MOVE TO LEGALIZE PROSTITUTION THWARTED

UNCLAS SOFIA 001329

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR G/TIP, G, INL, DRL, IWI, PRM, EUR/PGI, EUR/NCE
DEPARTMENT PASS TO USAID
DOJ FOR OPDAT

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM KCRM KWMN SMIG KFRD ASEC PREF PGOV BU
SUBJECT: MOVE TO LEGALIZE PROSTITUTION THWARTED

REF: SOFIA 00259


1. (U) SUMMARY: Bulgarian NGOs and their government allies, with
strong Embassy and USG support, succeeded in defeating legislation
backed by business interests and the National Tourism Board to
legalize prostitution. This marks a victory in our anti-TIP effort.
We will keep our guard up as proponents of legalization are likely
to try again given the profits at stake. END SUMMARY.


2. (U) Bulgaria has been a source country for human trafficking.
EU accession, a growing economy, and the boom in tourism have
contributed to Bulgaria also increasingly becoming a destination
country for trafficking in persons, particularly for sexual
exploitation. Prostitution is not prohibited by the country's law,
but is also not legally regulated. In February 2007, an interagency
working group led by Deputy Interior Minister Kamen Penkov began
drafting legislation to regulate prostitution. The National Tourism
Board, the strongest proponent of the effort, argued that the
increase in unregulated prostitutes in the streets scared away
tourists and that prostitutes should work in designated places and
hotels. The drafting group kept a low profile, occasionally leaking
statements highlighting the health benefits for the prostitutes and
the tax revenues for the state budget.


3. (U) The Embassy mobilized against this draft legislation,
spurring NGO's and individual members of Parliament and Ministry
officials by warning that legalization would undermine GOB
anti-trafficking efforts and give organized crime figures another
way to legalize their activities. To raise the volume of public
debate on the issue, the Embassy and Senior Coordinator for Public
Outreach G-TIP Eleanor Gaetan supported an Anti-Trafficking
conference on October 5 organized by former Foreign Minister
Nadezhda Mihailova and supported by our NGO allies. The Ambassador
was the first high level guest to confirm attendance at this event,
encouraging others to attend. The press widely (and mostly
positively) reported his remarks emphasizing the negative
consequences of legalizing prostitution. Ms. Gaetan addressed the
draft legislation more directly as a subject matter expert and
outlined how legalized prostitution can harm women. Some senior GOB
opponents of legalization also attended the conference and spoke
out, including Prosecutor General Boris Velchev and, for the first
time in public, Interior Minister Roumen Petkov.


4. (U) On October 18,EUR DAS Graffy spoke at an EU Anti-trafficking
Day press conference in Sofia. Following DAS Graffy's spirited
comments, Interior Minister Petkov expressed his personal opinion
that legalizing prostitution "would be a big mistake." Petkov's
statement that day effectively ended the efforts, initiated within
his ministry, to draft legislation for legalization.


5. (U) COMMENT: Bulgarian anti-trafficking advocates have reached
consensus against legalizing prostitution and, with post's support,
they have won over key GOB officials. We have won this battle, but
the issue could resurface. There is too much money at stake, and
too many vested interests for legalized prostitution to fade away
completely. Our guard is up, as is that by an energized NGO
community and anti-trafficking activists. We will bear down in
reinforcing the message in public and private that Bulgaria has made
significant progress in combating trafficking, and can do still
more. END COMMENT.
BEYRLE