LESOTHO: TIP REPORT RELEASE FILM SCREEENING STRIKES CHORD

UNCLAS MASERU 000347 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT ALSO FOR G/TIP, AF/PD, AF/S E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ELAB KWMN PGOV PHUM PREL SMIG KPAO LT SUBJECT: LESOTHO: TIP REPORT RELEASE FILM SCREEENING STRIKES CHORD REF: A) STATE 71163; B) STATE 77745 ¶1. SUMMARY: On June 12, hours after the release of the 2007 Trafficking in Persons report in Washington, Embassy Maseru held a presentation on the report's results and a screening of the IIP-supplied film "Human Trafficking." The event, attended by representatives of Lesotho's Gender and Child Protection Unit, the Lesotho Mounted Police, the diplomatic community, local NGOs, and Embassy Maseru's staff highlighted the horrors of trafficking in persons and the steps necessary to end this scourge. By following up the event with a press release detailing Lesotho's placement in the 2007 TIP report, Embassy Maseru's PAS helped raise the profile of trafficking issues in the Mountain Kingdom. END SUMMARY. -------------- Anti-Trafficking at "High Point" Cinema -------------- ¶2. On the evening of June 12, Embassy Maseru's Public Affairs Section (PAS) held a presentation and screening of the IIP-supplied film "Human Trafficking" to coincide with the release of the 2007 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report. The event, held at High Point Cinema at the Lesotho Sun Hotel, was attended by about thirty key individuals from various groups concerned about trafficking issues. The event was attended by representatives of Lesotho's Gender and Child Protection Unit, the Lesotho Mounted Police, the diplomatic community, local NGOs, and Embassy Maseru's staff. The PAO gave an introduction to the film addressing the moral repugnance of trafficking in persons, the purpose of the annual TIP report, and Lesotho's obligation to help in the international fight against trafficking in persons. The PAO also discussed the specific TIP report on Lesotho, catagorized as a "special case" by G/TIP. ¶3. The film "Human Trafficking," starring Mira Sorvino and Donald Sutherland, was well received by the audience. In conversations following the screening, attendees offered that the film presented trafficking in a realistic, horrifying, and generally non-exploitative fashion. The film appeared to have struck an emotional chord with many members of the audience. Two attendees asked for copies on the 2007 TIP report, which were provided the following day. Following the success of the film screening, on June 13, PAS faxed to Lesotho's primary media houses a press release which included G/TIP's fact sheet on human trafficking, an explanation of the 2007 TIP report, and Lesotho's status as a "special case." -------------- Momentum Needed on TIP Issues in Lesotho -------------- ¶4. COMMENT: Embassy Maseru's anti-TIP event was a success. While Lesotho's porous borders and economic hardship make trafficking a serious concern, the lack of documented cases keeps the issue under the radar in the Mountain Kingdom. We hope that events such as this one will help Embassy Maseru push forward our anti-trafficking agenda, including the passage of the stalled 2004 Child Protection Act and the passage of a definition of human trafficking in Lesotho's legal code to aid local prosecutors. END COMMENT. MURPHY