TIP Seminar Raises Awareness, Coordination

UNCLAS ULAANBAATAR 000396 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM EAID KCRM KWMN SMIG ELAB MG SUBJECT: TIP Seminar Raises Awareness, Coordination Ref: Ulaanbaatar 173 -------------- Summary -------------- ¶1. A hands-on seminar aimed at countering trafficking in persons (TIP) in Mongolia was held in Ulaanbaatar on April 26-27. The training - held by The Asia Foundation (TAF) and the U.S. Embassy - brought together law enforcement and government officials, human rights lawyers, and representatives of civil society for two days of lectures, breakout sessions, and question and answer time with experts. Participants learned and practiced how to interview and counsel trafficking victims, and they created framework procedures for cross-border repatriation. The seminar is part of TAF's ongoing ESF-funded efforts, which will continue to provide additional training, raise awareness, and gather better data about TIP. End summary. -------------- Background on TIP in Mongolia -------------- ¶2. Trafficking in persons for commercial and sexual exploitation is widely suspected to be increasing in Mongolia. Victims are trafficked from, through, and within the country. Real data regarding the scope and incidence of the problem, however, is poor. Widely-quoted studies are based largely on subjective and anecdotal evidence, and there is a pressing need for quantitative and more rigorous analysis. ¶3. However, the significance of trafficking as a crime transcends its relatively low (but growing) incidence in Mongolia, due to its connections to corruption, money laundering and violent crime. Trafficking in persons points to weaknesses in the legal system and law enforcement that might be exploited by organized crime groups or even terrorism. -------------- TAF's Anti-Trafficking Project in Mongolia -------------- ¶4. TAF began implementation of a project, funded with ESF through USAID, to counter trafficking in late 2005. The project will assist in preventing trafficking in persons, protecting victims, and prosecuting perpetrators, while also raising awareness to as a way of deterring recruitment and preventing victimization. TAF is training Government of Mongolia (GoM) officials to identify and detect TIP-related criminal activity, and is building ties with a regional network of public, private and non-governmental organizations that will assist in victim protection and other interventions. With strong embassy endorsement, TAF submitted a ESF proposal to EAP in early February to augment its existing efforts, including boosting aid to TIP victims. -------------- A Hands-on Seminar -------------- ¶5. As a major step in carrying out the project's ambitious agenda, TAF and the U.S. Embassy held a hands-on seminar on TIP issues in Ulaanbaatar on April 26-27. The seminar brought together law enforcement and government officials, human rights lawyers, and representatives of civil society for two days of lectures, breakout sessions, and question and answer time with the experts. The two-day event taught participants to distinguish between illegal migration, smuggling, prostitution and trafficking; to identify and interdict trafficking by analyzing case studies; and to examine and develop best practices to prevent trafficking and protect victims. Participants learned and practiced how to interview and counsel trafficking victims, and they created framework procedures for cross-border repatriation. Counter-trafficking interventions will partner law enforcement and civil society organizations in order to ensure an effective and coordinated response. This event stemmed from and built on the success of an earlier consultative group meeting held by TAF and the Ministry of Social Welfare and Labor in March 20061. In that meeting, a partnership between civil society, government and law enforcement officials was formed to jointly quantify the incidence of trafficking, to educate the public, and to take action. -------------- Planned Future Efforts -------------- ¶6. TAF plans to coordinate future counter trafficking training closely with enforcement-related training designed and delivered through the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies (APCSS) in Honolulu, Hawaii. The APCSS has trained a number of Mongolian public sector officials and, together with TAF, will develop a proposal to conduct in-country counter trafficking training late in 2006. TAF is already working locally to develop investigative training for the police. ¶7. Another major initiative will be to gather better data about trafficking in Mongolia in order to help the police, the courts, and civil society better target prevention, protection, and enforcement efforts. To this end, TAF is working with civil society organizations to define the origins of trafficking. Together, they have documented and analyzed a series of trafficking cases based upon interviews with victims, human rights lawyers, and law enforcement officials. TAF is now developing an anti-trafficking benchmarking tool to identify the incidence of trafficking within, to, and from Mongolia. The first benchmarking study will be completed by August 2006. TAF is also working with USAID's Regional Development Mission/Asia (RDM/A) to coordinate a fact-finding and network-forging trip to Macau and Hong Kong. Such a trip will be crucial to gaining a better understanding of the nature of trafficking from Mongolia, and to assisting local NGOs and government to conceive and implement solutions. ¶8. Finally, TAF is working with local advocacy organizations to develop and disseminate prevention and awareness messages through multi-media campaigns and public events. TAF will develop a counter-trafficking website to improve information sharing and collaboration between government and non-governmental organizations, and will link this site to The Asia Foundation regional anti-trafficking web portal (www.tipinasia.info) to strengthen regional cooperation. SLUTZ _______________________________ 1