CHINA: YUNNAN PROVINCE LEADS THE WAY IN CHINA'S

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BEIJING 004697 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP/CM; EAP/RSP DTIKVART; G/TIP CCHAN-DOWNER E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/31/2033 TAGS: PGOV PHUM SMIG KTIP KCRM KWMN CH SUBJECT: CHINA: YUNNAN PROVINCE LEADS THE WAY IN CHINA'S FIGHT AGAINST TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Aubrey Carlson. Reasons 1. 4 (B) and (D). Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) Yunnan Province in 2005 was one of the first regions in China to formulate its own action plan to combat trafficking in persons (TIP),thereby attracting international organizations early on and helping establish itself as a forerunner for anti-TIP programs around the country. Save the Children UK in Kunming focuses its anti-TIP programs on protection of migrant children in Yunnan and Guangxi provinces, while anti-TIP programs implemented by the Yunnan Provincial Women's Federation focus on prevention. Victim identification and repatriation of foreign victims still face challenges due to a lack of resources. Our contacts on this trip disagreed as to whether TIP cases have decreased or not. The National Action Plan, implemented in December 2007, has had limited impact in Yunnan so far, according to one contact. End summary. Protecting Migrant Children -------------- ¶2. (U) Save the Children UK (STC-UK) focuses its anti-TIP programs on protection of migrant children in Yunnan and Guangxi provinces, said Liu Chunhua, STC-UK's Communications and Program Support Senior Officer, in a meeting with PolOff and ConGen(Chengdu)Off December 9. The organization, which has been operating in Yunnan since 1995, supports 16 "Activity Centers" for children across the two provinces, working with the Yunnan Provincial Women's Federation (YPWF). At these centers, children aged seven to fifteen from rural areas whose parents have migrated from the province and children of migrant parents who are from elsewhere in China are given schooling and training. ¶3. (U) To date, 6,000 children have been given anti-TIP awareness training and vocational training at these centers to prevent them from being lured into trafficking networks. At STC-UK's center in Pingxiang, Guangxi Province, many of the children's parents are Vietnamese, having crossed China's border with Vietnam, but are nonetheless welcomed into the centers along with Chinese children despite their lack of legal status. Difficulties in Victim Identification -------------- ¶4. (C) STC-UK admits that it is difficult for Chinese law enforcement to identify trafficking victims and that this is partially due to the fact that Chinese criminal law does not consider certain types of exploitation to be trafficking. Furthermore, in cross-border trafficking, STC-UK admits that it is difficult for Chinese authorities to determine whether or not victims are being trafficked into the country or whether they are illegal immigrants looking for work. Typical scenario -------------- ¶5. (C) He Ye (protect),STC-UK's Anti-Trafficking Program Manager, notes that a typical scenario would start in a province outside Yunnan, from where victims would be lured into traveling to Yunnan for work. The victims would end up in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan's southern-most prefecture on the border with Thailand and Burma, thinking they would be provided a job. Soon afterwards, however, the victims would be forcibly transported across the border into Burma and then into Thailand where they would transit through Bangkok and eventually end up on the Thai-Malaysian border. Once they were outside of China, the victims, usually young, female Chinese women, would be raped and physically abused. Some of them would manage to REPORT their situation to the police, usually in Thailand, at which point the Chinese authorities would be notified. Repatriation Complex -------------- ¶6. (C) STC-UK is periodically asked by YPWF and Yunnan Public Security Bureau (PSB) to assist with the repatriation of trafficking victims. In 2004, the organization was asked to help resettle approximately 45 Chinese women who had been trafficked to Thailand. STC-UK also assists law enforcement officials in repatriating Vietnamese and Burmese trafficking victims to their home countries. This task is often more BEIJING 00004697 002 OF 003 difficult, He notes, as many Vietnamese women who were initially trafficked into China are well-integrated into their communities and do not want to return to Vietnam. While repatriation usually occurs after complex negotiations between law enforcement and immigration officials of the countries involved, He pointed out that the International Organization for Migration (IOM) often provides both technical and financial support during such operations. Rehabilitation Services Lacking -------------- ¶7. (C) While IOM assists in repatriation, STC-UK often steps in to provide assistance to victims once they return home to China. Providing continued care for victims is a challenge, STC-UK's He told PolOff and ConGenOff, due to limited resources and geographic dispersion of the victims. For example, He said that the next day, she and her staff plan to visit two trafficking victims who had recently returned from Malaysia but had to spend two days using public transportation to get there as there was no vehicle available. She added that the women receive periodic support but that STC-UK is not able to provide the full range of rehabilitation services needed for such victims. Yunnan Provincial Women's Federation -------------- ¶8. (U) Anti-trafficking programs implemented by the YPWF in the province focus on prevention, said YPWF Vice President Zheng Lu in a meeting with PolOff and ConGenOff on December ¶9. To date, the organization has reached 16 cities and prefectures in Yunnan through anti-trafficking training or educational programs with the support of the International Labor Organization (ILO),Zheng said, and are currently cooperating with the women's federation in Guangdong Province to raise awareness of the issue among female migrant workers and to offer them vocational training in order to render them less vulnerable to traffickers. Continuing Public Awareness Campaigns -------------- ¶9. (U) YPWF's anti-TIP public awareness campaigns are especially effective, noted Wu Tao, Deputy Director of YPWF's Rights Department. A range of media, including radio broadcasts, brochures, performances, poster shows, hotlines and targeted campaigns to commemorate special occasions such as International Women's Day, are used to spread the word among Chinese women of the dangers of trafficking and how to avoid becoming a victim. Yunnan Province a Forerunner -------------- ¶10. (U) Zheng pointed out that Yunnan was in 2005 one of the first provinces in China to formulate its own anti-trafficking action plan. She noted that international organizations established anti-trafficking programs in Yunnan before moving to other provinces and that this helped Yunnan establish itself as a forerunner for combating trafficking around the country. Commenting on the National Action Plan (NPA),Zheng said that it was a welcome development, but that for now, programs in Yunnan will not be affected by its implementation. She pointed out that all of the funds used for anti-trafficking programs are provincial, not national, funds. Ten Best Practices -------------- ¶11. (U) Through their work with the International Labor Organization (ILO),YPWF representatives said they have helped approximately 40,000 women since their cooperation with the international organization began eight years earlier. To build on their experience, YPWF issued a list of ten "best practices" for anti-trafficking programs, including integrating government ministries into programs, keeping children in school to reduce their risk of being trafficked, and placing an emphasis on prevention. Challenges Remain -------------- ¶12. (U) YPWF Rights Department Deputy Director Wu admitted that YPWF's programs are not without challenges. For one, there is a constant lack of funds and capacity needed to deal with anti-trafficking issues and to manage general programs BEIJING 00004697 003 OF 003 on women's rights protection. Providing rehabilitation services to trafficking victims who had returned home is also a challenge, as some victims continue to migrate from their villages to the big cities after having been rescued. Cases have decreased -------------- ¶13. (U) YPWF Vice President Zheng said she thinks it is too early to tell what sort of impact the economic crisis will have on trafficking trends in Yunnan. Wu pointed out that in general, the number of trafficking cases in Yunnan has decreased, due to the effectiveness of YPWF prevention programs and increased crackdowns by law enforcement. Or have they? -------------- ¶14. (C) Professor Wang Qiliang (protect) of Yunnan University disagrees. In a meeting with EmbOff and ConGenOff on December 9, he noted that although anti-trafficking programs such as those carried out by YPWF have been successful, his research has shown an increase in trafficking cases across China. Basing his conclusion on research conducted in two specific locations in Yunnan, Professor Wang noted that new trafficking trends are emerging. The most common form of trafficking used to be marriage trafficking, where young women would be tricked into becoming wives of rural farmers in far-flung communities. Now, Wang claims, the trend is closer to forced labor, where men are also involved, and traffickers exploit people's desire to migrate to build a better life. Lack of information -------------- ¶15. (C) Wang noted that reliable statistics on trafficking in China and information on the impact of anti-trafficking measures are lacking. He said that through his research center on social development at the university, he and a few colleagues are focusing on addressing this deficiency. NPA impact limited -------------- ¶16. (C) The National Action Plan (NPA) is useful, added Wang, but due to lack of funds and resources, it will probably not have an immediate impact on anti-trafficking programs across the country. Wang said he thought provinces such as Yunnan have not yet realized that the NPA can be used to obtain financing and support for ongoing anti-trafficking activities. He added that he thought the NPA is unlikely to bring change in the next five years. ¶17. (U) This is a joint Embassy Beijing-ConGen Chengdu cable. RANDT Randt