TACKLING SEX TOURISM IN NOSY BE, ROUND TWO

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 ANTANANARIVO 000161

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPT FOR G/TIP RYOUSEY
DEPT FOR INL EFLOOD
DEPT FOR AF/E MBEYZEROV
DEPT FOR AF/RSA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM KCRM SMIG ELAB MA
SUBJECT: TACKLING SEX TOURISM IN NOSY BE, ROUND TWO

REFTEL: ( A ) 06 ANTANANARIVO 091
( B ) 06 ANTANANARIVO 088
( C ) 05 ANTANANARIVO 680


1. (U) SUMMARY: Embassy staff traveled to Nosy Be, an island off
Madagascar's northwest coast notorious for its growing sex tourism,
and Diego Suarez, a nearby port on the mainland, to follow up on
Embassy Antananarivo's 2005 report on the nature of sex tourism and
trafficking in persons (TIP) along the northern coast of Madagascar
(refs A and B). This is the first of two cables that will report
their findings. This report provides a more in-depth look at the
root of the problem in Nosy Be, as well as Post's recommendation for
future TIP programs. The second cable outlines Post's initial
assessment of the same issues in Diego Suarez. END SUMMARY.

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NOT MUCH HAS CHANGED
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2. (SBU) Little has changed in the overall landscape of sex tourism
in Nosy Be over the course of a year. While the average cruise boat
tourist can take his pick of professional prostitutes complete with
business cards and a clean bill of health, it is more common to see
foreigners upwards of 50 years old openly fraternizing in the
streets, beaches, and dance clubs of Nosy Be with girls as young as
13 years old. The euro is king, which places most pleasures Nosy Be
has to offer, whether benign or illicit, easily within the grasp of
European retirees and tourists. Their options range from one-night
trysts with minors picked up in nightclubs to having a live-in
"concubine" during a several-month stay on the islands.
Compensation ranges from jewelry and nice dinners to cash, all of
which blurs the distinction between dating and prostitution. In a
place with few economic alternatives, almost every sector of society
is involved with the tourism industry and touched by the sex tourism
problem.


3. (U) Some young girls travel to Nosy Be of their own volition from
the neighboring region of Sophia after hearing their friends'
stories of opportunities for a better life. There is no known
organized trafficking network to or in Nosy Be itself. Contacts
categorically denied that anyone in Nosy Be, adult or child, is
being physically forced to work or denied the liberty to leave their
situation. Most of those involved in prostitution do so --
independently -- for economic or status reasons. However, it is not
uncommon for parents, taxi drivers, tour guides, and hotel workers
to act as third parties in linking prostitutes to their tourist
clients. And with a significant number of these workers being
underage, they qualify as sex trafficking victims.


4. (U) In a new development, Embassy representatives noticed a
growing number of male victims of sex tourism. Several contacts
facetiously mentioned the phenomenon of "djombile" (Malagasy
gigolos, both adults and minors) posing as the "chauffeurs" or
"cooks" of expatriate women. Interlocutors seemed more disturbed by
the growing problem of adolescent Malagasy boys prostituting
themselves to older male tourists. Their case differs from that of
girls in two main areas. Whereas young girls usually start
prostituting themselves as young as 10 years old, boys start around
the age of 15. Also, parents do not encourage this behavior in
their sons due to societal discomfort with homosexuality -- "it's a
family scandal." Tour operators and taxi drivers occasionally link
male prostitutes to their clients, but interlocutors believe the
adolescent boys generally act on their own.

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TESTING THE WATERS IN AMBATOLOAKA
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5. (U) To better understand the problem, we visited nightclubs in
the beach town of Ambatoloaka, known to be the epicenter of Nosy
Be's sex tourism. In the low season for tourists, bars boasted up
to ten Malagasy girls for every foreigner. In every nightclub
visited, a few gray heads bobbed in a sea of young girls. Scantily
clad Malagasy as young as 14 years old competed on the dance floor
for the attention of potential "boyfriends." A number of
15-year-olds clad in high heels and purses flitted between the dance
floor and prospective male clients hovering at the bar. Assuming
Political Specialist was PolOff's mother, an elderly Italian tourist
approached her to negotiate a price for her "daughter" for the
night. His blatant proposition was sad confirmation that
negotiating publicly with parents for their children is not uncommon
in this part of Nosy Be.

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ANTANANARI 00000161 002 OF 004


THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM
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6. (U) Government officials, NGO representatives, and educators
differed on the root of the problem, offering the following
explanations:

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KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES?
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7. (U) In a society where snagging a foreign boyfriend or husband
has become synonymous with "making it," many young girls seek out
sexual relationships with foreigners to improve their social status.
They see the material goods their older peers have gained from
dating and wedding foreigners and aspire for the same lifestyle.
Noting that relaxed sexual mores are part of the general culture in
Nosy Be, a local teacher pointed out that some women and girls
relish the level of economic independence prostitution provides.

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PARENTAL ENCOURAGEMENT?
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8. (U) Almost every contact mentioned the role of parents in
"encouraging" their children to seek out foreigners, whether for
dating, marriage, or prostitution. Interlocutors disagreed on the
extent of parental pressure, ranging from passive involvement (not
saying anything when their daughter comes home wearing expensive
jewelry) to active involvement (entering a night club with their
daughter to scope out potential "boyfriends"). Local church leaders
related anecdotes of girls whose mothers threatened to kick them out
of the house for wanting to marry a Malagasy and not a foreigner.
In the bleakest cases, some of which made it to court, parents
negotiated a price with foreigners to live with their daughters for
up to several months. Much of this pressure is thought to stem from
the cultural belief that children must take care of their parents.
The money a girl brings in helps ensure the family's financial
security.

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FOR LOVE OF "QUICK MONEY?"
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9. (U) A number of interlocutors attributed the sex tourism problem
to a cultural laziness and preference for "quick money." Church
leaders elaborated that the spirit of "donia" -- "I will do whatever
I feel like doing" -- dictates life in Nosy Be to a great extent,
especially among the poorly educated. The mayor and French Consul
pointed out this mentality is why people choose income-generating
activities with a quick turn-around, such as selling embroidery on
the street and prostitution, to jobs with a monthly salary. With
many schoolchildren lacking textbooks and electricity, and having to
walk up to 13 kilometers to school, it is no wonder many opt out for
an easier solution in the short term.

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CORRUPTION?
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10. (U) Claiming that "money talks here," the mayor asserted that
the sex tourism problem will be around as long as low-level
corruption continues to plague local institutions, from the police
and gendarmes up to the "chef de district" (the local representative
of the president-appointed head of the region). The French Consul
explained how foreigners can easily pay the chef de district's
office to arrange visas, the police to avoid being arrested, or
magistrates to avoid going to court.

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LACK OF ECONOMIC ALTERNATIVES
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11. (U) Our conclusion is that Nosy Be suffers from a "hub and
spokes" problem. While every one of the aforementioned issues
certainly plays a role in the rampant sex tourism problem, each
originates in the fundamental poverty in Nosy Be. With the closure
of the SIRAMA sugar factory in 2006 and a slow-down in hiring by the
one active fishing company, economic alternatives are scarce in what
is one of the most expensive areas of Madagascar. The French Consul
affirmed that no companies want to invest in a place with poor road
systems, inconsistent energy supplies and a poorly trained labor
force. Local authorities hope the government and international
financial institutions will agree to fund large-scale development

ANTANANARI 00000161 003 OF 004


projects to attract investors, but they have seen little movement on
their proposals over the last few years. Options for post-secondary
education are nonexistent, and though we met with a number of
highschoolers dreaming of careers in medicine and biology, they
quickly pointed out that their parents cannot afford to send them to
university on the mainland. Many cannot even afford the cost of
schoolbooks and uniforms for primary education on the island.


12. (U) In this context, it is no wonder that parents and their
children latch on to the hope of finding a foreigner who can provide
a more comfortable life. Similarly, with the average civil
servant's monthly salary of 60 USD per month consumed entirely by
rent and the cost of rice, it is no wonder local officials show
leniency to foreigners in order to pad their pockets. The newly
appointed Police Commissioner expressed to us that after trying to
survive on his meager salary in Nosy Be for just a few months, he is
starting to understand why civil servants must seek "activities on
the side" just to get by.

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ENFORCEMENT AND PROSECUTION EFFORTS
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13. (U) Despite a law barring minors from night clubs, the owners of
such establishments rarely turn away underage Malagasy for fear of
losing their foreign clientele. Short-staffed and under-funded, the
police can only inspect nightclubs for minors once per month
depending on the availability of the sole vehicle shared between 50
officers. Similarly, judges and police lack the funds and resources
to inspect hotels for minors. Night club inspections usually result
in a warning to the owner, but police hesitate to close
establishments for fear of the economic impact on the town.
Regardless, people are finding ways around such enforcement efforts.
Children as young as 12 years old have been caught with false
identity cards, and the closure of a local nightclub has instead
seen the rise of a weekly beach party known as "Boom Beach" popular
with underage Malagasy and foreigners alike.


14. (SBU) A local judge explained the obstacles making it rare for
even one or two cases of pedophilia by foreigners to make it to
court every year. Most parents -- some of whom negotiated the
original contract with the foreigner for their child and only filed
a complaint after being cut off financially -- prefer to settle
cases of child prostitution and even rape privately for as little as
USD 300. Foreigners can often "arrange" with the police or
magistrates to be released for a small fee. The judge admitted
these cases are especially delicate, as a five- year prison sentence
in Madagascar's deplorable prison conditions could cause a death
that would lead to a diplomatic incident. The judge also recounted
numerous cases where parents of minors challenged police and judges
following the arrest of a foreign pedophile or the closure of a
local nightclub, saying, "Now that you have taken away our source of
income, it is your job to feed my children." In the rare instances
where mothers were arrested for pimping their daughters, they
expressed confusion at being punished for taking care of their
family. The chronic lack of resources to take proactive prosecution
measures against foreigners, such as pursuing those who take minors
out on their boats, have rendered the authorities somewhat passive:
"We have learned these complaints will arrive at our office." He
concluded, "Nosy Be is a desperate case."


15. (U) Despite such obstacles, 2006 was an above average year in
Nosy Be with the arrest of three European pedophiles. Two French
men were convicted and expelled from the country, while a Swiss man
is currently serving a five-year prison sentence.

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ADDRESSING THE PROBLEM
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16. (U) There are a number of efforts in place to address different
aspects of the sex trafficking problem in Nosy Be. UNICEF is
conducting awareness-raising campaigns at schools through 2015. A
state-managed social services center conducts door-to-door and radio
awareness-raising campaigns to convince parents and children of the
importance of staying in school. A private Italian citizen
established 90 free educational establishments for children. Police
from the Minors Protection Brigade are posted around local schools
at closing time to discourage taxi drivers from recruiting students
for their clients. The government's independent anti-corruption
bureau (BIANCO) has established a confidential drop-box to register
complaints of local corruption.


17. (U) In an effort to coordinate such efforts, UNICEF convened a

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stakeholder meeting in early 2006 to bring together government
officials, law enforcement authorities, local NGOs, the private
sector, and parents to draft a Nosy Be Action Plan; however,
participants have seen no money or implementation since. A
government official jokingly referred to Nosy Be as a "cemetery for
projects -- we have lots of action plans but never any money to
implement them." Our group meeting with many of the same
stakeholders confirmed there is no lack of passion about the need to
address the situation, but there is a fundamental lack of capacity,
communication and resources that frustrates even their smallest
efforts to organize educational workshops for parents. Participants
also expressed the frustration that there is a tendency in Nosy Be
to avoid taking responsibility for project implementation, so "at
the end of the day, it's no one's fault" if something does not get
done.

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COMMENT
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18. (SBU) Given the complex nature of sex tourism in Nosy Be,
assistance programs could choose to target any one of a number of
"pressure points." Embassy representatives noticed the tendency of
government and international TIP programs to focus on
awareness-raising initiatives. While these have made incremental
progress to date, Post believes they will not be effective in the
medium-term without parallel efforts to address the root of Nosy
Be's problem -- the lack of economic alternatives. Local
interlocutors, including senators, NGO leaders, and magistrates,
argued, "Everyone has had awareness-raising. Plenty of NGOs have
been doing that. At this point, we need economic alternatives even
more." Campaigns to raise awareness among parents and children,
increased efforts to prosecute tourists, and even initiatives to
root out corruption will go nowhere if the residents of Nosy Be
continue to struggle to make ends meet every day.


19. (SBU) COMMENT CONTINUED: While the large-scale infrastructure
development needed for private sector investment and job creation is
admittedly the job of the government and international
organizations, other initiatives to facilitate income-generation
such as vocational training, the creation of hotel study institutes,
and small business grants would also go a long way in generating
employment and income alternatives. In a place where educational
options are few and costly, scholarships are also sorely needed to
encourage children to continue their education. As Madagascar
continues to await TIP funding promised in 2005 (REF C),Post
recommends future TIP projects consider the need for programs to
provide economic and educational alternatives alongside traditional
awareness-raising activities. END COMMENT.

SIBLEY