Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06ABUDHABI4321
2006-11-21 11:53:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Abu Dhabi
Cable title:  

TIP: INTERIM ASSESSMENT FOR NEA SPECIAL WATCHLIST-UAE

Tags:  PREL PHUM ELAB KCRM KWMN SMIG AE 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO4989
PP RUEHDE
DE RUEHAD #4321/01 3251153
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 211153Z NOV 06
FM AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7717
INFO RUEHDE/AMCONSUL DUBAI 6642
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 004321 

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR G/TIP, DRL, NEA/RA AND NEA/ARPI

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PHUM ELAB KCRM KWMN SMIG AE
SUBJECT: TIP: INTERIM ASSESSMENT FOR NEA SPECIAL WATCHLIST-UAE

REF: (A) STATE 175900

(B) ABU DHABI 4286
(C) ABU DHABI 4261
(D) ABU DHABI 3689
(E) ABU DHABI 3616
(F) ABU DHABI 2809

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 004321

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR G/TIP, DRL, NEA/RA AND NEA/ARPI

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PHUM ELAB KCRM KWMN SMIG AE
SUBJECT: TIP: INTERIM ASSESSMENT FOR NEA SPECIAL WATCHLIST-UAE

REF: (A) STATE 175900

(B) ABU DHABI 4286
(C) ABU DHABI 4261
(D) ABU DHABI 3689
(E) ABU DHABI 3616
(F) ABU DHABI 2809


1. (U) Summary: Since the release of the June 2006 TIP Report, the
UAEG has made steady progress in addressing the problem of
trafficking in the UAE, especially with regard to women in the sex
trade and laborers working in servitude. The answers in paragraphs
2-7 below are keyed to the six questions specifically posed in ref A.
End summary.


2. (SBU) Q: What progress has UAEG made in increasing criminal
investigations and prosecutions of trafficking crimes and punishment
of these crimes with adequate jail sentences?

A: No statistics have been provided since May 2006 regarding
investigations and prosecutions of trafficking crimes. Prior to
November 2006, there was no law specifically against "trafficking,"
and most trafficking crimes were prosecuted under different parts of
the penal code including those against slavery, kidnapping, and
various statutes related to sex-crimes. In September 2006, Ministry
of Justice officials explained that the ministry is willing to
provide any and all trafficking related statistics which it has to
the USG, but claimed that any failure to do so is only because they
do not have complete records that correlate to USG reporting
requirements.


3. (SBU) Q: What progress has the UAEG made in instituting formal
procedures for the identification of trafficking victims among
at-risk populations, particularly foreign women arrested for
prostitution or immigration law violations?

A: The Ministry of Interior reports that Abu Dhabi and Dubai
Immigration officials have instituted a two-prong approach to prevent
women being trafficked for prostitution from entering the UAE. The
first prong seeks to limit the number of potential victims through
known vectors (i.e., travel and tourism companies from source
countries that have been used to traffic women previously) by either
subjecting those companies' passengers to secondary screening, or
canceling those companies' future visa transactions altogether. The

second prong uses victim profiling at ports of entry to identify
at-risk groups (i.e., women under the age of 25, traveling alone, and
from a known source country, may not only subject to additional
scrutiny, but have reportedly been denied entry en masse.) This
second prong of profiling often feeds the first prong by identifying
suspicious travel companies.

In 2005, Dubai Police Criminal Investigations Department (CID)
established a Human Trafficking section that cooperates closely with
the Human Rights Care Department (HRCD). According to police
officials, whenever CID has a possible trafficking case, the case is
referred to HRCD, which interviews the detainees, specifically
screening for trafficking victims. HRCD then returns cases that
indicate human trafficking to CID for further investigation and
prosecution of identified traffickers.

In July 2006, Minister of Labor Dr. Ali bin Abdullah Al-Kaabi told
the press that the Ministry of Labor is developing a program to
oversee all labor recruitment. Describing labor recruiting agencies
as "corrupt and mafia-like organizations," Al-Kaabi stated that plans
were under way to shut down the manpower agencies that recruit
construction laborers for the UAE. He also announced that he would
travel to Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and the Philippines to
pursue labor exchange agreements that would eliminate the middlemen
from construction-labor recruitment, thereby eliminating the
excessive fees in obtaining work visas.


4. (SBU) Q: What progress has the UAEG made in providing protection
for identified victims, separate from detention facilities?

A: Abu Dhabi Immigration officials stated in November 2006 that the
Ministry of Interior is providing shelter assistance for trafficking
victims, and that a hotline has been set up to facilitate victim
access to government assistance. The officials explained that
instead of creating a new shelter as was recommended in the TIP
action plan, the UAEG had broadened access to existing social support
programs to include trafficking victims (ref C).


5. (SBU) Q: What progress has UAEG made in drafting comprehensive
anti-trafficking legislation that criminalizes labor forms of
trafficking and guarantees protection for victims of trafficking?

A: On November 10, UAE President Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan issued a
federal law to combat human trafficking in the UAE. The law defines
trafficking in generally the same manner as the U.N. Protocol to
Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, upon which the
UAE legislation is reportedly based (ref B). This law significantly
clarifies the UAE's criminalization of human trafficking, and appears

ABU DHABI 00004321 002 OF 002


to address all forms of human trafficking, with emphasis on sex and
labor trafficking. Although the law does not specifically refer to
"debt bondage," the law's definitions appear to be significantly
broad to include this form of labor trafficking.


6. (SBU) Q: What progress has UAEG made in ratifying the 2000 U.N.
Protocol to Punish, Prevent and Suppress Trafficking in Persons,
Especially Women and Children?

A: In past discussions with UAEG officials, ratification of the U.N.
protocol and the passing of anti-TIP legislation have often been
spoken of in tandem. With the enactment of an anti-TIP law in
November that closely follows U.N. protocol definitions, Post expects
the protocol to be ratified in the near future, and officials
involved have stated as much.


7. (SBU) Q: What progress has UAEG made in formulating regulations to
ensure that victims of trafficking are not fined or otherwise
punished even if they entered the UAE illegally?

A: There is no evidence that new written regulations have been
specifically created to protect trafficking victims from fines or
punishment. However, officials in both Abu Dhabi and Dubai point to
the relatively new practices of sheltering victims in non-detention
facilities, providing them with medical and social services, and
assisting them in returning to their home countries, as illustrations
of treatment that victims could expect even without formal
regulations.

SISON