TIP SUBMISSION - ST. LUCIA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BRIDGETOWN 000385 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR G/TIP AND WHA/CAR E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KCRM PHUM KWMN ELAB SMIG ASEC KFRD PREF ST XL SUBJECT: TIP SUBMISSION - ST. LUCIA REF: STATE 3836 ¶1. (U) As requested in reftel, below are Post's responses to questions regarding St. Lucia for the annual Trafficking in Persons Report. Paragraph 21 - Overview -------------- ¶2. (SBU) -- A) Is the country a country of origin, transit, or destination for internationally trafficked men, women, or children? Evidence suggests that St. Lucia is a destination for trafficking. The country has a growing sex tourism industry with a number of strip clubs and brothels, many of which are staffed by women from the Dominican Republic and other Caribbean islands. There have been anecdotal reports that women have been trafficked internationally and minors have been trafficked internally to work in the sex industry. -- B) Please provide a general overview of the trafficking situation in the country and any changes since the last TIP Report. In June 2005, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) released its Exploratory Assessment of Trafficking in Persons in the Caribbean Region, the findings of which suggested that persons, including children, were trafficked to and within St. Lucia to work in prostitution. The IOM report cited anecdotal evidence of women from other Caribbean countries who had been promised jobs as waitresses in St. Lucia, only to find themselves coerced into working as prostitutes. In 2004, a local newspaper reported on a woman who traveled from the Dominican Republic to St. Lucia to work as a waitress but was coerced into working as a prostitute. To date, this is the only documented case of trafficking. All other evidence is largely anecdotal. The government, however, has acknowledged that despite a lack of documented cases of trafficking, surveys and media reports indicate that it has occurred. -- C) What are the limitations on the government's ability to address this problem in practice? The government has limited resources with which to address trafficking. The lead agency on the issue, the Office of Gender Relations, a part of the Ministry of Health, Human Services, Family Affairs, and Gender Relations, has limited staff and resources at its disposal. The police force also has limited resources to devote to tackling illegal prostitution and potential trafficking. -- D) To what extent does the government systematically monitor its anti-trafficking efforts? The government's anti-trafficking efforts are in their beginning stages and the number of government employees dealing with trafficking are few. As a result, monitoring is limited or non-existent. Paragraph 22 ) Prevention -------------- ¶3. (SBU) -- A) Does the government acknowledge that trafficking is a problem? Yes, the government acknowledges that a limited amount of trafficking may be occurring. -- B) Which government agencies are involved in anti-trafficking efforts? The key agencies are the Office of Gender Relations, a part of the Ministry of Health, Human Services, Family Affairs, and Gender Relations, and the Royal St. Lucia Police Force. Representatives of the Ministries of Justice, External Affairs, Labour, and Tourism attended training seminars on trafficking given by IOM in 2004. -- C) Are there or have there been government-run anti-trafficking information or education campaigns? Yes. In October 2005, the government's Office of Gender Relations held two workshops addressing the role of both the public and private sectors in curbing trafficking. The government also began training healthcare professionals and police officers on how to identify situations in which trafficking may have occurred. -- D) Does the government support other programs to prevent trafficking? No. -- E) Is the government able to support prevention programs? No, the government does not have the resources to carry out programs other than the training mentioned above and basic law enforcement efforts. BRIDGETOWN 00000385 002 OF 003 -- F) What is the relationship between the government, NGOs, and civil society on the trafficking issue? Because of their limited size, number and capacity, NGOs and civil society in this small country and have not begun to address trafficking. The government is on the forefront of the issue. -- G) Does it monitor immigration and emigration patterns for evidence of trafficking? Do law enforcement agencies screen for potential trafficking victims along borders? Yes. In response to the number of women traveling from the Dominican Republic, presumably to work as prostitutes, the government instituted a visa regime in 2005 that has successfully reduced the number of such arrivals. -- H) Is there a mechanism for coordination and communication between various agencies, internal, international, and multilateral on trafficking related matters, such as a multi-agency working group or a task force? Coordination and communication is on an informal basis owing to the small size of the government and the limited number of people dealing with the trafficking issue. -- I) Does the government participate in multinational or international working groups to combat trafficking? Yes. Government representatives have received trafficking related training from IOM. -- J) Does the government have a national plan of action to address trafficking? No. Paragraph 23 - Investigations and Prosecution of Traffickers -------------- -------------- ¶4. (SBU) -- A) Does the country have a law specifically prohibiting trafficking in persons*-both trafficking for sexual exploitation and trafficking for non-sexual purposes? No, traffickers could potentially be charged under laws prohibiting slavery, forced labor, forced imprisonment or kidnapping. No trafficking cases have been prosecuted. Current laws are inadequate to cover the full scope of trafficking in persons. -- B) What are the penalties for traffickers of people for sexual or labor exploitation? There are no specific penalties for traffickers of people for sexual or labor exploitation. They could, however, face penalties for immigration violations, labor violations, or enticement for immoral purposes. -- C) What are the penalties for rape and sexual assault? The penalty for rape is 14 years to life imprisonment. -- D) Is prostitution legalized or decriminalized? No, prostitution and pimping are illegal. -- E) Has the government prosecuted any cases against traffickers? No. -- F) Is there any information or reports of who is behind the trafficking? No specific information is available, although the police believe that the owners of strip clubs and brothels could be involved. -- G) Does the government actively investigate cases of trafficking? Yes. To date, however, reports of trafficking have been limited. -- H) Does the government provide any specialized training for government officials in how to recognize, investigate, and prosecute instances of trafficking? Yes, in 2005 the government began training healthcare professionals and police officers how to identify situations in which trafficking may have occurred. -- I) Does the government cooperate with other governments in the investigation and prosecution of trafficking cases? No such cases have arisen. -- J) Does the government extradite persons who are charged with trafficking in other countries? No such cases have been reported. -- K) Is there evidence of government involvement in or tolerance of trafficking, on a local or institutional level? In the single reported case of trafficking from 2004, the media reported that a police officer or immigration official may have helped a brothel owner gain entry for a woman into BRIDGETOWN 00000385 003 OF 003 the country. In addition, local police officers may turn a blind eye to prostitution. -- L) If government officials are involved in trafficking, what steps has the government taken to end such participation? N/A -- M) If the country has an identified child sex tourism problem, how many foreign pedophiles has the government prosecuted? While it is believed that minors may be engaging in prostitution, there is no evidence of child sex tourism. -- N) Has the government signed, ratified and/or taken steps to implement the following international instruments: a) ILO Convention 182 on worst forms of child labor. Ratified. b) ILO Convention 29 and 105 on forced or compulsory labor. Ratified. c) Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Children. Signed the Convention but not the Protocol. d) The Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children, supplementing the UN Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime. Signed the Convention but not the Protocol. Paragraph 24 - Protection and Assistance to Victims -------------- -------------- ¶5. (SBU) -- A) Does the government assist victims? In the ONE reported case of trafficking from 2004, the police assisted the woman involved to recover her passport. Since then, the government has become more sensitive to the issue of trafficking and would likely offer more assistance to victims. -- B) Does the government provide funding or other forms of support to foreign and domestic NGOs for services to victims? The government has no specific facilities to assist trafficking victims, although they could be helped by local NGOs that assist women and children who are victims of abuse. -- C) Is there a screening and referral process in place? No. -- D) Are the rights of victims respected, or are victims also treated as criminals? Considering the limited amount of training given to a limited number of officials, it is unknown whether the skills and sensitivity to assist victims and respect their rights have been passed on to officers in the field. -- E) Does the government encourage victims to assist in the investigation and prosecution of trafficking? N/A -- F) What kind of protection is the government able to provide for victims and witnesses? The government has a shelter for victims of domestic violence that could potentially be used to protect victims of trafficking. The victim or witness could also be detained for their own protection. -- G) Does the government provide any specialized training for government officials in recognizing trafficking? Yes, in 2005 the government began training healthcare professionals and police officers how to identify situations in which trafficking may have occurred. -- H) Does the government provide assistance to its repatriated nationals who are victims of trafficking? N/A -- I) Which international organizations or NGOs, if any, work with trafficking victims? N/A KRAMER