Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05ACCRA626
2005-03-31 11:52:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Accra
Cable title:  

KEEP GHANA ON TIER 1

Tags:  GH KWMN PHUM PREL 
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

311152Z Mar 05

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 INR-00 IO-00 JUSE-00 LAB-01 L-00 VCE-00 NRC-00 
 NSAE-00 OES-00 OIC-00 OIG-00 OMB-00 NIMA-00 PA-00 
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 ------------------D563E7 311154Z /38 
FM AMEMBASSY ACCRA
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8199
INFO ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
C O N F I D E N T I A L ACCRA 000626 

SIPDIS


E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/30/2015
TAGS: GH KWMN PHUM PREL
SUBJECT: KEEP GHANA ON TIER 1

REF: A. ACCRA 504


B. ACCRA 519

C. ACCRA 566 AND PREVIOUS

Classified By: Ambassador Mary C. Yates for reasons 1.5 d and e.

C O N F I D E N T I A L ACCRA 000626

SIPDIS


E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/30/2015
TAGS: GH KWMN PHUM PREL
SUBJECT: KEEP GHANA ON TIER 1

REF: A. ACCRA 504


B. ACCRA 519

C. ACCRA 566 AND PREVIOUS

Classified By: Ambassador Mary C. Yates for reasons 1.5 d and e.


1. (C) Summary: The Government of Ghana, at the very
highest levels, has conveyed to us its intent to pass
anti-trafficking in persons (TIP) legislation. The bill has
been delayed because of bureaucratic problems, the national
election, and the demands of forming a new government.
However, we have every reason to believe a TIP bill will pass
by the end of June. Post recommends that Ghana maintain its
Tier 1 ranking in the Trafficking in Persons Report (TIP)
subject to passage of this law by no later than June 30,

2005. End summary.


2. (U) Over the past several months, the Ambassador and
Emboffs have raised the urgent need to pass TIP legislation
with President Kufuor, his Chief of Staff, the Speaker of
Parliament, the Ministers of Manpower, Youth and Employment,
Justice, Women and Children's Affairs, Parliament, and other
ministry officials (reftels). GOG officials have all made
clear that the non-controversial anti-trafficking bill is a
priority which should pass into law easily.

The TIP Bill Delayed
--------------


3. (SBU) The TIP legislation has been delayed for three
reasons, all of which are no longer relevant:

-- Bureaucratic Battle: For the past year, the TIP law was
held up by a disagreement between the then-Minister of
Manpower and the then-Minister of Women and Children Affairs
(MOWAC) over leadership on the TIP issue. The former
Attorney General did not intervene in hopes that the
bureaucratic battle would work itself out. The bureaucratic
battle has been resolved, with leadership on TIP given to the
Ministry of Manpower. Both of the new ministers are
committed to fighting trafficking and support expeditious
passage of the legislation.

-- The Election: In the months before the December 2004
presidential and parliamentary election, GOG officials and
members of parliament were absorbed with campaigning. It was
difficult to get them to focus on any legislation, including
a TIP law. However, this is no longer an issue since the
election is over.

-- Getting a New Government Organized: It has taken time for
President Kufuor to put his new Cabinet together, following

his inauguration in January. Cabinet members were vetted and
most started work in early February. In our early meetings
with new ministers, they emphasized that they needed to be
briefed on a wide range of issues and confessed they had not
yet focused on TIP, but our meetings helped them prioritize
this issue. The new Cabinet has only met once. Nearly half
of the members of parliament are new. The government and
legislature have been understandably focused on the
priorities of appointing new ministers and deputy ministers
and passing a budget. Parliament only passed four laws in its
first 2005 session, all related to the budget. The
government is now organized and the next parliament will get
down to the business of legislating.

Keep Ghana on Tier 1
--------------


4. (C) Ghana has taken the trafficking issue seriously.
Several GOG agencies, including the Ghana Police, Interpol,
the Department of Social Welfare, Ghana Immigration Service
and district-level law enforcement, have worked to combat
trafficking. The GOG supported the International
Organization for Migration (IOM)'s rescue of 544 children
from Volta Region fishing villages. MOWAC distributed school
uniforms and supplies to some of the victims. The GOG also
allowed IOM to use a former government guest house in Brong
Ahafo Region as a rehabilitation facility to conduct
counseling and medical checkups. The GOG has further pledged
three facilities in the Central and Western Regions to
support IOM anti-trafficking projects in 2005. The Osu
Children's Home, a GOG-operated shelter, rescued 28 children
in 2004. The GOG plans to open a second shelter this year.


5. (C) We believe the TIP bill will pass early in the next
parliamentary session, due to start on May 10, although it
may require several weeks for public gazetting and committee
review. We have impressed on the GOG the need for Cabinet
to pass the TIP law and submit it for early consideration in
parliament.


6. (C) Demoting Ghana to Tier 2 would punish Ghana for not
putting the TIP law above other pressing, reasonable
priorities of a new government such as a budget and

appointments. Tier 2 demotion could undermine the GOG's good
will on this issue and weaken its incentive to pass
anti-trafficking legislation early. The GOG also has worked
with civil society to draft a bill which all contacts believe
will pass easily. Ghana is a strong partner for America on a
wide range of issues, from peacekeeping to counter-narcotics,
and has a strong overall record on human rights and rule of
law. Keeping Ghana on Tier 1 until June 30 serves the better
interests of passing a law and of our relationship with the
new Kufuor administration. We recommend that Ghana remain
Tier 1 and that the Ambassador communicate to the President
that this ranking is subject to passage of a TIP law by June
30, after which time we will be forced to reconsider Ghana's
Tier ranking.
YATES


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