MOZAMBIQUE: 2007 TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MAPUTO 000243 SIPDIS SIPDIS SENSITIVE STATE FOR G/TIP, G, INL, DRL, PRM, IWI, AF/RSA AF/S - H TREGER PASS TO USAID E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KCRM PHUM KWMN SMIG ELAB KFRD ASEC PREF MZ SUBJECT: MOZAMBIQUE: 2007 TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS REPORT REFS: A) 06 STATE 202745; B) 07 MAPUTO 207 MAPUTO 00000243 001.2 OF 002 -------------- OVERVIEW -------------- ¶1. (SBU) Mozambique is primarily a source country for men, women, and children trafficked to South Africa for forced labor and sexual exploitation. The use of forced and bonded child laborers is a common and increasing practice in rural areas, often with the complicity of family members. Women and girls also are trafficked internally from rural to urban areas of Mozambique for forced labor and sexual exploitation; young men and boys are similarly trafficked for farm work or domestic servitude. ¶2. (SBU) While the government and NGOs acknowledged trafficking to be a growing problem, porous borders and the removal of visa requirements for travel between Mozambique and South Africa in 2005 mean that the extent of the problem can only be roughly estimated. Traffickers often lured victims by promising better or higher paying jobs in South Africa. Trafficked Mozambicans often labored for months in South Africa without pay before the "employer" reports them as illegal immigrants or trespassers; they are then arrested and deported. Traffickers are typically part of small networks of Mozambican and/or South African citizens; however, involvement of larger Chinese and Nigerian syndicates in the trafficking of Mozambicans also has been reported. ¶3. (SBU) The Government of Mozambique does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. Despite a lack of resources and corruption among border authorities, Mozambique continued to take steps to improve anti-trafficking law enforcement initiatives during the reporting period. The Justice Ministry was expected to submit a draft trafficking in persons law to the Council of Ministers in March 2007, the final step before being debated in the National Assembly. To further its efforts in fighting trafficking, the government should prosecute and convict arrested traffickers, ensure the passage of anti-trafficking legislation, launch a comprehensive public awareness campaign, and increase its assistance to trafficking victims. -------------- Prevention -------------- ¶4. (SBU) While government officials in charge of trafficking issues acknowledged trafficking to be a growing problem, prevention efforts remained weak. Most anti-trafficking educational workshops were run by NGOs with government participation. Several such workshops were conducted during the reporting period in Maputo, Gaza, Inhambane, Sofala, and Nampula Provinces. The government supported other programs to prevent trafficking. For example, in recent years there has been a greater emphasis on and more resources dedicated to programs to keep children in school. During the year, law enforcement officials publicized several trafficking cases and government-owned media outlets consistently covered such stories. The government does not have a plan of action to combat trafficking, or a single person designated to coordinate the government's anti-trafficking efforts, although the draft trafficking law contains components addressing both issues. -------------- Investigation and Prosecution -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Mozambique continued to take steps to improve law enforcement efforts, although a paucity of training resources hindered greater efforts. While there is no law specifically prohibiting human trafficking, Mozambique's penal code includes at least 13 related articles under which trafficking cases can be charged. The Ministry of Justice was expected to submit a draft trafficking in persons law to the Council of Ministers in March ¶2007. The draft contains 33 articles and includes specific provisions on prevention, prosecution, and protection. Prior to the submission, the Ministry of Justice and the NGO Rede Came organized a series of forums for public debate over the draft law in southern, central, and northern parts of the country. ¶6. (SBU) Existing law prohibits rape but does not include provisions for spousal rape. Penalties range from two to eight years if the victim is 12 years of age or older, and eight to 12 years if the MAPUTO 00000243 002.2 OF 002 victim is under the age of 12. Prostitution is legal, although several laws against indecency and immoral behavior govern prostitution and restrict it to certain areas. The practice was widespread and particularly prevalent along major transportation corridors and border towns where long-distance truckers stayed overnight. ¶7. (SBU) During the reporting period, the Office of Women and Children in the Ministry of Interior reported 47 cases of trafficking in persons. Mozambican police broke up several trafficking schemes, apprehending several traffickers. In February 2007, police arrested a man in Manica attempting to traffic 24 people across the South African border. The 24 individuals were mostly young men, each of whom had paid $60 (1,500 meticais) to cross the border. ¶8. (SBU) The Interior Ministry, with support from UNICEF, conducted anti-trafficking training for almost 75 police officers in Gaza, Tete, and Zambezia provinces, after which the officers conducted public awareness campaigns for community police and school leaders; however, such training has not been extended force-wide. Many lower-ranking police and border control agents are suspected of accepting bribes from traffickers. ¶9. (SBU) In September 2006, Mozambique ratified the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress, and Punish Trafficking in Persons. In June 2003, Mozambique ratified ILO Convention 29 on Forced or Compulsory Labor and ILO Convention 182 concerning the Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labor. Mozambique ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in April 1994, and the UN Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution, and Child Pornography in March 2003. -------------- Protection and Assistance -------------- ¶10. (SBU) The government's efforts to protect victims of trafficking continued to suffer from a lack of resources; government officials regularly call on NGOs, such as the International Office on Migration, UNICEF, Terre des Hommes, Red Came, Save the Children, and the Civic Education Forum for assistance in the provision of shelter, food, counseling, and rehabilitation. During the reporting period, the Kulaya Healing Center in the Maputo Central Hospital assisted a small number of trafficking victims with medical care and counseling for up to three months each. In 2006 the Ministry of Interior expanded from 96 to 151 the number of offices within police stations for attending to women and child victims of violence, and provided victims' assistance training for police officers who deal with such cases; some of these offices provided emergency shelter and food for trafficking victims. ¶11. (SBU) A small Joint Committee for the Reception and Screening of Mozambicans Repatriated from South Africa, made up of NGOs and government officials and located at the Ressano Garcia border crossing, was overwhelmed by the thousands of Mozambicans deported each month and was not able to adequately screen these deportees to identify victims of trafficking. This problem was exacerbated by indifference reported by many deportees regarding immigration and border authorities. In May 2006, the civil society organization Civic Education Forum opened the country's first permanent shelter for trafficking victims in Moamba. The Moamba District government donated 20 hectares of land to be used to house the shelter and grow food for its residents. ¶12. (U) Embassy point of contact on TIP is Leonel Miranda, Economic-Political officer. Tel: 258 21 492 797 ext. 3423; fax: 258 21 490 448; cellular phone 258 82 319 8830. Principal FSO drafter (FS-3) spent 80 hours researching and drafting this cable. The Charge (FE-MC) spent one hour, and the DCM (FS-01) spent a total of four hours, including the editing/clearing process. Econ-Pol Chief (FS-2) spent 10 hours, and LES political assistant spent 40. Total hours: 135. JOHNSON