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

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2007-2008 Action Plan Unveiled
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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.

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GOG Plans for Expanded Public Outreach and Victim Assistance
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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.

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USAID Program Assists in Case - Trafficker Gets 26 Years
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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