VENEZUELA: PROPOSAL SUBMISSION FOR G/TIP FUNDING

UNCLAS CARACAS 000787 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT PASS TO G/TIP KBRESNAHAN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM ELAB KCRM ASEC PREL SMIG VE SUBJECT: VENEZUELA: PROPOSAL SUBMISSION FOR G/TIP FUNDING REF: SECSTATE 028159 ¶1. (U) Per reftel, Post submits the following executive summary of an anti-trafficking in persons project proposal for G/TIP funding. -------------- Project Information -------------- ¶2. (U) Please find the requested project information below: -- Name of the applicant: International Organization for Migration, Venezuela (IOM). -- Requested funding amount: USD 242,334. -- Project title: Prevention of Trafficking in Persons in the Adolescent Population in Zulia State, Venezuela. -- Project duration: Eighteen months. -------------- Project Proposal -------------- ¶3. (U) Since 2004, Venezuela has been listed as a Tier 3 country in the State Department's Annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report. The number of trafficking victims and the type of trafficking that occurs in Venezuela is largely unknown due to a lack of systematic data collection and analysis. Without this information, it has become increasingly difficult for the national government and international organizations to formulate and implement adequate prevention and victim's assistance programs. Venezuela is only beginning to develop a national plan of action to combat TIP, although some government officials have begun to recognize the extent of the problem, particularly in the border regions. Zulia state, in the northwestern part of the country, shares a long and porous border with Colombia and has a population of over three million people. The continuous influx of Colombian citizens into Venezuelan territory, lax immigration controls, and the presence of illegal Colombian armed groups increases the potential for TIP-related problems such as forced labor and sexual exploitation. ¶4. (U) This project proposes to generate national and local policies to combat TIP by developing the first qualitative and quantitative analysis on TIP in Zulia state, followed by a public awareness campaign geared at adolescents, considered the most vulnerable population to trafficking. The assessment will better permit IOM and the Venezuelan government to gauge the number of TIP victims and identify the most prevalent types of trafficking that occur in the border region. Potential victims (high school students), border and immigration officials, and public officials will participate in the survey. The results of the survey will help define policies to prevent TIP. The results will also spur discussion on the need to draft and implement a national plan of action to combat TIP. Using the results of the survey, IOM will develop an information campaign geared at the adolescent population. The public awareness campaign will be developed in close coordination with high schools students and rely on traditional public awareness promotion methods such as posters, brochures, workshops, and roundtable discussions, as well as unconventional methods, including theater and music. IOM will seek the support of well-known artists and athletes to participate in the awareness campaign. The campaign will benefit an estimated 6,000 at-risk adolescents in Zulia state. BROWNFIELD