EGYPT "DISAPPOINTED" WITH INTERIM TIP REPORT

UNCLAS CAIRO 000886 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/ELA, NEA/RA AND G/TIP E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KCRM KWMN PGOV PHUM EG SUBJECT: EGYPT "DISAPPOINTED" WITH INTERIM TIP REPORT REF: A. CAIRO 410 ¶B. 2007 CAIRO 3258 Sensitive but unclassified, not for Internet distribution. ¶1. (SBU) On April 23, Amira Fahmy of the MFA Human Rights office told us that the GOE was "disappointed" that the interim Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report on Egypt states that Egypt has only made "minimal progress" on combating TIP during the reporting period. Fahmy said that the National Coordinating Committee to Combat and Prevent Trafficking in Persons has established a drafting committee to draft new, comprehensive anti-TIP legislation. Fahmy expected the legislation to be completed by July and introduced to parliament in the 2008 - 2009 parliamentary session. Additionally, Fahmy noted that the new anti-TIP unit in the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood (NCCM) has arranged seminars since February to educate security personnel on identifying victims of trafficking. Finally, she said that the GOE is undertaking a comprehensive, Egypt-wide assessment of trafficking networks in the country, and is not limiting its research efforts to just the Sinai. Fahmy noted that the GOE hoped to see these points mentioned in the annual TIP report when it is released in summer 2008. ¶2. (SBU) We commended Fahmy on the progress she mentioned, but emphasized the importance of measurable results. We also noted that the child protection law with anti-TIP provisions is still pending in parliament (ref A). The comprehensive anti-TIP law has not yet been drafted. In addition, we noted that NCCM's recent training activities fall outside the reporting period for the interim report, as well as for the upcoming annual report. Scobey