THE SEX INDUSTRY AS A POTENTIAL AVENUE FOR

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BRIDGETOWN 001530

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

SIPDIS

SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD
DEPT FOR PRM-DENZEL
DEPT FOR G/TIP-TAYLOR AND BRESNAHAN
DEPT FOR DRL-MAGGIO
DHS FOR CARIBBEAN ATTACHE-LEPORE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KCRM PHUM PGOV ELAB DR ST XL
SUBJECT: THE SEX INDUSTRY AS A POTENTIAL AVENUE FOR
TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS IN ST. LUCIA

REF: BRIDGETOWN 263


1. (U) SUMMARY: Various government officials and NGO
representatives are recognizing the possible existence of
trafficking victims in St. Lucia, particularly in the
commercial sex industry. Most foreign prostitutes fulfill
some technical elements of trafficking, even if they are
willing participants who do not feel coerced or imprisoned.
However, circumstantial and anecdotal evidence suggests that
more serious trafficking may exist in more "underground"
establishments. END SUMMARY


2. (SBU) PolOff gained the following information through
various meetings in October 2007 with the Gender Relations
Division, HIV/AIDS outreach office, and Human Services
Division, all in the Ministry of Health, as well as the St.
Lucia Planned Parenthood Association, the Caribbean
Association for Feminist Research and Action (CAFRA),and
members of the press.


3. (U) Trafficking in persons appears to exist in St. Lucia's
active sex industry, but might not meet the 100 victims
threshold under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act.
Trafficking appears to occur in three different ways: 1) in
"transparent" clubs of prostitution, where most employees do
not see themselves as coerced or enslaved, 2) less
transparent clubs where the trafficking is pushed
underground, and 3) the participation of minors in
transactional sex. Although no cases are currently
documented, anecdotal and historical evidence from gender
issues experts is significant.

TRANSPARENT CLUBS
--------------


4. (SBU) According to various government officials and NGO
representatives, formal prostitution is handled out of
brothels, strip clubs, or similar venues for commercial sex.
The vast majority of formal commercial sex workers are from
the Dominican Republic, with a few from other Caribbean
islands. Even though prostitution is illegal in St. Lucia, a
few clubs are open to government assistance and outreach for
education on HIV/AIDS, condoms, and health awareness. PolOff
learned in a meeting with Gender Relations and CAFRA that
these same clubs seem to consider their employees as an
investment, enforcing the worker's right to insist on condom
usage and not tolerating abusive customers.


5. (SBU) Most women working out of "transparent" clubs have
the characteristics of economic migrants, fully aware of and
willing to do the work involved in order to support families
in the Dominican Republic. However, these commercial sex
workers share a few characteristics with trafficking victims,
namely the surrendering of their passports to their new
employer until they are able to repay the transportation
costs. CAFRA, Gender Relations, and a press contact
confirmed to PolOff that, in St. Lucia, this is not a source
of long-term servitude. Most women are able to repay the
debt and retrieve their passports within a month or two,
after which they are free to return home or even find work at
a different club. Gender Relations confirmed that at least
one of these clubs expelled workers when learning the girls
were under-aged.


6. (SBU) In a meeting with CAFRA and Gender Relations,
though, PolOff learned that not all women flown over from the
Dominican Republic are aware of the work expected of them.
Those who are unaware are also expected to repay their debt
before returning home, clearly making these women trafficking
victims for a short time. In addition to the passport issue,
workers must rely on their employers to extend their
residence period with immigration authorities, a fact that
demands considerable cooperation.

THE DARKER CORNERS
--------------


BRIDGETOWN 00001530 002 OF 003



7. (U) A few of these clubs are open to outside assistance,
but experts agree that the majority of clubs keep their doors
closed to any outreach, rendering involved NGOs and
government offices unable to evaluate conditions or the
existence of trafficking. Limited anecdotal evidence has
lead a few experts to believe trafficking victims exists in
this environment. Gender Relations shared with PolOff a case
from early 2007 in which an immigration official suspected
irregular migration of women into St. Lucia. As a result of
her International Organization of Migration (IOM) training,
the officer handed the women a phone number to call if they
ran into a problem. These women learned that the conditions
and nature of work were not as they expected, called the
officer, and received help getting out of the situation
within 24 hours of arriving in St. Lucia.


8. (U) There are also rumors and historical experiences among
experts that prostituting minors, both male and female, has
existed at the less transparent institutions. Researchers
are unable to glean information from workers susceptible to
outreach because workers from the various clubs do not
intermingle with each other or share information about their
working conditions.

TRANSACTIONAL SEX
--------------


9. (SBU) Transactional sex also presents potential
trafficking issues. According to the experts on this issue,
these cases tend to involve 15 to 24 year old women providing
services to men over 40 for money, meals, jewelry, cell
phones, and other goods. There is no place of business to
raid or manager to arrest in cracking down on this form of
commercial sex. Many participants are voluntary, making it
difficult to find elements of trafficking, even if
under-aged. Others become dependent or enslaved in a
transactional relationship, be it emotionally, financially,
or through fear of abuse. Various agencies, including Gender
Relations, confirmed that there are also cases of
impoverished parents pushing their children into
transactional sex as a source of family income. (Note:
Transactional sex is common throughout the Eastern Caribbean,
as are cases of participants becoming dependent and
impoverished parents pushing children into such
relationships. End Note.)

CURRENT PROGRESS
--------------


10. (U) The Gender Relations Division, which heads the St.
Lucian anti-trafficking coalition (reftel),is taking
measures to identify victims and even help victims identify
themselves as victims. With assistance from IOM, funded by
PRM, St. Lucia is establishing a hotline for trafficking
victims and advertising it through various public service
announcements. Such a hotline is crucial in St. Lucia
because sex workers generally do not trust police or
immigration officers because members of these divisions tend
to comprise a significant amount of customers. Also, the
GOSL recently funded a research assistant position in the
Gender Relations Division, who will focus on gathering
empirical data on possible trafficking victims.


11. (U) Although PolOff's initial research focused on
trafficking victims in the sex industry, the GOSL recognizes
that more victims might exist in other labor sectors, such as
construction, particularly with the recent increase of
Chinese laborers. The Gender Relations Division, as head of
the government's anti-trafficking coalition, plans to
research this issue, as well.

COMMENT-HOW WE CAN HELP
--------------


12. (U) In the Eastern Caribbean, St. Lucia is one of the
most proactive countries to identify and combat trafficking
in persons. The country has done considerable work in

BRIDGETOWN 00001530 003 OF 003


establishing methods of operation for handling potential
victims. However, its resources are limited, hampering the
extent to which it can identify victims. Assistance to
identify victims, including empirical research, is the GOSL's
chief request.
HOWARD