ASMARA - UNMEE COMBATING SEA AND TIP

C O N F I D E N T I A L ASMARA 000029 SIPDIS SIPDIS LONDON AND PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHERS DEPT FOR AF/E DEPT FOR IO/PSC - CHANDI SITHOLE E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/16/2018 TAGS: KPKO PREL ER SUBJECT: ASMARA - UNMEE COMBATING SEA AND TIP REF: REF: A) STATE 170451 B) ASMARA 629 Classified By: Ambassador Ronald K. McMullen for Reason 1.4 (d) ¶1. (U) Per Reftel A, the following is Post's Sexual Expolitation and Abuse (SEA) and Trafficking In Persons (TIP) report. ¶2. (SBU) There continue to be very few reported cases of either SEA or TIP involving UN Peacekeeping Mission to Eritrea and Ethiopia (UNMEE) personnel in Eritrea. The Chief of the UNMEE Conduct and Disciplinary Unit (CDU) Saif Ullah Malik and Human Rights Officer (HRO) Monyluak Kual said that there were no substantiated incidents of either SEA or TIP during the reporting period. In March 2007 there was one case of human smuggling in which an expatriate UNMEE contractor was illegally transporting a group of Eritreans to Ethiopia in his official vehicle. This individual was apprehended by the Government of the State of Eritrea (GSE) and expelled from the country. There were three paternity cases arising from consensual sexual relations between UNMEE staff and Eritreans, although none involved SEA. ¶3. (U) UNMEE requires all personnel to participate in training on SEA and TIP, proper conduct, and sexual harassment. Malik has visited every team site since July 2007 to personally conduct these training courses, noting that he has trained 1759 people. The training courses are interactive, involving both role playing and scenarios. He also mentioned that the zero tolerance policy is heavily emphasized and strictly enforced. ¶4. (U) The recently added CDU is the focal point for the reporting of all new cases of SEA and TIP. The sole Conduct and Disciplinary Officer (CDO),Malik, collects information about each case before passing it to UN Headquarters in New York for investigation. The panel investigation system (Reftel B) for SEA and TIP cases is no longer being used, and all investigations are now conducted outside of UNMEE. ¶5. (U) UNMEE's outreach efforts to the local population continue to be difficult (Reftel B),but there has been improvement. There was a November radio broadcast on a state owned Eritrean radio station regarding TIP and SEA and the procedure for filing a complaint, and another broadcast is planned in the future. UNMEE instituted a 24-hour hotline to report cases. There are no NGOs or human rights groups in Eritrea available to comment on UNMEE's efforts to combat SEA and TIP. ¶6. (C) Comment: Malik's description of the effectiveness of programs combating SEA and TIP being handled by UNMEE varies sharply from previous reports (Reftel B, paragraph 6). Malik said outreach efforts have led to a condition in which all cases of TIP and SEA make it to his attention, and that few, if any, cases will go unreported. Due to the desperate condition of many Eritrean citizens, particularly in the remote areas where many UNMEE personnel serve, it is very likely that there are unreported SEA cases in which Eritreans "consent" to sexual relations with UNMEE staff in exchange for promises of food, transportation out of Eritrea, or other inducements that only expatriates can provide. Malik stated that consensual sexual relationships are not considered to be SEA and are not investigated by the CDU. End Comment. MCMULLEN