G/TIP VISITS GEORGIA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TBILISI 002708 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PHUM GG SUBJECT: G/TIP VISITS GEORGIA REF: A. TBILISI 204 ¶B. TBILISI 1764 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: In Tbilisi on October 22 and 23, G/TIP Officer Brittany Brown and EUR/PGI Officer Jody Buckneberg visited multiple NGOs and government agencies who comprise Georgia's joint effort to combat trafficking in persons (TIP). Accompanied by Emboffs, Brown and Buckneberg discussed the TIP situation in Georgia, and continuing efforts to combat it, with the following agencies. End Summary. -------------- NGOs: Awareness, Training, and Assistance -------------- ¶2. (U) On October 22, G/TIP met with Georgian Young Lawyers Association (GYLA). Primarily a tenacious government watchdog, GYLA is the implementing partner entering the last year of USAID's three-year "No to TIP!" project. As such, GYLA has implemented significant training and public awareness campaigns throughout Georgia, working closely with the Prosecutor General's office and the police. They recently adopted a four-year strategy to ensure GYLA's continued participation in combating TIP after USAID project wraps up. ¶3. (U) Tanadgoma and the Anti-Violence Network (AVN) were next. The two NGOs primarily provide support to victims of domestic violence and their families. The director of AVN also heads the domestic violence shelter in Tbilisi. In such capacity, and through personal relationships, AVN and Tanadgoma frequently encounter and assist TIP victims as well. They provided space in their shelter until the second TIP victim shelter was opened by the State Fund to Combat TIP in September 2007. They continue to provide professional assistance, victim care, and support information to families who need TIP assistance. The director of AVN is a member of the five-person "Mobile Group" that responds to TIP cases under Georgia's National Referral Mechanism (ref A). ¶4. (U) G/TIP then met with the OSCE. Although their Anti-TIP (A-TIP) officer recently left to work for the International Labor Organization (ILO),the OSCE is running several small grant projects to NGOs working on A-TIP activities this year. They also provide oversight to the Inter-agency Coordination Council to Combat Trafficking in Persons (ICC). The OSCE is also preparing to fund a nation-wide TIP research study to be conducted with ILO over the coming months. ¶5. (U) G/TIP met next with ILO, and their A-TIP officer who previously worked for the OSCE. ILO is focusing on researching and addressing TIP for labor purposes. In addition to the upcoming research study, ILO works on many other facets of TIP. Among these other activities, they are exploring additional ways to further improve victim identification and working with labor unions to broaden A-TIP efforts. ¶6. (U) The final meeting on September 22 was with the International Organization for Migration (IOM). IOM has been working on TIP issues in Georgia and the Caucasus since 2001. They work heavily on victim identification and assistance, including repatriation issues and transnational assistance cases. IOM also provides A-TIP training. They believe the government is leading the charge against TIP and takes the issue very seriously. Still, they acknowledge that sustained effort is necessary. -------------- Government, State Fund, Shelter #2 -------------- ¶7. (U) On October 23, the G/TIP team met with the Ambassador in the Embassy. They discussed upcoming requirements for 2008, including training of troops destined for peacekeeping missions overseas, proactively identifying victims, and addressing/determining demand for TIP victims. ¶8. (U) The visitors then met with Embassy INL officer and Emboffs working border security issues and training. The serious geological challenges facing Georgia's border security were detailed. ¶9. (U) Next G/TIP met with the State Fund for Victim Protection and Assistance (SFVPA). The director of the SFVPA has worked on TIP issues and domestic violence since 1998. The SFVPA primarily provides protection assistance to TIP victims. They oversee the implementation of the Rehabilitation and Reintegration Strategy (ref B) and also oversee the management of both Georgian government TIP victim shelters. In addition, the SFVPA oversees the national A-TIP TBILISI 00002708 002 OF 002 hotline. SFVPA has even begun sharing its experiences with other East European countries that are implementing their own A-TIP efforts. ¶10. (SBU) The G/TIP officers then visited the second TIP victim shelter in Tbilisi (opened in September, the first has operated for more than one year in Batumi.) They were able to visit with TIP victims, see the facilities, and speak with the staff. The facility is secure, newly renovated and clean, professionally-staffed with a nurse on-site, and is built to host up to 10 TIP victims at a time. Three victims were currently residing there. This second shelter enables TIP victims to more easily cooperate with investigations and prosecutions in the capital city. Prior to this second shelter, TIP victims would stay at the domestic violence shelter in Tbilisi during any court proceedings. (Note: The TIP victim's shelter is considerably bigger and better equipped than the city's lone, independently-operated domestic violence shelter. End note.) ¶11. (U) The next visit was to the Prosecutor General's (PG) office. The Prosecutor General chairs the ICC and his office coordinates all A-TIP activities within the government, the ICC, and in conjunction with NGOs. Naturally, the PG prosecutes trafficking cases, and provides statistics on TIP efforts. ¶12. (U) The next stop was with the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MOIA). The MOIA is the home of the Special Operations Department (SOD),which oversees and conducts TIP investigations. The Deputy Minister advised that the MOIA continues to train its existing and new officers on TIP awareness. They also continue to work proactively with all partner NGOs on TIP issues. The Director of SOD confirmed that his investigators do proactively investigate suspected TIP recruiters, and that they do have regionally-based units, which work in the regions and not just in Tbilisi. They are also working to involve their Community Police officers more in A-TIP efforts. SOD works with the SFVPA to operate the national A-TIP hotline. ¶13. (SBU) The final meeting was with Member of Parliament Lali Papiashvili. Papiashvili was the author and sponsor of the benchmark A-TIP law in 2006. She continues to champion A-TIP efforts throughout the ICC, the government, and with partner NGOs. This year she also sponsored and passed a law prohibiting benefiting from a TIP victim. She advised that this has been a difficult law to implement due to many gray areas of interpretation. She is encouraging a joint effort with the ILO to help prepare employers to address this problem. Still, she notes that TIP awareness and assistance is increasing, and that nationwide efforts are making progress. Papiashvili is now trying to further tighten Georgia's A-TIP legislation regarding child prostitution, and by extension trafficking of children. Officer Brown advised that G/TIP may be able to provide some examples of existing legislation governing child protection. TEFFT