KAZAKHSTAN: TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS DONOR COORDINATION

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ASTANA 001147 SIPDIS DEPT FOR SCA/RA (LEE),INL/AAE (ALTON),SCA/CEN (OMARA),G/TIP (LEMAR-MEREDITH) SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SMIG ELAB KCRM PHUM PREL SUBJECT: KAZAKHSTAN: TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS DONOR COORDINATION MEETING ¶1. Summary: On April 24, the International Narcotics and Law Enforcement office (INL) hosted the inaugural Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Donor Coordination Meeting in Astana. Participating organizations are listed in para. 12. INL Astana, as TIP Coordinating Office in the Emfaswy, invkted internathno`l a ca representatives an$ OK`/&f)c)QLS toshARe0i~Vruylaof i~lQQQkkg~lmnkre.vtmlgerr/&$Tjc rcvhqucss and religious leaders; repatriation of victims of trafficking; and managing campaigns to reach out to the public and provide information on TIP. The INL Manager for TIP programs described projects with law enforcement, procurators, judges, and other security services to improve detection, investigation, prosecution, and conviction of traffickers through training and enhancing institutional capacity, including the establishment of an Anti-TIP Center within the Ministry of Internal Affairs Legal Institute. ¶3. IOM is the main partner and a primary implementer of anti-TIP activities in Kazakhstan for the Embassy INL Office and USAID. Katerina Badikova, Acting IOM Chief of Mission, briefed participants not only on IOM's TIP programs but also on the wide range of other activities related to assisting displaced persons, refugees, irregular, and regular migrants. (Note: Of no small importance is IOM's role in collecting and analyzing non-official TIP statistics, in part through the information obtained through the NGO network funded by USAID. Post uses this information extensively when preparing input for the annual TIP Report for Kazakhstan. End note.) ¶4. Eurasia Foundation Central Asia (EFFCA) representative Jeff Erlich briefed the group on his organization's Labor Migration Program. He pointed out that EFCA supports NGOs which in turn offer assistance to labor migrants, and EFCA also provides labor migration training directly to civil society and government officials. Erlich pointed out the connection between illegal labor migration and trafficking and advocated for closer ties with attending organizations to achieve complementary goals. ¶5. According to Tatiana Aderkhina, Program Officer for Child Protection, UNICEF concentrates its anti-TIP efforts on development of specific methods to assess child trafficking including unaccompanied minors, street children, children involved in begging, informal markets, prostitution etc. For this purpose Aderhkina reported that UNICEF plans to conduct an assessment study to cover both internal and external trafficking and look at both children who have been trafficked and those at high risk. The results of this survey will be available in July and, depending on the extent of the problem, UNICEF may raise the issue with the GOK to seek possible solutions. ¶6. OSCE Centre Human Dimension Officer Eugenia Benigni explained that the OSCE supports initiatives on combating trafficking that include organizing conferences aimed at raising TIP awareness among the general public, NGOs, and local authorities; and training for law enforcement officers through practical exercises. She said that future activities will include cooperative programs with NGOs and the introduction of a national referral mechanism for TIP victims to provide them with a pathway to assistance. -------------- INDIRECT TIP INTEREST -------------- ASTANA 00001147 002 OF 003 ¶7. First Secretary and Chief of the Astana Office of the Turkish Embassy, Mehmet Ucar, informed the group that his mission does not have an anti-TIP program and considers it better to address trafficking in the source countries, not a destination country like Turkey. He described the difficulties of intercepting trafficked individuals given the ease with which Central Asian countries can obtain a visa to Turkey. However, Ucar claimed that the Turkish government's efforts to combat overall crime would impact trafficking as well. He said that Turkey is increasing cooperation against organized crime and terrorism, trafficking and smuggling, begging and forced stealing, purse and bag snatching. Cooperation may be possible with the UNICEF program which focuses on children. Ucar said that to implement its programs, the Turkish government is promoting law enforcement training for officers from Turkey and countries in the Central Asia region at the Turkish International Academy against Drugs and Organized Crime (TADOC). ¶8. UNODC Regional Project Coordinator, Nina Keremi focused on the trafficking - HIV/AIDS nexus. She highlighted the high risk of AIDS for trafficked women and requested information on HIV/AIDS testing at TIP shelters established by IOM in Kazakhstan. Baidikova responded that all victims using the shelters are given medical assistance including HIV/AIDS testing if desired. Not all do, but out of 200 people tested in 2006 one victim tested positive for HIV and every fourth victim tested positive for STD. ¶9. Erlich of EFCA concurred with the idea that women trafficked for prostitution or enslaved were at higher risk of HIV/AIDS and noted the same problem occurs with illegal immigrants who cannot seek medical care or have no recourse to police protection when sexually or otherwise abused. He suggested that adding an HIV component to a migration project would be a worthwhile match of two compatible projects. ¶10. Amir Yelchibekov, UNDP Country Manager, reported that his organization did not have a anti-TIP program but he suggested it would be a good idea to conduct a joint training on trafficking for Border Guards at the Merke railway station on the Kazakhstan-Kyrgyzstan border as they are the first people who face migrants entering the country. INL Officer pointed out that recent experience combining anti-TIP training for Border Guards with MVD Officers and others was less than successful for the Border Guards. Continuing, he said training Border Guards to recognize trafficked individuals through suspicious documents or other characteristics was a useful suggestion and that INL had conducted fraudulent documents training for Border Guards several times over the past year but more could always be useful. -------------- MEETING OUTCOMES - LET'S DO IT AGAIN -------------- ¶12. The participants decided that for further coordination of anti-TIP activities, donors will meet on a quarterly basis. INL TIP Program Manager volunteered to develop and distribute a Joint Activity Calendar to include information about particular TIP events organized by each donor. The calendar will be updated and distributed to the participants on a monthly basis. The Quarterly meetings and monthly updated calendar will help donors to schedule their activities in a more efficient manner, avoid duplication of efforts to combat trafficking in persons. -------------- PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS -------------- ¶13. Regional INL Officer, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID),International Organization for Migration (IOM),United Nations Development Program (UNDP),United Nations Office for Drug and Crime (UNODC),United Nations Children's Emergency Funds (UNICEF),Organization for Security Cooperation in Europe(OSCE), Eurasia Foundation of Central Asia(EFCA),Turkish Embassy. Special guests of the meeting were the representatives of the General Procurator's Office and the Ministry of Interior. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶14. The broad participation and active interest of the attendees are a good basis for to continued dialogue on trafficking. The attendance of GOK representatives was a strong indication of GOK interest in combating TIP. ASTANA 00001147 003 OF 003 ORDWAY