Kyrgyzstan Proposals for Trafficking in Persons

UNCLAS BISHKEK 000151 SIPDIS DEPT FOR G/TIP: MHALL DEPT FOR G/TIP SFARAJ DEPT FOR SCA/CEN: DGEHRENBECK DEPT for SCA/RA SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ASEC ELAB KCRM KWMN PGOV PHUM PREL SMIG KG SUBJECT: Kyrgyzstan Proposals for Trafficking in Persons G/TIP-Managed FY 2008 ESF and INCLE Funds REF: 07 State 161503 ¶1. Per reftel instructions, Post solicited anti-trafficking in persons project proposals from local organizations. Post received three proposals. Per reftel instructions, the complete project proposals have been forwarded via e-mail to G/TIP. ¶2. Post has reviewed the following project proposals: A) Applicant: International Organization of Migration (IOM) Requested Funding: $ 326,970 Project title: Combating Trafficking in Persons in The Kyrgyz Republic Project Duration: 18 months Proposal Abstract: By building upon and complementing IOM's past and present activities in the Kyrgyz Republic against trafficking in persons, the overall program approach addresses three integrated and interrelated aspects of this phenomenon and consequently contributes to the efforts of the Kyrgyz authorities in combating trafficking in persons to, from and through Kyrgyzstan: prevention through the dissemination of information by NGO hotlines to further increase public awareness; protection and reintegration assistance through support to Victims of Trafficking who are returning/have returned to the Kyrgyz Republic by the NGO network; prosecution by supporting law enforcement and judiciary structures to more effectively act against crimes of trafficking in persons. The project activities will include: Prevention: IOM will continue to support hotlines operated by partner NGOs in Bishkek, Osh, Jalal-Abad, Talas, Karakol, Batken, and Naryn cities. Counter-trafficking hotlines will serve not only as a prevention and assistance mechanism for potential and real victims of trafficking, but also as a data-gathering mechanism for critical information on perceptions and knowledge of trafficking from potential victims. Protection: This project will continue the most important practical activity of direct assistance in the voluntary return, rehabilitation and reintegration of Victims of Trafficking implemented by local partner NGOs under the coordination of IOM Bishkek. This assistance will include the safe and voluntary return of victims, medical and psychological check-ups and treatment if necessary, social and legal assistance, assistance in processing �A;documents, and assistance in gaining employment when possible. Prosecution: This project will provide additional training to "front-line" law enforcement and prosecutorial officials from specific regions seriously affected by trafficking. The participants include border guards, investigators, prosecutors, working-level police and immigration officials, judges and public attorneys and other relevant law enforcement officials, who will be apprised of the latest policy guidelines and legislative developments concerning the issue and of victim identification techniques, as well as best practices on how to work with victims and convict traffickers. The training will assist law enforcement and judiciary structures to act more effectively against crimes of trafficking, and will assist victims by sensitizing law enforcement to victims' basic needs. The training will also seek to include counterpart officials from different agencies, when possible, thereby improving cooperation between law enforcement and prosecutorial officials responsible for managing borders and the prosecution of traffickers. The training will also allow counterpart law enforcement officials to understand more clearly how a cooperative approach to counter-trafficking will improve their ability to do their work. B) Applicant: The Sezim Crisis Center for Women and Families Requested Funding: $ 46,820.16 Project Title: Rehabilitation, Reintegration and Legal Support to Victims of Human Trafficking. Project Duration: 1 year Proposal Abstract: The Project on Rehabilitation, Reintegration and Legal Support to Victims of Trafficking (VoTs) is aimed at providing assistance to VoTs staying in the Sezim shelter and at other places. The support will include psychological assistance (consultations, individual and group psychotherapy sessions),medical assistance on an as-needed basis, social assistance for re-integration VoTs into the society, and creating a sustainable system of legal protection (legal advice, assistance in drafting legal documents, obtaining IDs, lawyer support during judiciary process, ensuring safety and privacy of clients),etc. The following activities will be carried out under the project: G/TIP-Managed FY 2008 ESF and INCLE Funds Providing shelter and rehabilitation and reintegration services to VoTs, including, but not limited to: receiving referred VoTs at the shelter and their identification; medical, psychological, legal and social assistance on as needed basis; occupational and art therapy; training and re-training; arranging meetings with relatives. Providing rehabilitation and reintegration services to VoTs that do not stay at the Sezim shelter, including, but not limited to: medical, psychological and social assistance on as needed basis; lawyer support during preparation to court hearings and during them; assistance in liaising with representatives of law enforcement authorities, ensuring anonymity and privacy of clients. It is expected that in the course of the project implementation, shelter will be provided to about 50 VoTs; assistance will be provided to about 20 VoTs not staying in the shelter; rehabilitation and reintegration support will be provided to about 50 VoTs; legal assistance (consultations, preparation of getting necessary documents and obtaining IDs) will be provided to about 30 VoTs; and lawyer support will be provided to about 10 VoTs. C) Applicant: Adilet Public Legal Foundation Requested Funding: $ 60,133 Project Title: Strengthening the Legal Protection of the Population Project Duration: 1 year Proposal Abstract: The aim of the project is to enhance the protection of civil rights and promotion of police system reform in the Kyrgyz Republic by providing legal and educational support to passport divisions and marginalized groups. Tasks of the project: Corruption reduction at passport divisions of interior entities; Increase in transparency and openness in work of passport divisions; Increase of the confidence of the population to the work of interior entities; Increase in the professional level of work of interior entities staff; Forming of more accessible image of personnel of passport divisions; Promotion of bringing the working level of passport divisions up to international work standards of law enforcement bodies. The project has two main components: Rendering free legal aid on the issues of acquisition (and exit from) of the Kyrgyz nationality as well as on obtaining identifying documents; Increase in the professional level of work of officials of passport divisions and awareness of NGOs and state bodies. The implementation of the given components will help achieve the following tasks: Increase the legal protective ability of marginalized groups; Reduce the level of corruption in passport divisions; Increase the transparency in work of interior entities. The first component supposes rendering the legal aid to marginalized groups on the issues of acquisition, restoration, and exit from the Kyrgyz citizenship as well as on obtaining identifying documents. The legal aid will be rendered in the form of consultations and representation of interests at courts and law enforcement bodies. This component aims to give detailed information on documenting and reduction of procrastination appearing in the process of application for documents. The work of the component will ensure a free access to information on citizenship and help obtain necessary identifying documents for persons, thereby leading to achieving transparency in work of passport divisions. Legal aid will be provided on the following issues: what documents are needed to acquire (exit from) citizenship, to obtain the identity card (passport, certificate of birth) in result of various events (change, loss of passport, achieving 16 years old, etc.), G/TIP-Managed FY 2008 ESF and INCLE Funds dates for submitting and receiving documents, contact information of relevant state bodies, passport application procedures, etc. It is supposed that the work of the given component will promote the monitoring of the police system reform. The analysis of changes in work of the passport divisions will ensure more objective assessment of work of interior entities and will render assistance in improvement of the reform process. Second component. This component will serve to increase the professional level of officials of passport divisions and raise the awareness of NGOs and relevant state bodies about the citizenship related issues. In its framework three trainings for officials of passport divisions in regions will be conducted. Three trainings will be conducted in three regions of the country for officials of passport divisions of all provinces on the issues of registration and filling in passports and other identifying documents in accordance with the national law. To facilitate the work of passport divisions and ensure the access to legal information, it is supposed to issue a Reference book composed out of legal acts regulating the order of arrangement of identifying documents. To ensure the transparency of work of passport divisions as well as necessary information for population on obtaining identifying documents, it is suggested to issue booklets and posters for dissemination and placement at passport divisions. Booklets and posters will include information about the list of necessary documents for obtaining passports, application procedures, deadlines, order of filling in questionnaires. The number of all information materials (Reference book, sheets, and posters) is computed to cover all passport divisions of the republic. Yovanovitch