Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08CHENNAI214
2008-06-25 11:01:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Consulate Chennai
Cable title:  

ANDHRA PRADESH: AN ANTI-TRAFFICKING MODEL FOR INDIA

Tags:  KWMN KCRM ELAB PGOV PHUM PREF SOCI IN 
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VZCZCXRO2687
RR RUEHAST RUEHBI RUEHCI RUEHLH RUEHPW
DE RUEHCG #0214/01 1771101
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 251101Z JUN 08
FM AMCONSUL CHENNAI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1715
INFO RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 3154
RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 CHENNAI 000214 

SIPDIS

STATE FOR G/TIP GPATEL

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KWMN KCRM ELAB PGOV PHUM PREF SOCI IN

SUBJECT: ANDHRA PRADESH: AN ANTI-TRAFFICKING MODEL FOR INDIA

REFS: A) 07 CHENNAI 445 B) 07 CHENNAI 103 C) 07 CHENNAI 77

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 CHENNAI 000214

SIPDIS

STATE FOR G/TIP GPATEL

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KWMN KCRM ELAB PGOV PHUM PREF SOCI IN

SUBJECT: ANDHRA PRADESH: AN ANTI-TRAFFICKING MODEL FOR INDIA

REFS: A) 07 CHENNAI 445 B) 07 CHENNAI 103 C) 07 CHENNAI 77


1. Summary: The South Indian state Andhra Pradesh has made great
strides in combating trafficking in persons. In what
anti-trafficking NGOs describe as a "paradigm shift," the police,
prosecutors, and the judiciary have all actively participated in
training programs sponsored by the United Nations Office on Drugs
and Crime (UNODC). The results include a dramatic increase in
arrests and prosecutions of traffickers, and, most significantly,
the imposition of India's first lengthy sentences for convicted
traffickers. NGOs say that the UNODC-supported witness protection
fund has been especially critical to obtaining convictions. At the
same time, NGOs are working with state government officials to
create the livelihood opportunities necessary to rehabilitate
victims of trafficking. NGOs note that the booming economy of
Andhra Pradesh's capital city Hyderabad draws internal migrants from
all over India, forming a population that is vulnerable to
exploitation and trafficking. End summary.

Arrests and convictions mark a "paradigm shift"
--------------


2. Andhra Pradesh's Inspector General of Police (Crime) S. Umapathi
described major developments in the state's fight against
trafficking in persons. Umapathi told post that the state has made
tangible strides by conducting anti-TIP raids, rescuing victims,
initiating prosecutions and securing convictions. According to
Umapathi, in 2007 the state registered 669 cases while arresting
1434 suspected traffickers; with an additional 126 cases registered
against 280 traffickers in the first quarter of 2008. Umapathi said
most noteworthy was the imposition of ten-year sentences against 32
traffickers, the first hefty sentencing levied on traffickers in
India to his knowledge. He added that, unlike in the vast majority
of criminal cases in India, the Andhra Pradesh High Court refused
bail in these cases so the convicts are actually incarcerated.
Umapathi said that the state is now moving from targeting supply
(the traffickers) to the demand side. The authorities have closed

nine brothels since January 2007, arresting 664 customers, but
Umapathi acknowledged that all of the customers were released on
bail after being charged under the Immoral Trafficking Prevention
Act.


3. Umapathi attributed the large number of quick convictions to
recent efforts to involve the judiciary in anti-trafficking efforts.
He cited 68 separate UNODC sponsored training programs conducted
for police officers in which 32 of the state's High Court judges
participated, as well as a UNODC colloquium bringing together judges
and prosecutors to discuss TIP issues. Umapathi added that the
state's Chief Justice extended his personal support to the UNODC
program. He said the UNODC's "Victim's Witness Protection Fund" was
critical to improving the conviction rate by helping courts and NGOs
ensure the safety of victims who testified against traffickers.
NGOs said Andhra Pradesh deserved special recognition for being the
first state in India to heed the long ignored calls for effective
witness protection as an element of the law enforcement strategy.


4. Several NGO representatives confirmed Umapathi's positive
assessment of the strides Andhra Pradesh has made against
trafficking in persons. They were all impressed by the state's
efforts and the UNODC project. One described the progress in Andhra
Pradesh as "a paradigm shift" on the part of enforcement agencies
and the judiciary. The NGO representatives share a common view that
Andhra Pradesh's anti-trafficking efforts are a model for India.
They acknowledged the importance of the UNODC as a catalyst, but
also gave credit to the vital role played by numerous individual
government officials. The importance of the fight is expressed at
the highest levels of state government, with the Chief Minister
recently telling a gathering of the state's District Collectors that
combating trafficking should be a priority for every district in the
state. The government is also putting its money where its mouth is:
the recently announced state budget included a first-time
allocation of approximately $110,000 for victim rehabilitation.
More encouragingly, NGOs believe the government may augment the
UNODC-funded witness protection fund with own funds in next year's
budget.

NGOs provide livelihoods for victims
--------------


5. Inspector General Umapathi told us that Andhra Pradesh has
rescued more than 1200 trafficking victims since January 2007.
Visiting several NGO projects in Hyderabad, we observed efforts to
assist trafficking victims. The International Organization for
Migration's (IOM) "Prevention and Assistance of Survivors of
Trafficking" project (which received funding from the Bureau of
Population, Refugees, and Migration) seeks to provide sustainable
livelihoods to trafficking victims. Working through local partner
NGOs, IOM recently placed 28 trafficking victims in housekeeping
positions at Hyderabad's new international airport. IOM funding

CHENNAI 00000214 002 OF 002


also helped the state open a cafeteria at a government hospital that
is run by trafficked victims. IOM specifically commended the local
government for its exemplary assistance to the project: the
District Collector provided the space at a concessional rate and
waived the rent for six months. The trafficking victims who work at
the cafeteria told us that their new jobs have enhanced their self
esteem and the modest $60 per month salary allows them to lead lives
of dignity.

Internal migration fuels trafficking
--------------


6. Hyderabad's economic boom, which has led to major infrastructure
and real estate development projects, makes the city a destination
for migrants from throughout India. Ankuram, a well-respected NGO
supported by the United Nations, conducted a study of the city's
migrant population which revealed that 80 percent of the migrant
workers are illiterate, the vast majority are from India's most
deprived social segments (37% are from the Scheduled Castes; 36%
from the Scheduled Tribes; and 25% from the Backward Castes),and
84% are unskilled manual wage laborers who work in either
construction or as domestic help. They come from all over India in
search of economic opportunities, including as far away as the
northern states of Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Bihar.


7. Ankuram's report said that the migrants' low socio-economic
status, lack of education, and distance from their homes makes them
a vulnerable population. They found that 40% of migrant children
are not in school and either find work themselves or resort to
begging. Early marriage is rampant in migrant communities as girls'
families marry them while they are young in the hopes of ensuring
their safety and security. The study showed that the women who do
find work themselves experience a high incidence of physical,
psychological, and sexual exploitation at the hands of their
employers. Moreover, Ankuram found that the "addas" -- the
locations where migrants gather to find day labor -- have become
"centers" for trafficking of women and children who are vulnerable
when left at the addas after the men go off for work.

Comment: A model for India
--------------


8. Comment: There is no doubt that trafficking in persons is a
serious problem in India and that more needs to be done to combat
this modern day scourge. But Andhra Pradesh deserves to be
congratulated for the steady progress the state has made in
combating it (reftels). As the NGOs we spoke with noted, Andhra
Pradesh is a model for the rest of India. They are especially
encouraged by the increased number of prosecutions and convictions
that has stemmed from training the police, prosecutors, and the
judiciary on trafficking issues. An independent evaluation team
that recently visited India (including Andhra Pradesh) to examine
the UNODC project confirmed that it has led to a steady stream of
successes in combating trafficking in the state. Civil society has
an important role to play, but the Andhra Pradesh experience shows
that real progress requires all levels of government to get serious
about combating trafficking. End comment.


9. This cable was coordinated with Embassy New Delhi.

HOPPER