BELIZE - EIGHTH ANNUAL TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS (TIP) REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 BELMOPAN 000149

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR G/TIP (FLECK),G, INL, PRM DEPT FOR WHA/PPC (PUCCETTI),
WHA/CEN (BEAL) GUATEMALA FOR USAID

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KCRM PHUM KWMN SMIG KFRD ASEC PREF ELAB BH
SUBJECT: BELIZE - EIGHTH ANNUAL TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS (TIP) REPORT
(PART THREE OF THREE)

REF: A) STATE 02731, B) 06 BELIZE 673

This cable is sensitive but unclassified.


4. (SBU) Protection and Assistance to Victims


A. The rights of victims are always respected and are codified in
the standing operating procedures and in the Trafficking in Persons
(Prohibition) Act. Also, victims also have access to free medical
services and to counseling services. These facilities are dedicated
exclusively to trafficking victims. Foreign victims have the same
access to care as domestic victims. The Trafficking in Persons
(Prohibition) Act requires the government to provide protection to
victims to prevent recapture by traffickers and to ensure personal
security. The Department of Immigration informs victims of
procedures to return to their home country and informs victims of
procedures for seeking permanent residency or citizenship in Belize.
If the victim so desires, the Department of Immigration is also
required to provide assistance in applying for permanent residence
and citizenship in Belize once the criteria is met. The Department
of Immigration issues the victim (and child) with a temporary
residency permit for enable their stay in Belize during court case.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belize is also required to
provide assistance if the victim is unable to prove their
nationality and for repatriation. Belize provides all victims with
free access to legal, medical and psychological services.


B. The government supports two shelters for trafficking victims, one
in Belmopan and one in Hattieville in the Belize district. The
Government of Belize facilitated the acquisition of the facility in
the Belize District and provides funding for the general operation
of the facilities. Funding has recently been obtained through the
U.S. Embassy for refurbishment of the facility in the Cayo District.
Children who are victims of trafficking are placed in existing
child care institutions. If necessary, victims can also be housed
in hotels at government expense.


C. The Government of Belize provides an annual subvention to all
local non-governmental organizations, including child care
facilities where minors who are victims of trafficking in persons
are placed for protective care. The shelters and facilities for
adult victims are fully operated by the Government of Belize. The
Government of Belize does not provide foreign aid.


D. Law enforcement and social services personnel received extensive
training during the year on the identification and interviewing of
potential trafficking victims. When a person is identified as a
potential victim, the Department of Human Services (under the
Ministry of Human Development) is immediately notified and a social
worker is deployed to conduct an interview. Victims of trafficking
are never jailed or detained. Victims are never fined or prosecuted
for violating any law. Section 10 of the Trafficking in Persons
(Prohibition) Act stipulates that a victim "is not criminally liable
for any immigration-related offence, or any other criminal offence
that is as a direct result of being trafficked." Victims are
encouraged to provide assistance in the investigation and
prosecution of trafficking cases. In fact victims are issued
temporary residency permits by the Department of Immigration and
Nationality Services to enable them to remain in Belize for the
duration of the criminal proceedings provided they are willing to
provide assistance. In some cases, the victims do not want to be
protected and only desire to return to their place of employment.


E. Prostitution is not legal in Belize but prostitutes are able to
seek assistance from social workers who would apply the same
screening process as for other potential trafficking victims.


F. According to Belize law, victims of trafficking should not be
jailed, deported or penalized in any way. The law states that the
victim is not criminally liable for any immigration-related offense
or any other criminal offense. The law also requires that victims
receive temporary permits that allow them to remain in Belize for
the duration of any criminal proceedings and can qualify for
residency or citizenship. Many victims do not view themselves as
victims of trafficking and do not wish to pursue criminal action
against their traffickers. In other cases, commercial sex workers
who may be victims are mistreated or victimized further.


G. Victims of trafficking can file civil suits and seek legal
action against traffickers. The Trafficking in Persons
(Prohibition) Act authorizes courts to order convicted traffickers

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to pay restitution to their victims. The court considers the costs
of medical and psychological care, physical and occupational
therapy, transportation, housing and child care, lost income,
emotional distress, pain and suffering, and any other loss suffered
by the victim when determining the amount of restitution. The
government lacks the resources to provide a formal restitution
program.


H. The government provides security - in the form of police
protection - to victims, their families and witnesses. This
protection is provided on an as-needed basis; there is no formal
witness protection program and the country's population is likely
too small to create an effective program.

The Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Act requires that court
proceedings for all TIP cases be held in camera, and the court is
required to ensure that the identity of the victim and his/her
family remains confidential. No identifying information may be
released to the public or press although the country's population is
so small that personal information frequently leaks to the public.


I. All of Belize's embassies and consulates are aware of the
government's efforts to prevent trafficking in persons. Officers at
embassies and consulates are provided with material to assist them
in identifying victims and in providing the necessary protection.
Embassies and consulates are very active in developing partnerships
with International Organizations and NGOs which serve trafficking
victims. For example, The Embassy of Belize in Washington D.C. has
been successful in obtaining assistance particularly in the area of
training from both the OAS and the IOM; the Permanent Mission of
Belize to the UN is working on establishing a relationship with the
UN Office of Drugs and Crime; the Consulate of Belize in Los Angeles
has obtained training materials from the Salvation Army in Los
Angeles for use by the Committee. No victim of trafficking in
persons has approached an embassy or consulate of Belize for
assistance. However, should the need arise Belize's embassy and
consulates would provide full consular assistance including
providing accommodation, assistance in dealing with authorities
facilitating repatriation to Belize. Assistance is available from
the Government of Belize, through its embassies and consulate abroad
to any Belizean national who requires repatriation as victim of
trafficking, including accommodation, money and issuance of
necessary documents to enable repatriation.


J. If needed, the Belize government will provide medical
assistance, shelter and financial aid to any Belizean national who
is a victim of trafficking and has been repatriated to Belize.


K. Local NGOs such as the National Organization for the Prevention
of Child Abuse and Neglect (NOPCAN) and Youth Enhancement Services
(YES) work with trafficking victims and focus on trafficking issues.
International organizations like UNICEF and IOM also provide
assistance. The Inter American Development Bank (IDB) approved
funding to the government for assistance in strengthening national
protocols, including victim assistance, for trafficking in persons.
There are no international NGOs working with trafficking victims in
Belize.


5. (SBU) Prevention A. The Anti Trafficking in Persons Committee,
through intelligence driven operations conducted by its Tripartite
Team (the Departments of Immigration, Police and Human Services),is
vigilant in confronting possible cases of trafficking. Trafficking
in persons cases are documented by the Tripartite Team from
interviews of potential victims conducted by Human Services after an
operation. The Belize Police Department through its intelligence
gathering unit, Special Branch, maintains a permanent presence at
the Belize Western Border Station, and at the Phillip Goldson
International Airport as well as in every district. A police officer
works within the Immigration and Nationality Department at the
Belize Northern Border station to assist in the monitoring of
immigration and emigration patterns and the screening for potential
victims of trafficking.


B. During the reporting period, the government, through the
Anti-trafficking in Persons Committee continues its efforts to
combat trafficking in persons. The committee meets once a month and
has three sub-committees to help implement its annual operation plan
in the areas of prevention, protection and prosecution. The
Committee has received financial support from Belize Tourism Board
and the Belize Tourism Industry Association for the designing,
printing and distributing of posters aimed at raising awareness

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about trafficking in persons and commercial sexual exploitation in
the tourism industry. This initiative promoted the Code of Conduct
for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation in Travel
and Tourism. During the reporting period the Anti Trafficking in
Persons Committee continued its nationwide bilingual public
awareness campaign. This campaign included the reprinting of 2000
English language and 1000 Spanish language posters which were
distributed widely at public places and government offices. These
posters highlighted the elements of trafficking and targeted
victims. The NCFC also assisted the Committee in coordinating the
printing of anti-trafficking posters in both English and Spanish.
The posters were distributed to government offices countrywide,
border points and bus stations.

The Chair of the Committee continued to discuss the issue of
trafficking in persons by appearing on radio shows such as 'Facts
for Families' and 'Link Up' The Chair also gave a presentation to
the recruits at the Police Training Academy on trafficking and how
to identify trafficking victims.

Additionally, some training materials for anti-trafficking training
were received by the Committee from the Belize Consul General in Los
Angeles. The training materials were distributed to the Department
of Human Services for intra-department training. Television and
radio public service announcements were aired at various times over
the course of the last 12 months both by the Committee and NGO
partners such as Youth Enhancement Services. The Chair of the
Committee also appeared on radio on several occasion to highlight
the issue of trafficking in person, including on such shows as
"Facts for Families" and "Link Up." Additionally, outreach
initiatives were undertaken by the Committee which targeted specific
groups such as law enforcement, justices of the peace, residents of
municipalities such as Benque Viejo and San Ignacio. These public
awareness campaigns target both victims and the demand for
trafficking. The campaigns are also bilingual across the various
media, including printed posters, radio and television. Some local
NGOs have questioned the effectiveness of the government's public
awareness campaign, especially among at-risk groups such as
commercial sex workers (CSWs). Because most CSWs keep
non-traditional hours (i.e., sleeping until late in the day and
working from late afternoon until the wee hours of the morning),
they are not in a position to see, hear, or read the government's
PSAs. In addition, these women are virtually confined to the
neighborhood of their brothel/home and are unlikely to visit
government offices, border crossing points or bus terminals. One
NGO suggested that strategically-placed billboards would be a more
effective way to distribute information and would have a better
chance of reaching the target audience.

During the reporting period, A-TIPS received support from the IDB to
implement a project aimed at the strengthening and streamlining of
anti-trafficking protocols and the development of a comprehensive
communications strategy. In July 2007, the project was completed and
the A-TIPS Committee received the final communications strategy
which included an assessment of anti-trafficking efforts in Belize
and provided recommendations for streamlining standard operation
procedures for law enforcement.


C. The government, NGOs, international organizations and other
elements of civil society generally have a good working
relationship. Members of relevant NGOs (such as NOPCAN),
international organizations (such as IOM),and government officials
worked together to offer training to stakeholders and often
cooperated on relevant boards or committees. For example,
representatives from several NGOs sit on the Anti-Trafficking in
Persons Committee. However, local NGOs - which often receive some
funding from the government - must walk a fine line between
accurately reporting the trafficking situation in Belize and
maintaining the favor of the Belize government. International
organizations, such as UNICEF and IOM, and embassies (neither of
which fear government reprisal or loss of government funding) are
able to accurately report on and (if necessary) criticize the
government's actions.


D. As mentioned, the Department of Immigration and Nationality
(DINS) monitors the movements of people within and outside the
country's borders for evidence of trafficking. Though training to
screen for trafficking victims is provided to immigration officers,
the department's meager resources limit its ability to effectively
monitor immigration and emigration patterns and screen for potential
trafficking victims. Immigration records are not computerized at

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any of the country's points of entry, including Philip Goldson
International Airport in Belize City - the main port of entry for
visitors to Belize. Special Branch, the intelligence gathering unit
of the Belize Police Department, maintained a permanent presence at
the Belize Western Border Station and at Philip Goldson
International Airport. A police officer was assigned to the DINS at
the Belize Northern Border Station to assist with monitoring
immigration and emigration patterns and screening for potential
victims of trafficking.


E. The A-TIPS Committee coordinates the anti-trafficking activities
executed by the frontline agencies including monitoring the
movements of people within and without Belize's borders for evidence
of trafficking and screening for potential trafficking of victims,
and the gathering of intelligence.

While there is no public corruption task force, the government has
appointed an ombudsman to investigate complaints against public
officials and private citizens. However, no public officials have
ever been prosecuted as a result of the ombudsman's inquiries. The
government also maintains an Integrity Commission to oversee
compliance with financial disclosure laws.


F. The Anti-Trafficking in Persons Committee drafted a five-year
national action plan to address trafficking in persons. All member
agencies of the committee, as well as UNICEF, were consulted in
developing the plan. The plan was disseminated to member agencies
of the Committee as well as the Committee's international partners.



6. (SBU) Heroes

Ms. Anita Zetina, the former Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry
of Human Development, managed to organize multiple agencies to press
for change in the treatment of victims and raise the level of
importance of the trafficking issue in Belize. She worked
tirelessly in this effort.


7. (U) Best practices

The government of Belize employs a multi-sectoral approach to
combating trafficking in persons. This method strengthens
coordination among frontline agencies, ensures a victim-centered
approach to combating TIP, and leads to direct and efficient
delivery of services to victims. This multi-sectoral approach led
to the development of a tripartite team comprised of the police,
immigration officials, and social workers who are responsible for
the planning, execution and evaluation of operations - thereby
ensuring that operations are intelligence-driven. Social workers are
present at every operation to make certain that victims receive
immediate assistance.


8. Post's POC for trafficking and human rights issues is poloff Sue
Kuester, e-mail: KuesterSG@state.gov; telephone: 011-501-822-4011,
ext. 4113; fax: 011-501-822-4012. In her absence, please contact
political/economic chief Thomas Wise, e-mail: WiseTW@state.gov.


9. Post estimates that over the course of the year, poloff and one
LES have spent approximately 60 hours gathering information, meeting
with government officials, and preparing reports on trafficking in
persons in Belize.

HILL