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.

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NGOs: Awareness, Training, and Assistance
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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.

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Government, State Fund, Shelter #2
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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

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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