U.S. SPEAKER OFFERS STRATEGIES FOR TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS,

UNCLAS PARAMARIBO 000625 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT WHA/CAR for Jackie Rosholt, IIP/SDIS for Mona Esquetini, IIP/S for Camille Barone, WHA/PDA for APRUITT, G/TIP for Kathleen Bresnahan E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OIIP PHUM SOCI OEXC OPRC NS SUBJECT: U.S. SPEAKER OFFERS STRATEGIES FOR TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS, DOMESTIC ABUSE STAKEHOLDERS This cable is a program evaluation of FY 2008 U.S. SSI Speaker Vivian Huelgo, Program Tracker No. 30436, Suriname Portion ¶A. Name of Speaker: Vivian Huelgo, Sanctuary for Families ¶B. Dates of Program: November 28 through November 30 ¶C. MSP Themes Addressed: Goal #2: Strong democratic and judicial institutions, supported by effective law enforcement, and Goal #1: Mutual U.S./Suriname appreciation and respect contributing to a more effective partnership. ¶D. Summary: Strategic Speaker Initiative speaker Vivian Huelgo spoke to diverse audiences on trafficking in persons, violence against women, child abuse, and the connections between them. Her speech, workshop, and participation in Embassy events in support of Secretary Rice's initiative on action to stop violence against women SIPDIS brought together stakeholders for whom contact is sometimes rare and contentious, and highlighted the broader issue of domestic violence for the Surinamese public. ¶E. Audience reached and size: Huelgo was key note speaker at the public opening of a U.S. sponsored office for the police unit dedicated to fighting trafficking in persons (TIP),and her speech highlighted the connections between TIP and domestic abuse. Huelgo conducted an all-day workshop on domestic abuse with 22 representatives of the police, government, and non-governmental organizations, bringing together those who work intimately with the issue to discuss contentious issues of what should be considered domestic abuse and how to address it. Huelgo also was a featured guest at a lunch for leaders of stakeholder organizations, and conveyed important strategies for coordinated action and for fund-raising. Finally, Huelgo conducted one-on-one expert exchanges with the directors of three NGOs directly involved with domestic violence. ¶F. Effectiveness of the speaker in communicating intended messages to target audience: Huelgo's TIP-office speech received extensive media coverage, and several individuals subsequently contacted the Embassy requesting permission to attend Huelgo's workshop the following day. The workshop brought contentious issues to the fore, and allowed for important aware-raising discussions of what constitutes domestic abuse and how best to deal with it. In Suriname, where domestic abuse is often tolerated or stigmatized, the concept of not blaming the victim was itself eye-opening for many workshop participants, who said they were particularly pleased to have gained this perspective. ¶G. Type and Quality of IIP support: This program would not have occurred without the initiative of Embassy Port of Spain, IIP, and WHA/PDA in bringing its possibility to the attention of Post. Post is grateful for their assistance and information dispersal. In addition, IIP impressed post by working quickly to make sure this program happened successfully despite a very short turnaround time and three-post coordination. ¶H. Impact: Although there is a network of organizations to connect stakeholders working on the interconnected issues involved in domestic abuse, they do not always communicate smoothly, and the activities of Huelgo's visit provided multiple opportunities to bring them together, at which times Huelgo directed specific focus to possibilities for better coordination. Hence, with her public as well as her private meetings, Huelgo supported key Post goals of promoting mutual understanding and strengthening democratic institutions. (For more details on impact, see item F.) GENTON