GEORGIA OUTLINES ANTI-TIP PLANS FOCUSING ON

UNCLAS TBILISI 001145 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM GG SUBJECT: GEORGIA OUTLINES ANTI-TIP PLANS FOCUSING ON PROTECTION, PROSECUTION, AND PREVENTION -------------- 2007-2008 Action Plan Unveiled -------------- ¶1. On May 14, representatives from the Georgian government and civil society gathered to formally present the GOG's 2007-2008 Anti-TIP State Action Plan (emailed to EUR/CARC). The plan focuses on the "three Ps" of Protection of TIP victims, Prosecution of traffickers, and Prevention through public outreach. It is designed to coordinate and set benchmarks for the various actors involved in Anti-TIP efforts including GOG agencies, local NGOs, and international organizations. The presentation of the Action Plan was attended by an audience of around 50 people including NGO workers, GOG officials, and journalists. Representatives from the Prosecutor General's Office, the State Fund for Victim Protection and Assistance (SFVPA),the Georgian Young Lawyers Association (GYLA),the Georgian Parliament, US Embassy, and USAID gave remarks during the presentation. -------------- -------------- GOG Plans for Expanded Public Outreach and Victim Assistance -------------- -------------- ¶2. In a separate meeting on May 11, Deputy Prosecutor General Nona Tsotsoria gave Poloff a preview of new GOG Anti-TIP public outreach and victim assistance efforts. Tsotsoria said that the GOG Anti-TIP Coordination Council will begin producing a new newsletter which draws on GOG and NGO TIP statistics to produce analysis on Trafficking trends in Georgia and the region. The newsletter will be distributed among members of the Council and among interested domestic and international organizations. She added that the university outreach program, which began in January in Tbilisi, will be expanded to other regions of Georgia this year. She also expects joint SFVPA and Public Defender's Office seminars for journalists on how to report on TIP cases without releasing the identity of potential victims will begin this summer. ¶3. On victim assistance, Tsotsoria said the new, 100% GOG-funded, TIP victim shelter in Tbilisi will be up and running by September. She said the SFVPA is coordinating with NGOs and the Ministry for Economic Development to fulfill obligations in the 2007-2008 Action Plan to develop and implement programs to expand social rehabilitation and job-training for TIP victims to help them better integrate back into society. -------------- -------------- USAID Program Assists in Case - Trafficker Gets 26 Years -------------- -------------- ¶4. In April, a person convicted of trafficking 2 persons (one a minor),was sentenced to 26 years in prison. The victims worked closely with a lawyer provided at no charge through the USAID-funded, GYLA-implemented, "No to TIP" program. The lawyer worked with the victims from the moment their case began in September 2006, and was instrumental in protecting their identities through a successful petition to the judge which ensured that the trial was closed to the media and general public. The lawyer was also credited by law enforcement authorities for facilitating the victims cooperation on the case. TEFFT