VENEZUELA: VISIT OF G/TIP'S BARBARA FLECK

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 CARACAS 002229

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT PASS TO AID/OTI RPORTER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/26/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM KCRM KWMN VE
SUBJECT: VENEZUELA: VISIT OF G/TIP'S BARBARA FLECK

REF: A. CARACAS 01192


B. CARACAS 01234

C. CARACAS 01969

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Classified By: ACTING POLITICAL COUNSELOR DANIEL LAWTON
FOR REASON 1.4 (D)


1. (C) SUMMARY. Barbara Fleck, Reports Officer for the Office
to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (G/TIP),and
Emboffs met with Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (BRV)
officials and NGOs October 19-23 to discuss the government's
anti-trafficking efforts. MFA officials agreed to facilitate
meetings with BRV ministries, but were only able to arrange a
meeting at the MFA and at the National Women's Institute
(INAMUJER). Separately, Fleck and Emboffs met with the
International Organization for Migration (IOM),the Office of
the UN High Commissioner on Refugees (UNHCR),and local NGO
Women's Association for Well-Being and Reciprocal Assistance
(AMBAR). A meeting with the Scientific Investigations Police
unit (CICPC) was arranged via INAMUJER. The BRV is making
some efforts to combat TIP, primarily through its public
awareness campaigns; however, it lacks demonstrated law
enforcement efforts, victim assistance programs and reliable
data. Emboffs emphasized that progress on TIP should not be
hindered by other political considerations, and BRV officials
generally appeared receptive to this message. END SUMMARY.

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Request for Meetings
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2. (C) PolCouns and Poloff met with Yaneth Arocha, MFA
Director of the Office of Multilateral and North American
Affairs, and Marie Borregales, Desk Office for North America
and former First Secretary at the BRV Embassy in Washington,
to follow-up on meeting requests for the visit of Barbara
Fleck and Kathleen Bresnahan. (Note: The BRV's Embassy in
Washington declined to issue Bresnahan a visa before her
scheduled departure date. As a result, she did not
participate in the Venezuela portion of the regional visit.
End Note.) Arocha previously agreed to serve as our
interlocutor with other BRV ministries regarding TIP issues
after PolCouns and Poloff expressed frustration over the
inability to secure meetings. Poloff requested meetings with
the National Women's Institute (INAMUJER),the Ministry of
Tourism, and the Ministry of Interior and Justice.
Borregales told us she would schedule the meetings and
accompany us to them.

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TIP Report: "Unilateral" Document
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3. (C) Poloff and Fleck met with Yaneth Arocha October 19 to
discuss the BRV's efforts to combat trafficking in persons
(TIP) and to review the Department's minimum standards for
the elimination of trafficking. (Note: The Department has
designated Venezuela as a Tier 3 country in its Trafficking
in Person's Report since 2004. End Note.) As she has done
in previous TIP-related meetings, Arocha dismissed the
report's findings and referred to it as an "unilateral"
document, arguing that the report should be undertaken by a
multilateral organization and not by the USG (Ref. A).
Arcoha expressed frustration over the Department's grouping
of Venezuela in the same category as Cuba, saying "we are not
as bad as Cuba on this issue." She argued that the BRV has
made significant strides in combating trafficking and cited
its public awareness campaigns, a victim's assistance
hotline, and its alleged prosecution efforts against
traffickers.


4. (C) In response to Fleck's query about the kind of TIP
activities taking place in Venezuela, Arocha stated that
Venezuela is a transit point for victims of trafficking, not
a source of origin or final destination. As an example,
Arocha noted that recent raids on "traffickers" revealed they
were in the process of transporting persons from Andean
countries to the United States, the Caribbean, and Europe.
(Note: The offenders mentioned by Arocha were likely engaged
in alien smuggling, not trafficking. A persistent problem
with BRV statistics as well. End Note.) Arocha also argued
that trafficking is a relatively new problem in Venezuela and
that government ministries are still learning how to best
deal with this type of organized crime. In addition, Arocha
noted that ant-trafficking legislation is currently pending
in the National Assembly.


5. (C) Fleck acknowledged the BRV's anti-TIP efforts,

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particularly its public awareness campaigns and the hotline,
but noted that there remained significant areas for
improvement. Fleck underscored the Embassy's difficulty in
obtaining reliable statistics on TIP-related prosecutions and
victims. She argued that limited information sharing between
BRV ministries and Emboffs has made it difficult for post to
assess the BRV's anti-trafficking initiatives. In addition,
Fleck stressed the importance of educating BRV officials on
the difference between TIP and alien smuggling via training.
She noted that when the BRV's Embassy in Washington released
figures on "TIP" prosecutions in 2006 they related to cases
of alien smuggling, not trafficking.

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International Organizations on TIP
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6. (C) PolCouns and Fleck met with Marisol Fuves,
International Organization for Migration's (IOM's) Chief of
Mission, and Pierre Boudet, IOM Field Officer, October 19 to
discuss possible G/TIP funding opportunities. (Note: IOM
submitted a proposal for G/TIP consideration in April, which
did not reach paneling. IOM proposed to conduct a survey in
Zulia state to determine the scope of TIP activities on the
Colombian-Venezuelan border and develop a public awareness
campaign from the resulting data. End Note.) Fleck
mentioned that a call for anti-trafficking proposals would be
released by year's end, and encouraged IOM to submit a
proposal, keeping G/TIP funding priorities in mind. Fuves
told PolCouns and Fleck that IOM enjoys a positive working
relationship with the BRV, and that the BRV may not be
getting sufficient credit for its anti-trafficking public
awareness efforts, multilateral initiatives, and cooperation
with Interpol. IOM has provided training for government
officials and has collaborated with the BRV on several public
awareness campaigns, but noted difficulties with high
turnover in BRV staff. IOM also receives TIP victim
referrals from the BRV, and has worked on four repatriation
cases this year.


7. (C) Poloff and Fleck met with Magda Medina, Protections
Officer for the Office of the UN's High Commissioner on
Refugees (UNHCR),October 22 to discuss the scope of TIP
activities in country. Medina disagreed with Arocha's
assessment of Venezuela's TIP problem. Instead, she
characterized Venezuela as a source of origin and final
destination. Regarding the profile of TIP victims, she told
us that Venezuelan-born victims are trafficked primarily from
the interior of the country and later sold into prostitution
rings or placed in situations of forced labor. Sex tourism
in resort destinations, such as Margarita Island, is also
prevalent. Medina said UNHCR had received only a few
assistance requests from TIP victims in previous years. Most
cases involved persons of Venezuelan, Colombian, Haitian, and
Peruvian origin. In some instances, victims filed for
refugee status fearing reprisals from traffickers if they
returned to their country of origin. UNHCR is currently
working with a local partner to provide counseling and mental
health services for TIP victims, Medina said.


8. (C) When asked to assess the BRV's anti-TIP efforts,
Medina commended the government's initiatives in certain
areas but also noted room for improvement. Medina said the
BRV has increased its screening efforts for potential TIP
victims at national airports following UNHCR-provided
training. The BRV, however, has generally not provided
adequate services for victims. She told us that when victims
call the assistance hotline their cases are routed to local
anti-trafficking NGOs. Medina said the government does not
operate its own safe houses nor does it fund anti-trafficking
NGOs. Further, the BRV lacks the personnel to follow-up with
hotline referrals.

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Women's Ministry Offers Few TIP Programs
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9. (C) Poloff and Fleck met with Neyla Izturde, Women's
Rights Defender at the National Women's Institute (INAMUJER),
October 22. (Note: Borregales arranged the meeting and
participated in it. End Note.) In a cordial one-hour
meeting, Izturde provided a general overview of INAMUJER's
services, specifically those used by TIP victims. First, she
emphasized that INAMUJER serves as a liaison between victims,
anti-trafficking NGOs, and government law enforcement
agencies. She noted that the Institute regularly refers
victims to AMBAR, a local victim's assistance NGO, and works
closely with the Scientific Investigations and Criminal

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Police Unit (CICPC),which is charged with investigating TIP
cases. She also briefed us on INAMUJER's anti-violence
workshops which refer to trafficking as a form of "violence"
against women.


10. (C) Izturde was visibly proud of INAMUJER's public
awareness campaign. She showed us between five and ten
different posters that provided information on victim's
assistance programs and the BRV's hotline. Some of the
posters dealt with sex tourism, forced labor, and
prostitution, while others warned against on-line predators
and encouraged victims to prosecute traffickers. Izturde
said the posters could be found in most airports, in
INAMUJER's regional offices, and in police stations
nationwide.


11. (C) Izturde estimated that INAMUJER received between nine
and eleven trafficking cases last year. She acknowledged
that government statistics on TIP cases were difficult to
obtain and said that the data INAMUJER managed was for
internal use only. Additionally, she asserted that
trafficking is a relatively new phenomenon in Venezuela. As
a result, BRV officials (and INAMUJER) are more focused on
combating other forms of "violence" against women, such as
spousal abuse. Regarding specific TIP cases, Izturde said
that she knew of several cases where traffickers placed ads
for models in regional newspapers and then lured respondents
to Caracas under false pretenses of employment.


12. (C) Izturde was open and forthcoming about INAMUJER's
programs, but she could not answer many of our TIP-related
questions. She suggested we speak with one of her contacts
at the CICPC. Initially, Borregales declined the offer,
saying she already had requested a meeting and was awaiting
confirmation. Borregales conceded to the meeting upon
further insistance and offered to accompany us.

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Investigating TIP Cases
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13. (C) Poloff, Fleck, and Borregales met with
Sub-Commissioner Eliett Valena and social worker Norma
Ayesterano of the CICPC following our meeting at INAMUJER.
Valena explained that CICPC is charged with investigating
TIP-related cases, providing legal assistance to victims, and
prosecuting traffickers. She noted that CICPC received its
first trafficking case four years ago, making trafficking a
relatively new issue for them. Valena, like other BRV
officials, argued that Venezuela is primarily a transit point
for TIP victims en route to Europe and the United States.
Valena and Ayesterano said that the majority of TIP cases
they dealt with involved young Venezuelan girls who were
forced into prostitution rings. Valena added that TIP
victims were usually referred to CICPC by INAMUJER or by the
assistance hotline.


14. (C) Valena blamed the victims for CICPC's lack of
trafficking prosecutions. She argued that the majority of
victims prefer to not file charges because of lengthy court
delays or fear of reprisal from traffickers. Regarding
government-provided services, she acknowledged that the BRV
does not operate safe houses and relies exclusively on
anti-trafficking NGOs. Ayesterano also commented that
government-provided mental health and medical services were
lacking.

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Anti-TIP NGO Plans Next Move
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15. (C) Poloff and Fleck met October 23 with Nury Pernia,
President of the prominent anti-trafficking NGO Women's
Association for Well-Being and Reciprocal Assistance (AMBAR),
to discuss future funding opportunities and to visit AMBAR's
facilities. (Note: AMBAR was the recipient of the Economic
Support Fund (ESF) Grant approved by G/TIP (Ref.B). End
Note.) She also noted AMBAR's work with sexually exploited
youth and child prostitutes, who are typically extremely poor
girls from the interior of the country, lured to Caracas with
false job offers. Since January 2007, AMBAR personnel have
found at least seven trafficking victims in the streets of
Caracas. In Pernia's view, child prostitution is a growing
phenomenon in Venezuela, one which the BRV does not identify
as a form of trafficking in persons. Following the
discussion, we toured AMBAR's "A House and a Home" project,
which was established via the ESF grant.


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16. (C) Separately, Pernia expressed concern about President
Chavez' constitutional reform package and its implications
for NGOs. Pernia specifically mentioned Chavez' proposed
changes to Article 67 which would prohibit "political
organizations" from receiving monies from international
donors (Ref. C). (Note: The BRV (incorrectly) categorizes
local NGOs as "political organizations" with "political
ends." End Note.) Pernia said the reform would make it
increasingly difficult, if not impossible, for AMBAR to
continue its operations in Venezuela. AMBAR derives a
portion of its revenue from its pre-school and day care
center, but it is heavily dependent on grants from
international donors. Pernia told us she is considering
relocating AMBAR's headquarters to Colombia where she would
seek grants that would allow her to funnel resources to AMBAR
centers in the greater Caracas area.


17. (C) When asked about Venezuela's national plan to combat
trafficking, Pernia said she was not hopeful the plan would
pass in the coming months. As we spoke, Pernia received an
email from the committee charged with drafting the plan,
asking her to submit revisions to a new draft version of the
document. She was surprised by the email and said she had
not heard from the committee in months. Pernia speculated
that the email was prompted by Fleck's visit.


18. (C) Pernia said her working relationship with BRV
dependencies on TIP issues varies greatly. On the one hand,
INAMUJER is too politicized, she said. This makes it
difficult to coordinate services and work on technical
issues, such as the national plan of action. On the other
hand, CICPC and AMBAR work closely on a number of issues and
are in contact on a regular basis. She qualified the CICPC
as generally helpful when it comes to assisting victims with
their cases, providing protection, and referring victims to
AMBAR.

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Comment
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19. (C) The MFA's assistance in facilitating our meeting with
INAMUJER is noteworthy, although the BRV did not deliver on
other ministry meetings. Borregales' hesitation to attend an
impromptu meeting with CICPC officials was likely due to her
fear that they would elaborate on topics that had not be
cleared by the MFA. Interestingly, CICPC officials towed the
BRV line even without prior notice of our visit. Separately,
this was the first time Pernia disclosed plans to relocate to
Colombia. Her move is improbable but it indicates that she,
and possibly other NGO leaders, are fine-tuning their "Plan
B."


20. (C) Emboffs emphasized the importance of BRV officials
cooperating with the USG on TIP-related issues. Judging from
Arocha's response to the TIP report, however, it is evident
that she feels burned by the Department's Tier 3 ranking, a
clear irritant to the BRV, which views itself as a regional
anti-TIP leader. Nevertheless, it is our assessment that
Arocha and Borregales are willing to work with us on this
issue if they feel they can garner some positive results.


DUDDY