Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06HARARE252
2006-03-02 09:53:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Harare
Cable title:  

ZIMBABWE ANTI-TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS REPORT

Tags:  PHUM SMIG ASEC PREF ELAB ZI KWMN KFRD 
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INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY
RUEHUJA/AMEMBASSY ABUJA 1117
RUEHAR/AMEMBASSY ACCRA 0949
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RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 0949
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RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 0383
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC
RUFGNOA/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEAHLC/HOMELAND SECURITY CENTER WASHINGTON DC
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 1332
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 07 HARARE 000252 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS
SENSITIVE

DEPARTMENT FOR G/TIP, AF/S, AF/RSA, G/INL, DRL, PRM, IWI
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR C. COURVILLE
USAID/AFR/SA FOR E. LOKEN

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM SMIG ASEC PREF ELAB ZI KWMN KFRD
SUBJECT: ZIMBABWE ANTI-TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS REPORT

REF: STATE 3836

--------
Overview
--------

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 07 HARARE 000252

SIPDIS

SIPDIS
SENSITIVE

DEPARTMENT FOR G/TIP, AF/S, AF/RSA, G/INL, DRL, PRM, IWI
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR C. COURVILLE
USAID/AFR/SA FOR E. LOKEN

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM SMIG ASEC PREF ELAB ZI KWMN KFRD
SUBJECT: ZIMBABWE ANTI-TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS REPORT

REF: STATE 3836

--------------
Overview
--------------


1. (SBU) Zimbabwe is a country of origin and transit for
trafficked persons. This year there were also two cases of
girls trafficked to Zimbabwe from South Africa. Most of the
information about the scope of trafficking remains anecdotal,
however, the government and the police investigate and track
trafficking cases. The government is also showing increasing
interest in protection of victims, awareness raising, and
investigation of trafficking cases. The government lacks the
funds to carry out most of these activities itself but
cooperates with efforts by the International Organization for
Migration (IOM),UNICEF, and NGOs on these activities, and
government officials and the state media make statements in
private and public about the dangers of trafficking.
Zimbabwean law prohibits many trafficking activities.
However, although various ministries and legislators have
shown interest in drafting one, a comprehensive
anti-trafficking law has yet to be enacted. Moreover,
despite some positive signs, conditions such as economic
hardship, a growing number of HIV/AIDS orphans, and a
government campaign against ostensibly unlicensed homes and
businesses placed increasing numbers of individuals,
especially children, at risk of exploitation.


2. (SBU) Trafficking victims in Zimbabwe appear to be largely
children and young adults experiencing economic hardship and
seeking a better life. Reports of trafficking included
anecdotes from NGOs of Zimbabwean girls exchanging sex for
passage across the South African border, Zimbabweans--usually
women--being lured out of the country with false job
promises, children being sexually abused by immigration
officials of neighboring countries during deportation from
Botswana and South Africa, women and children transiting
through Zimbabwe to South Africa primarily from Malawi and
Zambia, children working as domestic or agricultural workers

in Zimbabwe, children trafficked from rural areas into cities
for prostitution, and employers demanding sex from
undocumented Zimbabwean workers in South Africa, both adults
and children, under the threat of deportation. Unions and
NGOs also report that child labor is on the rise.


3. (SBU) The Victim Friendly Unit (VFU) of the Zimbabwe
Republic Police (ZRP) investigates and tracks cases of
suspected trafficking. The Criminal Investigative Division
(CID) of the ZRP has added human trafficking to its crime
charts but has not recorded any prosecutions to date. There
were 26 persons identified as trafficking victims by the VFU:
two cases of minor girls abducted from South Africa and
trafficked to Zimbabwe for domestic servitude, 2 cases of
minor girls from the Democratic Republic of Congo being
trafficked through Zimbabwe for unknown purposes, and 22
cases of persons trafficked from Zimbabwe to Zambia, South
Africa, China, and Egypt for domestic servitude or
prostitution. Of the 22 cases trafficked from Zimbabwe, 6
were teenage girls (one was 18; the others were minors),15
were adult women, and 1 was an adult male. The persons
trafficked from Zimbabwe were lured by promises of jobs or
scholarships. IOM reports that there is evidence in some of
these cases, particularly in the case of the girls transited
from the DRC, that there are large and well-organized
trafficking rings involved.


4. (SBU) In addition to these 26 cases, police investigated

HARARE 00000252 002 OF 007


possible trafficking cases of an additional 10 persons whose
situation was unclear. One was a family of four children
whose father took them from Zimbabwe to South Africa under
suspicious circumstances; the children all returned to
Zimbabwe. The second was a case of 6 Eritreans (2 men and 4
girls) traveling from South Africa through Zimbabwe to China
and ultimately to the UK. They were turned back by
immigration officials in China and returned to Zimbabwe. The
six had refugee status in South Africa and ultimately
returned there. It is unclear if the case was migrant
smuggling or trafficking, and it is unclear if all six were
migrants or if the two men were handlers.


5. (SBU) Because numbers of trafficking victims have only
begun to be tracked by police recently, it is unclear if any
of the cases identified represent new patterns of trafficking.


6. (SBU) The government is giving increasing attention to the
problem of trafficking. In the area of prevention, the state
media continues to feature stories warning Zimbabweans of
employment scams and gender-based exploitation. The
government has social services that address the needs of
at-risk children and works with other organizations that run
such programs. In the area of prosecution of traffickers,
the police are actively investigating trafficking cases, most
prominently an alleged ring of traffickers sending girls, who
believe they are getting modeling jobs, to China for
prostitution. Government officials have shown interest in
introducing an anti-trafficking law to parliament this year.
Police and immigration officials attended training to improve
awareness of trafficking in persons. In the area of
protection of victims, the Ministry of Public Service, Social
Welfare, and Labor is working with an NGO to run a center
near the border town of Beitbridge to assist deported
children to return to their homes, including counseling for
those who are victims of sexual exploitation and with the IOM
to establish a larger facility closer to the border that will
address the needs of all deportees.


7. (SBU) An October 2005 study by the Employers,
Confederation of Zimbabwe (EMCOZ) found that child labor
continues to increase. The study, which was conducted at two
tea estates in the Eastern Highlands, found that more than
20% of the workforce at the estates was composed of children.
The study found that economic hardship due to the
deteriorating economy, higher school fees, which are now
unaffordable for many families, and the increase in
child-headed households with no other income, contribute to
the rise in child labor. The General Agriculture and
Plantation Workers, Union (GAPWUZ) also said there is a
shortage of farm workers willing to accept the low wages
offered, leaving jobs open for desperate children. GAPWUZ
reports that, although agricultural employers often offer
schooling to child employees, attendance at the schools is
sporadic, because the children usually work first and are
often too tired for school in the afternoon. Worker,s
unions and children,s rights organizations regularly
denounce the use of child labor, and the press publishes
reports highlighting the issue.


8. (SBU) There are occasional reports of forced labor by new
owners of expropriated commercial farms, but these reports
are not fully corroborated.


9. (SBU) UNICEF reported that the growing number of HIV/AIDS
orphans increased the risk for sexual abuse and exploitation.


10. (SBU) The government placed many of its citizens at

HARARE 00000252 003 OF 007


increased risk for exploitation with its urban demolition
campaign, which it dubbed "Operation Restore Order." Tens of
thousands of people remain homeless or in economic distress
in the wake of the operation, which demolished supposedly
illegal homes and businesses. Many children were forced to
leave school due to uncertain living conditions and
relocation far from their schools. Police rounded up street
children and took them to orphanages and juvenile detention
centers. Local NGOs say the situation has left these persons
potentially vulnerable to trafficking in persons.

--------------
Prevention
--------------


11. (SBU) The government acknowledges that trafficking is a
problem in the country. The VFU of the ZRP (under the
Ministry of Home Affairs),a unit that deals with children,s
and sexual abuse cases, has the lead on investigation and
tracking of trafficking cases and referral of victims to
support services. The Department of Social Welfare (in the
Ministry of Public Service, Labor, and Social Welfare) also
has several programs for children at risk. The Department of
Immigration (in the Ministry of Home Affairs) monitors
borders and ports of entry for possible traffickers and
victims. The Ministry of Information clears advertisements
that are part of the International Organization for
Migration,s awareness campaign. The government generally
has a good relationsQp with international organizations and
many NGOs on trafficking-related issues, although some NGOs
report lack of cooperation from local authorities in some
areas of the country, and the government,s campaign of
repression against perceived regime critics has affected some
NGOs working on trafficking issues.


12. (SBU) The issue of trafficking in persons is getting
increasingly high-level attention in Zimbabwe. In
discussions with IOM on a reception center for persons
deported from South Africa, two cabinet ministers, who were
initially unconvinced of the need for government action
against trafficking in persons, traveled to the border to
investigate the issue of trafficking and concluded that it
was a national crisis when they observed how many returnees
from South Africa had stories of being exploited at some
point during their migration. IOM also reported that a
minister agreed to help introduce anti-trafficking
legislation to parliament.


13. (SBU) The state-run media continues to print or air
messages about crackdowns on migrant smugglers and warning
the public about false employment scams, underage and forced
marriages, and prostitution. The government also cooperated
with an IOM awareness campaign on irregular migration, which
included messages about trafficking in persons. IOM placed
awareness messages with the government-sponsored media and
established a Safe Migration website. IOM also established a
hotline that continues to receive many inquiries and reports
from the public.


14. (SBU) The government has several programs to support
children in groups at high risk for trafficking and child
labor. The government has a National Plan of Action (NPA) for
Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC). Under the NPA, the
government identifies critical areas for support and acts as
a framework for relevant government agencies, NGOs and
international organizations, and other donors who meet
regularly to discuss plans and programs. Objectives of the
NPA are to strengthen coordination for OVC programs, increase

HARARE 00000252 004 OF 007


the percentage of children with birth certificates (who are
then able to access social services),increase school
enrollment and retention, and increase access to food and
basic services. In addition to coordinating with the many
efforts of NGOs, international organizations, and donors, the
government supports the NPA through the Basic Education
Assistance Module (BEAM--which pays school fees and related
expenses including books and uniforms for some
underprivileged children and AIDS orphans),a mobile birth
registration program to increase issuance of birth
certificates, and other social services.


15. (SBU) The government also supported other programs, such
as a children,s home funded by the Government of Canada,
which provides both formal schooling and vocational training
to street children and orphans, who are deemed at high risk
of becoming victims of child labor and trafficking in
persons. The Department of Social Welfare also supported an
initiative from Save the Children Norway called Light the
Children,s Path, which established community-based support
programs for orphans and vulnerable children around the
country. Working with the rural district councils and Social
Welfare and with the support of other NGOs, international
organizations, and other donors, Save the Children Norway
established pilot programs in eight districts around the
country. As part of the program, in Beitbridge, at the
border with South Africa, the rural district council hired a
child protection officer and established a child protection
committee.


16. (SBU) Police and immigration officials at Harare
International Airport, border posts, and cities near borders
participated in anti-TIP training provided by the IOM and
Interpol. IOM also brought in a border protection consultant
to train immigration officials and install computers to
improve immigration controls.

--------------
Investigation and Prosecution
--------------


17. (SBU) Although government officials have shown interest
in introducing anti-trafficking legislation to parliament in
the coming year, Zimbabwe has no law comprehensively
prohibiting trafficking in persons. There have been no
prosecutions in the cases police identified as trafficking,
but some of these cases are still under active investigation.
Government officials participated in training provided by
IOM and Interpol. The government also participates in a
regional working group on trafficking in persons. There is
no evidence of any government involvement in or tolerance of
trafficking at any level. There is no known child sex
tourism problem. The government has ratified three ILO
conventions related to trafficking in persons.


18. (U) Trafficking-related crimes are currently addressed
under other legislation, primarily the Sexual Offences Act,
the Children,s Protection and Adoption Act, and the
Immigration Act. These laws criminalize transporting people
across the border for sex, corruption of children and
allowing children to reside in or to frequent a brothel,
allowing children to consort with or be employed by
prostitutes, and forgery of travel documents. The
constitution provides that &no one may be held in slavery or
servitude or be made to perform forced or compulsory labor.8
In addition, the common law prohibits abduction and forced
labor.


HARARE 00000252 005 OF 007



19. (U) Penalties for rape and exploitation remain the same
as last year. Corruption of children is punishable by a
fine, up to two years in prison, or both. Sexual exploitation
of children, inside or outside of Zimbabwe, is a crime, but
there is no specified penalty in the legislation. Instead,
the presiding magistrate decides sentencing. Incarceration
is mandatory for convictions for rape or forcible sexual
assault, but there is no minimum penalty. Sentences usually
vary from four years to fifteen years, depending on the
Qrcumstances of the crime.


20. (U) Prostitution is illegal in Zimbabwe, and the
activities of prostitutes, brothel owners, pimps, and clients
are criminalized. Procuring a person for prostitution,
inside or outside of Zimbabwe, is punishable by a fine, up to
ten years in prison, or both.


21. (SBU) To date, there have been no prosecutions of
traffickers in any of the cases identified by police as
trafficking cases, although the government does prosecute
individuals for crimes related to migrant smuggling, such as
theft of passports, improper granting of visas, and creation
of fraudulent documents. IOM reports that prosecution of
foreigners is constrained by a requirement to deport
prohibited persons within two weeks of arrest, leading to
fines and deportations for suspected foreign traffickers.
For example, in one case a Zambian national was trafficking
two girls from the DRC through Zimbabwe when staff at the
hotel they stopped at became suspicious and alerted the
police. Before police could fully investigate the crime,
immigration required that he be deported. The Criminal
Investigative Division (CID) of the ZRP investigates alleged
traffickers but is hampered by the lack of a specific
anti-trafficking law with which to charge suspected
traffickers. Officials from international organizations also
report that sometimes law enforcement officials are less
enthusiastic to investigate crimes against non-Zimbabwean
victims.


22. (SBU) The police have investigated each of the 36 cases
of known or suspected trafficking identified. Some of these
cases are still being investigated, and police cannot share
details of the investigation. In one case where young adults
were trafficked for prostitution to China where they believed
they would have modeling jobs, the assistant commissioner of
the Law and Order division of the ZRP was personally tasked
with pursuing the case. It is not clear if the traffickers
in most of these cases are members of large, international
crime syndicates or freelance operators, but IOM believes
there is evidence in at least one case of an organized
trafficking ring.


23. (SBU) There were no reports of requests of extradition
from Zimbabwe to other countries. There were no reports of
requests from other governments for cooperation in
investigation and prosecution of trafficking cases. There
were no reports of Zimbabweans charged with trafficking in
other countries. The government has extradition treaties with
countries in the region. Government officials participate in
a regional working group on anti-TIP issues and attended
regional meetings and workshops. The working group has made
no progress toward a regional plan of action.


24. (U) There is no known child sex tourism problem.
Sections of the Sexual Offences Act that pertain to children
apply to Zimbabweans' activities outside of the country.
Specifically, a Zimbabwean engaging in activities that, under
the SOA, are deemed exploitation of children, conspiracy to

HARARE 00000252 006 OF 007


exploit children, or inciting another person to exploit
children can be prosecuted under the SOA regardless of the
location of the activities.


25. (SBU) The government ratified ILO Convention 182 on
December 11, 2000. The government ratified ILO Conventions
29 and 105 on August 27, 1998. The government has not signed
the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the
Child on the sale of children. The government has not signed
the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in
Persons, but the Ministry of Home Affairs is reportedly
working on getting the government to sign this protocol.

--------------
Protection and Assistance to Victims
--------------


26. (SBU) Although the government does not have funding for
protection of victims, the government cooperates with
international organizations and NGOs to assist victims. The
ZRP has a mechanism for referring victims of trafficking to
victim support and for pursuing criminal cases. The
government has also cooperated in the establishment of two
reception centers near the border with Africa, to deal with
returning Zimbabweans.


27. (SBU) The government assists victims by working with
international organizations and NGOs. Whenever any
government official, usually police, becomes aware of
potential trafficking victims, the official alerts the Victim
Friendly Unit (VFU) of the ZRP, which then alerts IOM. Some
victims come to IOM,s attention first because they are
referred by IOM in another country, in which case IOM alerts
the VFU. VFU officers and IOM jointly interview the victim
and refer him or her to shelter, health care, counseling, and
reintegration services paid for by IOM and provided by IOM,s
NGO partners. The VFU refers information about Zimbabwean
traffickers to the Criminal Investigative Division (CID) of
the police to investigate. At least six of the victims
identified by police have received these services. Foreign
victims of trafficking are offered relief from deportation
while they receive victim support services and while their
cases are being investigated.


28. (SBU) In addition to this mechanism, the government has
cooperated in the establishment of two centers at or near the
town of Beitbridge on the border with South Africa. Save the
Children Norway (SCN) funds a reception center for children
deported from South Africa. Some of these children may be
victims of trafficking. All are provided with food, shelter,
health care, counseling, and assistance with returning home
and reintegrating into their communities. SCN reports that
the mechanism for bringing children to the center is not
functioning smoothly, because local authorities, who bring
the children to the center, are not always aware when
children are about to be deported. The second center is an
IOM reception center to provide services for all returnees.
IOM has recently completed construction and will inaugurate
the center in March. The center will include counselors who
can identify and support trafficking victims.


29. (SBU) The government also cooperated with efforts by
UNICEF and a local NGO, Streets Ahead, to provide counseling
and reunification services for street children referred to
orphanages or juvenile detention centers. Many of these
children were rounded up during the government,s urban
demolition campaign.


HARARE 00000252 007 OF 007



30. (U) There are no reported prosecutions of traffickers,
but any such prosecutions would take place in the Victim
Friendly Courts, special courts that are designed to deal
with children,s cases and cases of domestic violence.
Magistrates and prosecutors in these courts receive special
training in dealing with victims, and the victims are
physically shielded from the alleged perpetrators during
court sessions.


31. (SBU) Police and immigration officers who participated in
IOM-Interpol training in 2005 in several cases were able to
identify victims of trafficking, and understood the mechanism
for referring the victims to the VFU and IOM,s victim
support services as a result of the training.


32. (SBU) IOM, UNICEF, Save the Children Norway, and Save the
Children UK work with trafficking victims through local NGO
partners. NGOs include Connect (training for counselors of
abuse victims),Childline (children,s crisis hotline),
Streets Ahead (counseling and shelter for children),Girl
Child Network (shelter, skills building, and counseling for
abused girls),Musasa Project (shelter and counseling for
domestic abuse and trafficking victims),and The Center
(counseling for HIV/AIDS patients).


33. (SBU) Girl Child Network is the target of frequent
harassment by the government, including a raid on a shelter
for girls in 2005. Save the Children Norway reports that the
relationship with local authorities varies by location. In
some areas, officials are difficult to work with because they
deny any problem exists. In other areas, officials are very
cooperative. In Beitbridge, local officials set up a child
protection committee to deal with trafficking of children and
other children,s issues. IOM and UNICEF report generally
good cooperation from the government.

--------------
Contact Information
--------------


34. (U) Post point of contact for trafficking in persons is
Bianca Menendez; office phone 263-4-250-593, extension 291;
fax 263-4-253-000; e-mail menendezbe@state.gov. The
estimated hours spent per officer in preparation of this
report are as follows: polasst 3 hours, poloff 45 hours,
USAID officer, 3 hours, polchief 5 hours, DCM 1 hour review,
AMB 1 hour review.
SCHULTZ