G/TIP TIER 2 WATCH LIST INTERIM ASSESSMENT

UNCLAS ABIDJAN 000820 STATE FOR AF/RSA, G:ACBLANK, AND G/TIP E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM PREL PGOV SOCI SMIG KTIP KWMN KCRM IV SUBJECT: G/TIP TIER 2 WATCH LIST INTERIM ASSESSMENT REF: STATE 110849 ¶1. (U) SUMMARY: In response to reftel, Poloff met with NGOs and government officials working on trafficking in persons (TIP) issues, but could not obtain meetings with key ministries, specifically the Ministries of Justice and Interior, despite repeated phone calls and follow-up letters from the DCM. The Government of Cote d'Ivoire (GoCI) is entirely focused on the identification and voter registration process, leaving little time or energy for other issues, including TIP. For this reason, the GoCI has made minimal progress on the TIP action items referred to in reftel. END SUMMARY IDENTIFYING, INVESTIGATING, AND PROSECUTING TIP CASES -------------- -------------- ¶2. (U) Embassy was not able to obtain information on whether the Ministry of Justice has increased efforts to investigate and prosecute trafficking cases, because the key ministry official who works on TIP issues was not available to meet with the Embassy. Perrine Nahounou, Director of the Department for Children and Youth, is currently spending all of her time working on the identification and registration process currently underway in Abidjan. Embassy has met with her deputies before, but those meetings were not productive, as Nahounou is the only person with concrete information on TIP issues. ¶3. (U) In a meeting with Robale Kagohi of the International Cocoa Initiative (ICI) on October 23, Poloff learned that ICI and the Ministry of Justice are planning a series of training sessions on TIP issues for prosecuting judges, tentatively scheduled for January 2009. ICI and the Ministry intend to train 75 judges through the program, which would involve three different training sessions during the year. Kagohi said security and defense will participate in the training so that judges and police can find a common framework for handling TIP cases in the absence of an anti-TIP law. ¶4. (U) Embassy could not obtain information as to whether the GoCI is developing formal procedures for identifying trafficking victims among women and girls in prostitution or whether sex trafficking victims are being penalized as criminals for acts committed as a direct result of being trafficked. Poloff requested a meeting with the Chief of the Vice Brigade for the National Police, but learned that the person who held this position was recently transferred to another division. Repeated phone calls and a letter from the DCM have not resulted in obtaining a meeting with her replacement. Embassy will continue to press the Ministries of Justice and Interior for meetings to discuss these issues. GOVERNMENT COLLABORATION WITH NGOS -------------- ¶5. (U) On November 5, Poloff met with Pastor Klossail of Cote d'Ivoire-Prosperite, one of the only NGOs that works directly with female victims trafficked for sexual exploitation. Klossail said that the government understands the TIP problem, but so far this understanding has not translated into concrete action. He noted that his NGO enjoys a good relationship with the police commissioner's office, which has assisted in TIP-related cases, but so far has not seen any increase in the level of services the government provides to TIP victims trafficked for sexual exploitation. COMMENT -------------- ¶6. (U) COMMENT: Without meeting with officials at the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Interior, it is difficult to gauge whether or not the government is concentrating on sex trafficking victims. What is clear is that there is very little coordination and sharing of resources between ministries to find solutions to TIP-related problems. The Ministry of Family, which theoretically has the responsibility to take the lead on TIP issues, has told the Embassy that sex trafficking cases are a matter for the Ministries of Justice and Interior. Without strong leadership on the issue from a particular ministry - and by extension - a key official, it will be difficult for the government to collectively focus its efforts to combat the sex trafficking problem in Cote d'Ivoire. END COMMENT NESBITT