HEADS UP: IOM SEEKS TO REPROGRAM CHILE PROJECT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 SANTIAGO 000304 SIPDIS STATE FOR PRM E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM PREL CI GTIP OIM TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS SUBJECT: HEADS UP: IOM SEEKS TO REPROGRAM CHILE PROJECT FUNDS ¶1. This is an action request. See paragraph 6. ¶2. Summary: The International Office of Migration (IOM) in Chile has asked for Post's assistance in obtaining Department approval to reprogram USD 160,000 in State/PRM funding from an existing trafficking in persons program to a new one. GOC authorities have taken responsibility for funding the existing program. IOM's new program would address trafficking in persons and commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC). End summary. ¶3. IOM Chile Country Director Gabriela Rodriguez met with poloff on January 26 and requested Embassy's assistance in securing the Department's approval to reprogram USD 160,000 from an existing program to a new one. According to Rodriguez, Chile's National Children's Service (SENAME) has taken over responsibility for an existing project in San Antonio, Chile, following a funding gap during the third and fourth quarters of 2005. (See paragraph seven for project details.) ¶4. IOM believes the Los Andes region (one of Chile's main entry/exit points) warrants greater attention. In an earlier meeting, outgoing IOM Country Director Pedro Hernandez presented an IOM proposal for the Los Andes region titled "Assistance for an Analysis, Report, Training, and Prevention of Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children and Illegal Migration and Trafficking of Persons in the Province of Los Andes." (See paragraph eight for project details; a copy of the IOM proposal has been faxed to Monique Ramgoolie, PRM/PRP.) Given the GOC's commitment to fund the San Antonio project and the importance of the Los Andes region, IOM requests the Department reprogram the FY2006 USD160,000 funds committed to San Antonio to support the Los Andes project. ¶5. Comment: Post supports IOM's request. The Los Andes project will establish a baseline of the trafficking in persons situation in Chile from which future TIP-related activities could be developed. It also will increase the cadre of knowledgeable and experienced GOC officials. ¶6. Action request: Post requests guidance to respond to IOM's request. The San Antonio Project -------------- ¶7. The San Antonio project was originally funded by a STATE/PRM grant to IOM, administered through IOM's regional office in Buenos Aires. IOM's project established a counseling and outreach center in San Antonio, a major port city approximately 100 kilometers southwest of Santiago. In 2005, the center assisted 33 children and adolescents who had been victims of commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC),and another 97 who were identified through local networks as potentially involved or at risk of CSEC. The project also trained 104 local government and NGO social workers in San Antonio. Former IOM Country Director Pedro Hernandez told poloff in December 2005 that IOM began preparations to shut down the center after the project ran into funding troubles during the second quarter of 2005. At that time, SENAME stepped in and funded the center's operation until further funding could be secured. SENAME subsequently offered to fund the center and provide assistance to CSEC victims in San Antonio indefinitely. The University of Chile has agreed to integrate IOM's training materials into its continuing education programs for GOC-sponsored CSEC prevention efforts. Los Andes Project -------------- ¶8. Los Andes Province lies to the northeast of Santiago, and runs from the foot of the Andean range to the border with Argentina. It includes the Los Libertadores border crossing - the major transit point for cross-border commerce (trucking) and one of three major land entry points for Chile. Although trafficking in persons has not been reported in Los Andes, high risk factors exist. Former IOM Country Director Hernandez said there is anecdotal evidence suggesting that truck drivers "contract" prostitutes to accompany them on trips from Brazil or Argentina to Chile. As a major port of entry, Los Andes is a logical area to detect trafficking for labor exploitation or other purposes. IOM's proposal for the Los Andes project contains the following elements: --Evaluate and quantify the cross-border trafficking problem through Los Libertadores and Los Andes; --Inform and sensitize regional authorities to the issues of trafficking and CSEC; --Provide educational materials to area schools and civic associations; and, --Provide training to regional law enforcement and border control officials, as well as social workers in Los Andes to help them identify and assist trafficking victims. Although CSEC would be a major focus of the Los Andes Project, IOM would integrate anti-trafficking materials to address broader trafficking issues and would establish a baseline on illegal migration and trafficking in persons. KELLY