HUMAN TRAFFICKING/SMUGGLING ON THE HAITIAN BORDER

UNCLAS PORT AU PRINCE 001910

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR WHA/EX AND WHA/CAR
G/TIP
S/CRS
SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD
STATE PASS AID FOR LAC/CAR
INR/IAA
WHA/EX PLEASE PASS USOAS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM HA
SUBJECT: HUMAN TRAFFICKING/SMUGGLING ON THE HAITIAN BORDER



1. Summary. Kenel Senatus of Solidarite Fwontalye, a human
rights/anti-human trafficking organization in Ouanaminthe,
reported that human trafficking and alien smuggling are
widespread and openly conducted at Haiti's northeastern
border with the Dominican Republic. Traffickers take both
adults and children across the border. Trafficked persons
are destined to become cheap manual labor, domestic servants,
or prostitutes. Weak GoH institutions remain ineffective in
combating the well-organized human trafficking trade. End
summary.


2. Poloff with two G/TIP staff members, on October 29, met
with members of Solidarite Fwontalye (SF) in Ouanaminthe,
which is located on Haiti's northeastern border with the
Dominican Republic (DR). SF is an NGO dedicated to the
promotion of human rights for Haitians living in the
northeastern border areas and to the prevention of human
trafficking across the Haiti/DR border. The meeting focused
on trafficking in persons, particularly children.


3. Kenel Senatus, the coordinator for human rights, noted
that the trafficking of persons across the Haiti/DR border is
widespread and openly conducted. Senatus claimed that most
trafficking occurred on market days, which are the days that
Haitians cross the border to Dajabon in order to buy goods to
bring back to Haiti. Traffickers take persons to the DR for
three reasons: cheap manual labor, domestic service, and
prostitution.


4. Senatus noted that children are also trafficked across
the border for the same reasons listed above, in addition to
forced begging. He added that he heard unconfirmed reports
that children are trafficked for their organs as well.
Senatus claimed that border traffickers on both sides of the
border sometimes bought children from internal traffickers,
that is, from persons who acquire the children from other
parts of the country and bring them to the border in order to
be sold. Senatus also claimed that sometimes the traffickers
just simply kidnapped the children they intended to traffic.
Senatus reported that the average age of trafficked children
is between 12-15 years old and that traffickers in the DR
often met and escorted away the children at the Dominican
border.


5. Senatus claimed that human traffickers employ a well
organized network, which includes persons who live off the
trafficking trade, such as those who rent rooms and provide
food to trafficking victims. Senatus said that officials on
both sides of the border are well aware of what is going on,
but that the Dominican authorities are selective in their
enforcement actions against traffickers and repatriation of
victims, while the Haitian authorities lack the capacity to
respond to the problem. The Haitian government institutions
responsible for protecting the well being of children, the
Institute for Social Well-Being and Research (IBESR) and the
Brigade for the Protection of Minors (BPM),are not on the
ground in Ouanaminthe. In fact, Senatus claimed that local
authorities refer cases to SF for follow-up. SF typically
does not intervene when adults go to the DR because Haiti
lacks a specific anti-trafficking law and adults often are
economic migrants who consent to being smuggled, but SF
attempts to intervene when children are involved. For this,
SF members are sometimes threatened and assaulted.


6. Comment. G/TIP recently awarded the Pan-American
Foundation (PADF) $250,850 to begin work on a Haiti/Dominican
Republic Cross-Border anti-trafficking project. The project
will be implemented in Ouanaminthe and PADF seeks to engage
SF as well as the Office of the Mayor of Ouanaminthe and the
local Office of National Migration in the project. SF's
involvement in the project is instrumental, since they
possess the local knowledge and experience necessary to build
the capacity of government actors on the border. During the
visit, Ouanaminthe migration officials demonstrated a
willingness to learn from SF. G/TIP hopes that the project
will result in increased victim assistance and strengthened
capacity and coordination among border officials and civil
society actors.
TIGHE