals of the UAE (24) and Pakistan (16),but also include several other nationalities -- Sudan (9),Bangladesh (4),Mauritania (2), and Saudi Arabia (1). ¶5. (SBU) Q: What progress has the UAEG made in sustaining its collaboration with UNICEF to rescue, rehabilitate and repatriate child camel jockeys? A: A UNICEF representative confirms that the UAEG continues to collaborate with them to rescue, rehabilitate and repatriate child camel jockeys. To date, the UAEG reports that 940 children have been repatriated to their country of origin -- Pakistan (478),Bangladesh (292),Sudan (143), Mauritania (20),Eritrea (7). The UAEG also reports that 132 boys remain in the Bani Yas shelter outside Abu Dhabi pending identification of family -- Pakistan (90),Bangladesh (25), Sudan (15),Mauritania (2). UNICEF added that no new children have come to the shelter (the sole remaining shelter) in over three weeks, and that they don't anticipate a significant number of children to be added to the current population. However, the shelter will remain in operation until every child has been repatriated. UNICEF reported that they have been told that the UAE police have visited the camel farms in recent weeks and have not discovered any additional children. Colonel Al Seyyar stated that approximately two weeks after the camel racing season begins (December 2005) the UAEG will send police investigation teams back to the camel farms to ensure that children are not returning to work in the camel racing industry. SISON