Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07VIENTIANE325
2007-04-20 09:56:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Vientiane
Cable title:
Anti-Trafficking in Persons Proposals for Laos
how-toVZCZCXYZ0002 PP RUEHWEB DE RUEHVN #0325/01 1100956 ZNR UUUUU ZZH P 200956Z APR 07 FM AMEMBASSY VIENTIANE TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1140
UNCLAS VIENTIANE 000325
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR EAP/MLS
DEPT FOR G/TIP
DEPT FOR DRL
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ASEC ELAB KCRM PHUM PREL SMIG LA
SUBJECT: Anti-Trafficking in Persons Proposals for Laos
Ref: A) 07 STATE 28143, B) April 12 Terry Mobley, Amy LeMar, and
Rebecca Billings Email, C) April 9 Jane Sigmon and Ambassador
Haslach Email, D) April 19 Jane Sigmon and Terry Mobley Email
UNCLAS VIENTIANE 000325
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR EAP/MLS
DEPT FOR G/TIP
DEPT FOR DRL
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ASEC ELAB KCRM PHUM PREL SMIG LA
SUBJECT: Anti-Trafficking in Persons Proposals for Laos
Ref: A) 07 STATE 28143, B) April 12 Terry Mobley, Amy LeMar, and
Rebecca Billings Email, C) April 9 Jane Sigmon and Ambassador
Haslach Email, D) April 19 Jane Sigmon and Terry Mobley Email
1. Following are the anti-trafficking in persons proposals received
by Embassy Vientiane. In total, eleven completed proposals were
submitted by four non-governmental organizations, two international
organizations, and one for-profit Lao enterprise. The following
organizations submitted proposals: The International Office for
Migration (1); The Asia Foundation (1); Village Focus International
(1); Save the Children Australia (2); the United Nations Office on
Drugs and Crime (2); Assistance for Women in Distressing Situations
(2); and SML Legal Consultants (2). Embassy Vientiane recommends
funding of the five ESF and INCLE proposals summarized in paragraph
three, all of which address serious deficiencies identified in the
Annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report for Laos and the Interim
Assessment. The remaining six proposals are listed briefly at the
end of the cable. Additionally, the U.S. Department of Justice
submitted a draft proposal on April 19. The Embassy asked that DOJ
scale back the proposal and email the final version directly to
G/TIP (see Comment Section). The other eleven completed proposals
with budgets and resumes will be sent by email to G/TIP Rebecca
Billings per reftel and ref email.
2. Embassy points of contact are Political Officers Terry Mobley,
MobleyTD@state.gov, and Harvey Somers, SomersHA@state.gov. (Note:
Beginning June 1, 2007, Public Diplomacy Officer Amy Archibald,
ArchibaldAE@state.gov, will replace Terry Mobley as the primary
Embassy point of contact for TIP-related activities. End Note.)
3. Proposal summaries follow in order of priority, as determined by
the Embassy.
Proposal One
--------------
A. NAME OF APPLICANT ORGANIZATION
International Office for Migration (IOM)
B. REQUESTED FUNDING AMOUNT
USD 398,719
C. PROJECT TITLE
Project for Building a Comprehensive Reception, Recovery, and
Reintegration Support Process for Victims of Trafficking in Lao PDR
D. PROJECT DURATION
Two Years
E. PROPOSAL ABSTRACT
Reception and reintegration services in the Lao PDR, though
improved, lag far behind similar systems and structures established
in Thailand and Cambodia. Given the sharp increase in the number of
Lao victims of trafficking returned through IOM's Regional Return
and Reintegration Program since initiated in 2000, the lack of Lao
Government capacity represents a serious need. Lao TIP victims who
require return and reintegration assistance account for more than
half of the total number of returned TIP victims within the region
who have been assisted under IOM's existing Return and Reintegration
Program.
Through the efforts of this project, the ability of the Lao
Government to successfully reintegrate returning victims of
trafficking through an institutionalized case management and
referral process will be greatly improved leading to a reduction in
both time delays for returning victims home and subsequent prospects
for re-trafficking. The project will also put in place an
established framework for providing assistance services for cases of
internal trafficking as well as cases referred to the Lao Ministry
of Labor and Social Welfare (MLSW) outside of the formal return
process. Extending reception services beyond Vientiane to
Savannakhet and other border provinces with high prevalence of
trafficking will also be assessed as part of this project.
The project will also contribute to the Lao Government's ability to
contribute to regional collaboration efforts outlined in the
Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation Against Trafficking in
Persons in the Greater Mekong Region (COMMIT) signed in 2004 as well
as to fulfill its responsibilities under the bilateral MOU on
trafficking signed with Thailand in 2005.
Proposal Two
--------------
A. NAME OF APPLICANT ORGANIZATION
Village Focus International (VFI)
B. REQUESTED FUNDING AMOUNT
USD 139,150
C. PROJECT TITLE
Legal Advocacy and Victim Support
D. PROJECT DURATION
Year One of a Planned Five Year Project
E. PROPOSAL ABSTRACT
One of the major problems facing citizens in the Lao PDR - in all
sectors and at all levels - is the lack of access to legal rights
information, in a language or format that the recipient can
understand and use in daily life. Typically, local officials and
local people alike are not aware of the existing body of laws and do
not know how these laws are relevant to their lives. In regard to
trafficking and related issues, there is no comprehensive document
that organizes all trafficking-related laws and decrees together and
interprets them in a reader-friendly way. Furthermore, most
vulnerable peoples - those that are most likely to be trafficked -
are often illiterate and/or ethnic minority peoples who do not
speak, read or write Lao and do not understand complex written
materials; therefore, they remain ignorant of both their rights and
responsibilities under the law. This project addresses the need to
create a comprehensive legal advocacy program on trafficking that
focuses on information delivery to diverse and semi-literate or
illiterate people as well as a parallel trainer curriculum for
government staff and NGO workers.
This project will develop legal advocacy materials and guidebooks
for national use in the Lao language (including radio programs,
theatre productions, posters, etc.) and at least one minority
language. The project will also link legal advocacy to village
education and to victims of trafficking and will create a system for
victim referrals to proper agencies for reintegration, protection,
and training.
Expected Results of the project include: a Legal Guidebook on
Rights/Responsibilities regarding trafficking, labor migration, and
child rights; Lao language and Katang language radio serials on
trafficking and labor migration; a trainer guidebook in the Lao
language to guide listener groups in the above materials; a youth
theater troupe trained to deliver shows on trafficking and labor
migration issues; an expanded and improved database of trafficking
victims coordinated through the Asia Against Child Trafficking
network of NGOs; a system for referring victims to government and/or
NGO shelters & education programs; and a provincial Campaign Against
Child Trafficking in Salavan Province.
Proposal Three
--------------
A. NAME OF APPLICANT ORGANIZATION
The Asia Foundation (TAF)
B. REQUESTED FUNDING AMOUNT
USD 205,692
C. PROJECT TITLE
Strengthening Protection for Victims of Trafficking and Prosecution
of Traffickers in Laos
D. PROJECT DURATION
Two Years
E. PROPOSAL ABSTRACT
Laos faces a serious human trafficking problem without the necessary
capacity to counter it. The Law on Development and Protection of
Women, passed in 2004, is generally recognized as providing an
adequate legal framework for the protection of victims and the
prosecution of traffickers. Yet the Law is not widely understood by
those charged with its enforcement, rendering it largely
ineffectual. Furthermore, at present there is no coordinated effort
among government agencies, service providers, and anti-trafficking
professionals to implement the Law, resulting in poor protection of
victims and weak efforts toward prosecuting traffickers.
The Asia Foundation will draw on its extensive experience in
combating trafficking in the Mekong Region and the technical
expertise of its local staff based in Bangkok to strengthen
services, systems, and coordination efforts in Laos to adequately
protect victims and strengthen the prosecution of traffickers.
Activities will fall under two objectives: 1) to increase
enforcement of the Law on Development and Protection of Women; and
2) to ensure that interventions to protect victims and prosecute
traffickers are well coordinated and sustainable. Expected results
include: improved capacity of the legal sector to combat trafficking
in persons; increased government commitment to countering
trafficking; strengthened rule of law in regard to trafficking in
persons; and improved protection of victims' rights.
Proposal Four
--------------
A. NAME OF APPLICANT ORGANIZATION
Save the Children Australia (SCA)
B. REQUESTED FUNDING AMOUNT
USD 144,400
C. PROJECT TITLE
Strengthening Anti-Human Trafficking Responses in Northern Lao PDR
D. PROJECT DURATION
Twenty Months
E. PROPOSAL ABSTRACT
The Lao national response in dealing with human trafficking is
improving. However, Laos lacks the capacity to adequately and
appropriately deal with issues and cases of trafficking and
migration, particularly amongst its frontline police and immigration
officials who work along the border areas. Despite the
establishment of the Lao Anti-People Trafficking Unit (LAPTU) in
Vientiane Municipality (and a smaller unit in Bokeo Province),
funding constraints have prevented the dissemination of specially
designed anti-trafficking training to police in provincial areas.
This has created a gap between the central-level anti-trafficking
response and actual implementation within the border areas where it
is most needed.
As part of SCA's Cross-Border Anti-Human Trafficking efforts, this
project will support the training of frontline police, immigration
and other local officials within the northern provinces of Luang
Namtha, Bokeo and Sayaboury. The project will also raise awareness
amongst key provincial and district-level staff members from the Lao
Youth Union (LYU),Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare (MLSW),and
the Lao Women's Union (LWU). Additionally, the project will raise
awareness among village authorities of the role that local
authorities should play in identifying and dealing with cases of
human trafficking.
SCA will also support the dissemination of information and the
practical application of the 2004 Law on Development and Protection
of Women, the National Children's Law, as well as other relevant
laws and regulations. During project implementation and beyond,
training participants and community stakeholders will be further
supported by forging practical links and engaging with SCA's other
projects in the northern provinces - namely, SCA's Cross-Border
Project, Youth at Risk Project, Womens' Socio-Economic Empowerment
Project, and Children's Justice Project. A Monitoring and
Evaluation Plan will be developed in the initial stages of this new
project in line with SCA's Program Quality Framework.
Proposal Five
--------------
A. NAME OF APPLICANT ORGANIZATION
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
B. REQUESTED FUNDING AMOUNT
USD 187,500
C. PROJECT TITLE
Strengthening of the Legal and Law Enforcement Institutions to
Prevent and Combat Human Trafficking in the Lao PDR
D. PROJECT DURATION
This project was originally undertaken for two years in October
2006. The governments of Canada, Norway, and Sweden have provided
all but USD 187,500 of the total USD 448,500 project costs. UNODC
plans to extend the project for one to two additional years
contingent on further funding.
E. PROPOSAL ABSTRACT
The project was initiated in October 2006 and aims at strengthening
the capacity of criminal justice institutions in the Lao PDR,
including the judiciary and the government law enforcement bodies,
to prevent and combat human trafficking and related forms of
organized crime. The project assesses the implementation of the
Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons,
particularly Women and Children (TIPP). The project's main
objective is to enhance Lao criminal justice mechanisms and law
enforcement against trafficking in human beings. This takes place
through encouraging proposed amendments to Lao criminal law
provisions, and training criminal justice practitioners and law
enforcement officials in order to strengthen the country's capacity
to investigate, prosecute, and convict traffickers as well as
protect victims.
4. OTHER PROPOSALS
Proposal Six: Organization: Assistance for Women in Distressing
Situations; Project: Repatriation, Rehabilitation, and
Reintegration of Victims of Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation in
the Lao PDR; Duration: One Year; Budget: USD 140,570.
Proposal Seven: Organization: SML Consultants; Project: TIP
Training for Prosecutors and Law Enforcement Officers; Duration:
One Year; Budget: USD 100,430.
Proposal Eight: Organization: Assistance for Women in Distressing
Situations; Project: Social Enterprise Project for the
Reintegration of Women Victims of Trafficking for Sexual
Exploitation; Duration: One Year; Budget: USD 94,220.
Proposal Nine: Organization: SML Consultants; Project: TIP
Training for Judges; Duration: One Year; Budget: USD 48,908.
Proposal Ten: Organization: Save the Children Australia; Project:
Research into Trafficking and Human Security of Selected Ethnic
Communities in Northern Laos; Duration: Two Years; Budget: USD
170,550.
Proposal Eleven: Organization: United Nations Office on Drugs and
Crime; Project: Combating a Root Cause of Human Trafficking;
Duration: Two Years; Budget: USD 370,640.
Comments
--------------
5. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) submitted a draft proposal
to the Embassy on April 19. In the form it was submitted, the
Embassy felt several aspects of the proposal are not feasible in
Laos at this time, particularly the concept of posting a full-time
contractor in Vientiane. According to DOJ, the contractor would not
be under NSDD38 authority, which would not be acceptable to the
Embassy. Additionally, the posting of a full-time contractor in
Laos would not be accepted by the Lao Government. Working directly
with Lao law enforcement is also a non-starter. However, the
elements of the proposal dealing with the training of trainers as
well as translating and using some aspects of DOJ's model TIP
program that was developed in Indonesia would potentially be very
useful in Laos and might possibly be implemented via DOJ's Bangkok
office. The Embassy requested that DOJ consider scaling back its
draft proposal, focusing on development of a law enforcement manual
and periodic training seminars potentially organized in cooperation
with DOJ staff members at Embassy Bangkok, who have regional
responsibilities. We have asked that DOJ send its final proposal by
email to Rebecca Billings and Amy LeMar, copying the Embassy.
6. Based on the Embassy's communication with G/TIP, it appears
World Vision's 2006 TIP project may be funded with FY 06 funds (Ref
C). In the event World Vision's 2006 proposal is not funded,
however, World Vision has submitted a revised version of the same
proposal (expanded somewhat) this year. As per G/TIP's advice, the
Embassy did not include that proposal among proposals received for
FY 07 (Ref D). The Embassy will, however, forward the revised World
Vision proposal to G/TIP Rebecca Billings by email.
HASLACH
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR EAP/MLS
DEPT FOR G/TIP
DEPT FOR DRL
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ASEC ELAB KCRM PHUM PREL SMIG LA
SUBJECT: Anti-Trafficking in Persons Proposals for Laos
Ref: A) 07 STATE 28143, B) April 12 Terry Mobley, Amy LeMar, and
Rebecca Billings Email, C) April 9 Jane Sigmon and Ambassador
Haslach Email, D) April 19 Jane Sigmon and Terry Mobley Email
1. Following are the anti-trafficking in persons proposals received
by Embassy Vientiane. In total, eleven completed proposals were
submitted by four non-governmental organizations, two international
organizations, and one for-profit Lao enterprise. The following
organizations submitted proposals: The International Office for
Migration (1); The Asia Foundation (1); Village Focus International
(1); Save the Children Australia (2); the United Nations Office on
Drugs and Crime (2); Assistance for Women in Distressing Situations
(2); and SML Legal Consultants (2). Embassy Vientiane recommends
funding of the five ESF and INCLE proposals summarized in paragraph
three, all of which address serious deficiencies identified in the
Annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report for Laos and the Interim
Assessment. The remaining six proposals are listed briefly at the
end of the cable. Additionally, the U.S. Department of Justice
submitted a draft proposal on April 19. The Embassy asked that DOJ
scale back the proposal and email the final version directly to
G/TIP (see Comment Section). The other eleven completed proposals
with budgets and resumes will be sent by email to G/TIP Rebecca
Billings per reftel and ref email.
2. Embassy points of contact are Political Officers Terry Mobley,
MobleyTD@state.gov, and Harvey Somers, SomersHA@state.gov. (Note:
Beginning June 1, 2007, Public Diplomacy Officer Amy Archibald,
ArchibaldAE@state.gov, will replace Terry Mobley as the primary
Embassy point of contact for TIP-related activities. End Note.)
3. Proposal summaries follow in order of priority, as determined by
the Embassy.
Proposal One
--------------
A. NAME OF APPLICANT ORGANIZATION
International Office for Migration (IOM)
B. REQUESTED FUNDING AMOUNT
USD 398,719
C. PROJECT TITLE
Project for Building a Comprehensive Reception, Recovery, and
Reintegration Support Process for Victims of Trafficking in Lao PDR
D. PROJECT DURATION
Two Years
E. PROPOSAL ABSTRACT
Reception and reintegration services in the Lao PDR, though
improved, lag far behind similar systems and structures established
in Thailand and Cambodia. Given the sharp increase in the number of
Lao victims of trafficking returned through IOM's Regional Return
and Reintegration Program since initiated in 2000, the lack of Lao
Government capacity represents a serious need. Lao TIP victims who
require return and reintegration assistance account for more than
half of the total number of returned TIP victims within the region
who have been assisted under IOM's existing Return and Reintegration
Program.
Through the efforts of this project, the ability of the Lao
Government to successfully reintegrate returning victims of
trafficking through an institutionalized case management and
referral process will be greatly improved leading to a reduction in
both time delays for returning victims home and subsequent prospects
for re-trafficking. The project will also put in place an
established framework for providing assistance services for cases of
internal trafficking as well as cases referred to the Lao Ministry
of Labor and Social Welfare (MLSW) outside of the formal return
process. Extending reception services beyond Vientiane to
Savannakhet and other border provinces with high prevalence of
trafficking will also be assessed as part of this project.
The project will also contribute to the Lao Government's ability to
contribute to regional collaboration efforts outlined in the
Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation Against Trafficking in
Persons in the Greater Mekong Region (COMMIT) signed in 2004 as well
as to fulfill its responsibilities under the bilateral MOU on
trafficking signed with Thailand in 2005.
Proposal Two
--------------
A. NAME OF APPLICANT ORGANIZATION
Village Focus International (VFI)
B. REQUESTED FUNDING AMOUNT
USD 139,150
C. PROJECT TITLE
Legal Advocacy and Victim Support
D. PROJECT DURATION
Year One of a Planned Five Year Project
E. PROPOSAL ABSTRACT
One of the major problems facing citizens in the Lao PDR - in all
sectors and at all levels - is the lack of access to legal rights
information, in a language or format that the recipient can
understand and use in daily life. Typically, local officials and
local people alike are not aware of the existing body of laws and do
not know how these laws are relevant to their lives. In regard to
trafficking and related issues, there is no comprehensive document
that organizes all trafficking-related laws and decrees together and
interprets them in a reader-friendly way. Furthermore, most
vulnerable peoples - those that are most likely to be trafficked -
are often illiterate and/or ethnic minority peoples who do not
speak, read or write Lao and do not understand complex written
materials; therefore, they remain ignorant of both their rights and
responsibilities under the law. This project addresses the need to
create a comprehensive legal advocacy program on trafficking that
focuses on information delivery to diverse and semi-literate or
illiterate people as well as a parallel trainer curriculum for
government staff and NGO workers.
This project will develop legal advocacy materials and guidebooks
for national use in the Lao language (including radio programs,
theatre productions, posters, etc.) and at least one minority
language. The project will also link legal advocacy to village
education and to victims of trafficking and will create a system for
victim referrals to proper agencies for reintegration, protection,
and training.
Expected Results of the project include: a Legal Guidebook on
Rights/Responsibilities regarding trafficking, labor migration, and
child rights; Lao language and Katang language radio serials on
trafficking and labor migration; a trainer guidebook in the Lao
language to guide listener groups in the above materials; a youth
theater troupe trained to deliver shows on trafficking and labor
migration issues; an expanded and improved database of trafficking
victims coordinated through the Asia Against Child Trafficking
network of NGOs; a system for referring victims to government and/or
NGO shelters & education programs; and a provincial Campaign Against
Child Trafficking in Salavan Province.
Proposal Three
--------------
A. NAME OF APPLICANT ORGANIZATION
The Asia Foundation (TAF)
B. REQUESTED FUNDING AMOUNT
USD 205,692
C. PROJECT TITLE
Strengthening Protection for Victims of Trafficking and Prosecution
of Traffickers in Laos
D. PROJECT DURATION
Two Years
E. PROPOSAL ABSTRACT
Laos faces a serious human trafficking problem without the necessary
capacity to counter it. The Law on Development and Protection of
Women, passed in 2004, is generally recognized as providing an
adequate legal framework for the protection of victims and the
prosecution of traffickers. Yet the Law is not widely understood by
those charged with its enforcement, rendering it largely
ineffectual. Furthermore, at present there is no coordinated effort
among government agencies, service providers, and anti-trafficking
professionals to implement the Law, resulting in poor protection of
victims and weak efforts toward prosecuting traffickers.
The Asia Foundation will draw on its extensive experience in
combating trafficking in the Mekong Region and the technical
expertise of its local staff based in Bangkok to strengthen
services, systems, and coordination efforts in Laos to adequately
protect victims and strengthen the prosecution of traffickers.
Activities will fall under two objectives: 1) to increase
enforcement of the Law on Development and Protection of Women; and
2) to ensure that interventions to protect victims and prosecute
traffickers are well coordinated and sustainable. Expected results
include: improved capacity of the legal sector to combat trafficking
in persons; increased government commitment to countering
trafficking; strengthened rule of law in regard to trafficking in
persons; and improved protection of victims' rights.
Proposal Four
--------------
A. NAME OF APPLICANT ORGANIZATION
Save the Children Australia (SCA)
B. REQUESTED FUNDING AMOUNT
USD 144,400
C. PROJECT TITLE
Strengthening Anti-Human Trafficking Responses in Northern Lao PDR
D. PROJECT DURATION
Twenty Months
E. PROPOSAL ABSTRACT
The Lao national response in dealing with human trafficking is
improving. However, Laos lacks the capacity to adequately and
appropriately deal with issues and cases of trafficking and
migration, particularly amongst its frontline police and immigration
officials who work along the border areas. Despite the
establishment of the Lao Anti-People Trafficking Unit (LAPTU) in
Vientiane Municipality (and a smaller unit in Bokeo Province),
funding constraints have prevented the dissemination of specially
designed anti-trafficking training to police in provincial areas.
This has created a gap between the central-level anti-trafficking
response and actual implementation within the border areas where it
is most needed.
As part of SCA's Cross-Border Anti-Human Trafficking efforts, this
project will support the training of frontline police, immigration
and other local officials within the northern provinces of Luang
Namtha, Bokeo and Sayaboury. The project will also raise awareness
amongst key provincial and district-level staff members from the Lao
Youth Union (LYU),Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare (MLSW),and
the Lao Women's Union (LWU). Additionally, the project will raise
awareness among village authorities of the role that local
authorities should play in identifying and dealing with cases of
human trafficking.
SCA will also support the dissemination of information and the
practical application of the 2004 Law on Development and Protection
of Women, the National Children's Law, as well as other relevant
laws and regulations. During project implementation and beyond,
training participants and community stakeholders will be further
supported by forging practical links and engaging with SCA's other
projects in the northern provinces - namely, SCA's Cross-Border
Project, Youth at Risk Project, Womens' Socio-Economic Empowerment
Project, and Children's Justice Project. A Monitoring and
Evaluation Plan will be developed in the initial stages of this new
project in line with SCA's Program Quality Framework.
Proposal Five
--------------
A. NAME OF APPLICANT ORGANIZATION
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
B. REQUESTED FUNDING AMOUNT
USD 187,500
C. PROJECT TITLE
Strengthening of the Legal and Law Enforcement Institutions to
Prevent and Combat Human Trafficking in the Lao PDR
D. PROJECT DURATION
This project was originally undertaken for two years in October
2006. The governments of Canada, Norway, and Sweden have provided
all but USD 187,500 of the total USD 448,500 project costs. UNODC
plans to extend the project for one to two additional years
contingent on further funding.
E. PROPOSAL ABSTRACT
The project was initiated in October 2006 and aims at strengthening
the capacity of criminal justice institutions in the Lao PDR,
including the judiciary and the government law enforcement bodies,
to prevent and combat human trafficking and related forms of
organized crime. The project assesses the implementation of the
Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons,
particularly Women and Children (TIPP). The project's main
objective is to enhance Lao criminal justice mechanisms and law
enforcement against trafficking in human beings. This takes place
through encouraging proposed amendments to Lao criminal law
provisions, and training criminal justice practitioners and law
enforcement officials in order to strengthen the country's capacity
to investigate, prosecute, and convict traffickers as well as
protect victims.
4. OTHER PROPOSALS
Proposal Six: Organization: Assistance for Women in Distressing
Situations; Project: Repatriation, Rehabilitation, and
Reintegration of Victims of Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation in
the Lao PDR; Duration: One Year; Budget: USD 140,570.
Proposal Seven: Organization: SML Consultants; Project: TIP
Training for Prosecutors and Law Enforcement Officers; Duration:
One Year; Budget: USD 100,430.
Proposal Eight: Organization: Assistance for Women in Distressing
Situations; Project: Social Enterprise Project for the
Reintegration of Women Victims of Trafficking for Sexual
Exploitation; Duration: One Year; Budget: USD 94,220.
Proposal Nine: Organization: SML Consultants; Project: TIP
Training for Judges; Duration: One Year; Budget: USD 48,908.
Proposal Ten: Organization: Save the Children Australia; Project:
Research into Trafficking and Human Security of Selected Ethnic
Communities in Northern Laos; Duration: Two Years; Budget: USD
170,550.
Proposal Eleven: Organization: United Nations Office on Drugs and
Crime; Project: Combating a Root Cause of Human Trafficking;
Duration: Two Years; Budget: USD 370,640.
Comments
--------------
5. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) submitted a draft proposal
to the Embassy on April 19. In the form it was submitted, the
Embassy felt several aspects of the proposal are not feasible in
Laos at this time, particularly the concept of posting a full-time
contractor in Vientiane. According to DOJ, the contractor would not
be under NSDD38 authority, which would not be acceptable to the
Embassy. Additionally, the posting of a full-time contractor in
Laos would not be accepted by the Lao Government. Working directly
with Lao law enforcement is also a non-starter. However, the
elements of the proposal dealing with the training of trainers as
well as translating and using some aspects of DOJ's model TIP
program that was developed in Indonesia would potentially be very
useful in Laos and might possibly be implemented via DOJ's Bangkok
office. The Embassy requested that DOJ consider scaling back its
draft proposal, focusing on development of a law enforcement manual
and periodic training seminars potentially organized in cooperation
with DOJ staff members at Embassy Bangkok, who have regional
responsibilities. We have asked that DOJ send its final proposal by
email to Rebecca Billings and Amy LeMar, copying the Embassy.
6. Based on the Embassy's communication with G/TIP, it appears
World Vision's 2006 TIP project may be funded with FY 06 funds (Ref
C). In the event World Vision's 2006 proposal is not funded,
however, World Vision has submitted a revised version of the same
proposal (expanded somewhat) this year. As per G/TIP's advice, the
Embassy did not include that proposal among proposals received for
FY 07 (Ref D). The Embassy will, however, forward the revised World
Vision proposal to G/TIP Rebecca Billings by email.
HASLACH