EGYPTIAN RESPONSE TO 2007 TIP REPORT

C O N F I D E N T I A L CAIRO 001776 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR NEA/ELA, G/TIP, DRL/CRA E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/11/2017 TAGS: PGOV PHUM ELAB SMIG KCRM KWMN EG SUBJECT: EGYPTIAN RESPONSE TO 2007 TIP REPORT REF: STATE 79554 Classified by ECPO Counselor Catherine Hill-Herndon for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) MFA's working-level official responsible for Trafficking in Persons, First Secretary Amira Fahmy, told poloff in a June 11 meeting that the GOE was displeased that the 2007 TIP report (reftel) said that some Egyptian cities may be "sex tourism" destinations. Poloff explained that this statement was based on the widely accepted phenomenon whereby adult male tourists from the Gulf states visit Cairo for the purpose of contracting temporary marriages, which are reported to be a cover for prostitution, sometimes involving females under age 18. Fahmy agreed that by this definition, Egypt did have a problem requiring attention by the GOE, but said that the TIP report will likely generate significant and negative media attention locally. "After all," she said, "Egypt is not Thailand." ¶2. (C) Fahmy reviewed with poloff recent GOE steps to combat trafficking, including the continued engagement on TIP by First Lady Suzanne Mubarak, the new draft child protection law (which is reported to include an anti-trafficking component),and a Cairo conference planned for late June to address national concerns about violence against children, including trafficking. Fahmy also noted that the GOE had formally commenced meetings of its new inter-ministerial committee to combat trafficking. Poloff noted that the USG is eager to see additional progress in the GOE's fight against trafficking, and emphasized that without additional significant progress against trafficking in 2007-8, Egypt runs a serious risk of being downgraded to Tier 3 in 2008. JONES