Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08MONTEVIDEO92
2008-02-22 14:51:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Montevideo
Cable title:  

IOM PROPOSAL FOR G/TIP-FUNDED PROJECT

Tags:  PREL ELAB KTIP EINV SOCI UY 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXYZ0032
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHMN #0092/01 0531451
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 221451Z FEB 08
FM AMEMBASSY MONTEVIDEO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7973
INFO RUCNMER/MERCOSUR COLLECTIVE
UNCLAS MONTEVIDEO 000092 

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPT FOR WHA/BSC AND G/TIP - KBRESNAHAN

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL ELAB KTIP EINV SOCI UY
SUBJECT: IOM PROPOSAL FOR G/TIP-FUNDED PROJECT

REF: DOUTRICH-SIGMON/BRESNAHAN E-MAIL ON 02/07/08

SUMMARY
-------

UNCLAS MONTEVIDEO 000092

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPT FOR WHA/BSC AND G/TIP - KBRESNAHAN

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL ELAB KTIP EINV SOCI UY
SUBJECT: IOM PROPOSAL FOR G/TIP-FUNDED PROJECT

REF: DOUTRICH-SIGMON/BRESNAHAN E-MAIL ON 02/07/08

SUMMARY
--------------


1. (U) SUMMARY: IOM proposed a third-phase of its
successful previous G/TIP-funded projects. The Embassy fully
endorses the proposal, which is summarized in this cable.
The GOU has also emphasized its support for continued
cooperation in this vital area. Post submitted the full
proposal with required attachments and fully itemized budget
in early February (ref). Phase III is a two-year program
designed to build on the increased awareness and willingness
of national and local officials, civil society and the
private sector to combat trafficking in persons (TIP) in
Uruguay and regionally. The project will include: a)
conduct research in high-risk areas for trafficking, at
tourist and border localities; b) conduct training activities
for decision-makers; c) provide technical assistance to the
institutions in order to promote and support services of
direct assistance and protection for victims and their
families and strengthen skills among law enforcement
officials, prosecutors and the judiciary; d) help
prevent child pornography through the promotion of the
responsible use of the Internet. END SUMMARY.

URUGUAY'S TIP LANDSCAPE
--------------


2. (U) Uruguay generates migration and has internal
migration, both motivated by the search for better economic
opportunities. Uruguay's political, legal and regulatory
environment is conducive to engagement on trafficking issues.
The challenge for the GOU is the lack of resources and a low
awareness within the general population of the extent of the
problem. Uruguay's public institutions lack the economic
means to combat exploitation (insufficient victim care
centers, lack of police and judicial protocols to follow,
lack of specific training and assistance to victims of sexual
exploitation and of trafficking.)


3. (U) Uruguayan leaders from all sectors have told Post
that they are interested in continuing/expanding the efforts
and results of Phases I and II. This positive response was a
notable first since Embassy Montevideo began coordinating

G/TIP-funded activities in Uruguay and came despite a change
of government since the process began in 2003. Among those
who requested continued engagement were law enforcement
officials at the Ministry of the Interior, the National
Institute for Minors and Adolescents of the Ministry of
Social Development, the Human Rights office within the Bureau
of Political Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the
Human Rights Bureau of the Ministry of Education and Culture,
provincial Mayors (Intendentes),prominent members of the
business community, Congressmen and NGOs. Both earlier
phases developed a network of local experts, engaged the
private tourist sector to help fight trafficking within their
domain, achieved government acceptance of the project input,
and increased wil
lingness and commitment to work further in drafting public
policies.

THE PROPOSAL "PHASE III"
--------------


4. (U) The Embassy and IOM seek to build on the successes of
Phase I and II to deepen awareness of trafficking, smuggling,
and sexual and labor exploitation in Uruguay and border
countries (Argentina and Brazil),and to build to the
capacity of government institutions, NGOs and civil society,
both at the regional and national levels, generating concrete
tools for regional coordination in the prevention and the
direct assistance to victims.

In order to achieve this objective, the project will expand
the achievements of Phases I and II along the following
project objectives:

A) To identify the risks associated with the social
vulnerability that influence the potential victims of traffic
in areas of migrant population, particularly border areas
with Argentina and Brazil and areas where recent large
investments have been concentrated - e.g. the provinces of
Paysandu, Rio Negro and Colonia.

B) To enhance local capacities on counter trafficking
through training key stake holders concerned with the issue.
Offer protection and reintegration services for victims and
their families.
C) To strengthen the judicial system and the ability of key
stake-holders to prosecute offenders and direct assistance to
victims of trafficking.

D) To prevent TIP by alerting within the educational field
about the dangers faced by boys and girls and their
households when navigating the Internet. This is especially
critical in light of the nation-wide rollout of "Plan
Ceibal," a government initiative to provide a laptop with an
Internet connection to each student in Uruguay.

BACKGROUND ON PHASES I and II
--------------


5. (U) Phase I (October 2003-September 2004) was an
anti-internet child pornography project with regional scope.
The purpose was to inhibit internet child pornography in
Uruguay and other OAS member states. It was jointly
sponsored by the Embassy, the OAS Inter-American Institute of
the Child (headquartered in Montevideo),and ECPAT (an NGO)
and was implemented within the framework of Mercosur. The
project coordinated research on the problem in a regional
context and helped create/implement legislation and
enforcement within Uruguay, Paraguay, Argentina, Brazil,
Chile and Bolivia.


6. (U) Phase II (October 2006-November 2007) was coordinated
and carried out by the Office of International Migration
(OIM) and included a series of seminars to develop and
educate a network of key policy makers throughout Uruguay on
trafficking issues. The geographical coverage included
Mercosur countries (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay,
Bolivia and Chile). The network allows participants to share
information and raise awareness of TIP issues when developing
and/or implementing public policies. Phase II also included
the development of a special research component covering the
tourist resort of Punta del Este, Uruguay.


7. (U) The one-year program of seminars on Phase II included
a workshop to promote regional cooperation held April 23-25,
2007, in Montevideo, with sixty-five representatives from
Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay.
During the workshop, IOM introduced a new web forum which
offers participants the ability to exchange documents, follow
up on specific cases, coordinate efforts and discuss best
practices. The web forum contains all workshop presentations
and conclusions and can be accessed at www.puntosur.org. The
website is in Spanish. A one day (September 28) TIP training
workshop requested by the Uruguayan National Institute for
Children and Adolescents (INAU) was held in the city of
Rivera, directly across the border from the Brazilian city of
Santana do Livramento. Two workshops and a final seminar in
November in the province of Maldonado where Uruguayan INAU
and municipal authorities, as well as members of the public
and private tourism sectors of Maldonado, pledged to devote
gre
ater resources to combating TIP throughout Uruguay.


8. (U) The team of experts in charge of these workshops was
the same for both phases and is expected to join OIM if a
Phase III is approved. For working purposes, they used the
concept of "social vulnerability" focused on trafficking.
The work of law enforcement officials is now showing the
results of Phase I since more and more individuals have been
prosecuted for producing and selling child pornography on the
Internet.

COMMENT
--------------

9. (SBU) COMMENT: Post earnestly solicits G/TIP funding for
IOM's proposal for a third phase of our efforts to combat TIP
in Uruguay. Thus far we have enjoyed measurable success in
the main objectives as well as positive benefits to our
bilateral relationship. TIP has proven to be an excellent
subject for bilateral cooperation with the left-leaning
Frente Amplio government and promises to remain a subject
they will engage on proactively, something we aim to cement
through this proposal.

Baxter