ANTI-TIP AND ANTI-ORGAN TRAFFICKING CONFERENCE IN BRAZIL

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 RECIFE 000113 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM PGOV SOCI BR TIP SUBJECT: ANTI-TIP AND ANTI-ORGAN TRAFFICKING CONFERENCE IN BRAZIL SHOWS CONFUSION AND CONCERN ¶1. (U) Summary. Noting Brazil's prominent role as an exporting and a recipient country, speakers at the August 11-12 trafficking in persons (TIP) symposium in Recife, Pernambuco sponsored by the Latin American Institute for the Protection and Defense of Human Rights (ILADH) NGO cited financial gain as the main cause for human and organ trafficking. Criminal impunity and a lack of awareness were cited as the principal obstacles in the fight against these crimes. While praising a number of international and state-led efforts, most speakers criticized the GOB for a lack of initiative and coordination. End summary. ¶2. (U) Speakers at the conference included ILADH and other NGOs, academics, police, and Pernambucan state government representatives. A number of state and federal senators and representatives also gave presentations. Most speakers stressed the seriousness of TIP and organ trafficking and Brazil's important role as a recipient and exporting country: there are 241 different destinations for those trafficked out of Brazil alone. According to Pernambucan women's police delegate Dr. Claudia Molina in Pernambuco, which leads northeastern Brazil in the number of trafficked persons, 73% of victims are teenage girls between just 11 and 17 years old. ¶3. (U) Speakers agreed that financial gain was the main motivation for TIP activities. TIP victims -- who may be previous victims of violence, drug abusers, or suffering from a lack of perspective due to age or other factors -- participate due to an inferior position relative to the trafficker, said one presenter. These victims were said to value the prospect of money ("I want to buy a house for my parents") and of a better life, especially those planning to go to the US. Traffickers were also said to value the opportunity to make "easy money," sometimes in coordination with drug trafficking, participants said. ¶4. (U) Speakers noted that organ trafficking participants were similarly motivated. Raimundo Pimentel, a Pernambuco state representative and the head of its anti-organ trafficking center, pointed out that in Brazil a kidney originally could earn a donor $10,000, but now obtains only about $3,000, purely due to market incentives. In the United States, however, a kidney can earn up to $30,000, clearly a much stronger incentive. ¶5. (U) Almost every speaker noted that the main problem in combating TIP and organ trafficking is a lack of awareness about their seriousness and complexity. Pimentel remarked that some of those who had sold their organs were not even aware it is illegal. Eduardo Pannunzio, a human rights lawyer with ILADH, pointed out that many people confuse "human trafficking" with "alien smuggling" and "prostitution." Antonio Rodrigues de Freitas Junior, an associate professor at the University of Sao Paulo and the head of the Justice Department of the Sao Paulo state government, also pointed out that there is a tendency to see TIP and organ trafficking through the prism of gender, equality, or affirmative action despite the fact that human trafficking is not the same as prostitution and that more men than women are involved in organ trafficking. ¶6. (U) Unfortunately, those involved in TIP and organ trafficking often are able to avoid punishment due to family involvement in the crimes, the globalized nature of the markets for sex and organs, and judicial and police failures. Eriosvaldo Dias, the head of the Human Rights Division of the Federal Police in Brasilia, argued that to many Brazilian police officers TIP seems "incipient - the police LIKE prostitutes!" Molina added that some police do not provide assistance to victims because they believe "the girls are used to it" or are dismissive of homosexual TIP victims. ¶7. (U) Many speakers also faulted the GOB for failing to make human trafficking a priority, particularly in light of the recent corruption scandal in Brazil. Pannunzio noted that the latest information on the GOB's website about its anti-TIP efforts is six months old, and various speakers criticized the lack of country-wide and inter-departmental coordination. Molina and Karin Kashima of the Center for the Defense of Children and Adolescents in Bahia state concentrated on society's failure to change cultural opinions. Kashima argued that it is Brazilian society's responsibility to keep children and adolescents from being victimized and to provide protection and legal assistance. ¶8. (U) At the same time, however, speakers argued that some international, state, and NGO programs have produced results. Pannunzio argued that the US Government has lead the international fight against TIP, with international committees mobilizing, identifying, financing, and carrying out various anti-TIP projects in Brazil. Ricardo Lins of the Pernambucan Social Defense Secretary's anti-trafficking program noted that since 2003 Pernambuco state has created an interinstitutional committee for prevention and a code of conduct against people trafficking - Lins's organization is currently following 80 TIP cases. In addition, the state government and ILADH are collaborating on a book to teach teenagers about the potential dangers of being trafficked, and they have hired 10 former victims to provide assistance. Suely Arruda of the Pernambuco Legal Medical Institute (coroner's office) described her office's efforts to educate and provide supplies to hospitals for the proper identification of newborn babies, in order to avoid false adoptions or baby smuggling. From just 2,488 total identifications completed in 2003, the number reached 10,204 in 2004 and is on track to achieve a similar figure this year. With regard to organ trafficking, Pimentel noted that Pernambuco state carried out the first convictions in the world for a case that involved the participation of, among others, a doctor, a translator, a travel agent, and a policeman. The Israeli leader received an 11-year sentence with no possibility of parole and a fine for his participation in the crime. The others, all Brazilians, received lesser sentences. ¶9. (SBU) Comment: ILADH is run by Analia Ribeiro, a former GOB official under the Cardoso administration and an active anti-TIP advocate. The conference's focus on state TIP and organ trafficking programs and disregard for GOB programs was expected and did not adequately consider many positive GOB developments to combat TIP, such as increasing assistance to victims and launching nationwide TIP awareness campaigns. Pannunzio's observation that it is difficult to distinguish between "people trafficking," "alien smuggling," and "prostitution" was one of the most important thoughts at the conference, given that the professionals themselves confused the topics - particularly with regard to the comments about the police (see paragraph six). As both he and Kashima noted, the issues of TIP and organ trafficking are really a question of liberty, and understanding the asymmetry of the power relationship between the victim and the trafficker will be key to acknowledging the crimes in their own right. However, Mr. Pannunzio's opening comment that to be trafficked is akin to "feeling for weeks or months on end the dehumanization that one feels when confronting an immigration officer" seemed way off mark and discredited somewhat what was otherwise an excellent presentation. End comment. ¶10. (U) This cable was coordinated with Embassy Brasilia. SWAVELY