MINISTRY OF MANPOWER COMBATING TIP AND ILLEGAL

UNCLAS MUSCAT 001255

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARP (S. STEINGER),DRL (A. ANZALDUA) AND G/TIP
STATE PASS USTR FOR J. BUNTIN, A. ROSENBERG, AND L. KARESH
DOL FOR J. SHEA, B. SHEPARD, AND J. RUDE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ELAB ETRD PHUM PGOV SMIG MU
SUBJECT: MINISTRY OF MANPOWER COMBATING TIP AND ILLEGAL
IMMIGRATION


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Summary
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1. (SBU) Minister of Manpower Juma bin Ali bin Juma
highlighted for the Ambassador some of the challenges that
his ministry faces in combating trafficking in persons (TIP),
including a burgeoning sponsor system and registration of
false companies. The Minister reiterated his commitment to
combating trafficking, but said that more inspections,
fingerprinting at the airport for laborers, and
reorganization of the sponsorship system are needed to
properly address and effectively oversee the importation and
protection of expatriate labor. End Summary.

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Suggested TIP Actions for Oman
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2. (U) In an August 21 meeting with Minister of Manpower Juma
bin Ali bin Juma, the Ambassador underscored the TIP report's
importance and suggested several steps that Oman could take
to improve its ranking, such as passing specific anti-TIP
legislation, creating an anti-trafficking intra-agency
committee, launching an aggressive public awareness campaign,
and supporting shelters already in operation. To aid these
efforts, the Ambassador offered Embassy assistance in
facilitating a visit by Omani officials to the U.S. to learn
more about international techniques in identifying and
protecting trafficking victims, as well as in investigating
and prosecuting traffickers.


3. (U) Given the considerable size of the expatriate labor
population in Oman, the Ambassador also noted that the Omani
government should proactively address the alleged withholding
of passports by employers. Although Omani courts have
compelled employers in individual cases to return employee
passports under Article 18 of the Basic Law, which notes that
"personal freedom is guaranteed within the limits of the
law," there is no law on the books expressly prohibiting the
withholding of passports.

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Minister Committed to Combating TIP
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4. (SBU) The Minister responded positively to the
suggestions, and agreed that outreach and public awareness
campaigns are vital components in educating both employers
and employees on their rights and responsibilities. He also
highlighted the government's commitment to combating TIP,
praising the Ministry of Sports for enforcing 2005
legislation that prohibits children under 14 (to be raised
annually until reaching 18 years of age) from racing camels.
The legislation has already had a significant impact, and
recently resulted in the cancellation of a planned racing
event.


5. (SBU) The Minister expressed his clear commitment to
protecting workers, and described how he conducted his own
inspections and reviewed weekly logs of calls made to the
ministry's hotline. He groused, however, that the cumbersome
sponsor system and the registration of false companies
continue to present challenges for his limited staff. (Note:
Once a company is registered with the Ministry of Commerce
and Industry, unscrupulous agents are able to obtain labor
clearances and import labor using the company's name. End
Note.) The Minister suggested that more inspections,
fingerprinting at airports for laborers, and stricter
registration of companies would assist in his
anti-trafficking efforts.

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Comment
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6. (U) In FTA-related news, the Minister was very pleased
with the recent passage of the U.S.-Oman Free Trade
Agreement. He said he expects implementing legislation to be
completed by the end of September, well ahead of the U.S.
congressional deadline of October 31.
GRAPPO