GOVERNMENT HOLDS ANTI-TRAFFICKING WORKSHOP

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MUSCAT 000043 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/ARP, G/TIP, AND DRL DEPARTMENT OF LABOR FOR JAMES RUDE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM PREL KCRM KWMN SMIG ELAB KMPI MU SUBJECT: GOVERNMENT HOLDS ANTI-TRAFFICKING WORKSHOP REF: A. 07 MUSCAT 822 ¶B. 07 MUSCAT 778 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Government officials and representatives of civil society met in December 2007 under the auspices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) to review and amend Oman's draft anti-trafficking in persons (TIP) law. The Council of Ministers is expected to approve the law and name the chairman of the national anti-trafficking committee before the end of January 2008. Contacts report that the Council will likely choose Minister of Manpower Juma bin Ali al-Juma to the position. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) On December 16, 2007, the MFA hosted a two-day, inter-ministerial workshop on TIP, titled "Combating TIP - the National Responsibility," to review Oman's draft anti-TIP legislation (ref A). According to contacts at the MFA, the workshop was designed to generate broad-based support within the government for the law before it is presented to the Council of Ministers for approval. Participants later told poloff that most ministries with TIP-related portfolios were represented at the workshop, including the Royal Oman Police (ROP),Ministry of Manpower, Ministry of Legal Affairs, and the Public Prosecutor's Office. Several women's association members and journalists represented civil society. On invitation from the MFA, Dr. Mohammad Mattar, Director of the Protection Project at Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, and Dr. Nihal Fahmy, Regional Consultant for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, participated as international experts. ¶3. (SBU) Poloff spoke with Dr. Mattar following the workshop, who reported that he was "very impressed" with the participants' level of engagement as well as the draft law, which includes stiff penalties for trafficking offenders and a number of protections for victims (ref B). Under the leadership of the Attorney General and the Deputy President of the Supreme Court, participants discussed each article of the law in depth, recommending a number of possible changes. Dr. Mattar said that he offered additional recommendations to strengthen the law's victim protection provisions, including: a) specifying that potential victims are exempt from court fees when involved in a TIP case; and b) affording victims the right to stay in Oman while authorities investigate and prosecute their case, particularly if required by the circumstances of their personal status in Oman or their country of origin. According to Dr. Mattar, if Oman adopts recommended changes to the draft, it will have the best law in the region. (Note: The Arabic-language daily Shabiba published an early version of the draft law on January 7. Post will pass a copy to G/TIP via separate email. End note.) - - - - - - Next Steps - - - - - - ¶4. (SBU) Humaid al-Ma'ani, Office Director for the Secretary General of the MFA, told poloff on December 30 that with the conclusion of the workshop, he expected the government to move quickly toward passage of the law. The drafting committee met during the last week of December to consider amendments and accepted many of the workshop participants' and Dr. Mattar's recommendations. He stated that the committee already had sent an amended version of the law to the Council of Ministers, and that the Council could take action before the end of January 2008. The last step in the legislative process is for the Sultan to issue the law as a Royal Decree, which should not take more than two months, al-Ma'ani informed poloff. ¶5. (SBU) According to al-Ma'ani and contacts in the Public Prosecutor's office, the Council also will choose a Minister to chair the National Committee for Combating Human Trafficking. The Committee -- which is to be comprised of Undersecretaries at the Ministries of Justice, Manpower, Social Development, Health, and Legal Affairs, as well as the Attorney General and Assistant Inspector General of the ROP -- will have broad powers to establish a comprehensive anti-TIP program and publish periodic reports on the government's efforts to combat TIP. Al-Ma'ani told poloff that the MFA intends to recommend either Juma bin Ali al-Juma, Minister of Manpower, or Malik Sulaiman al-Ma'mari, Inspector General of the ROP, for the position of Chairman. Juma and his Ministry are doing the most at present to prevent labor exploitation, al-Ma'ani said, and Juma may be the Council's likely choice. ¶6. (SBU) Comment: The Council of Ministers held its first MUSCAT 00000043 002 OF 002 meeting of the year on January 14. When poloff asked al-Ma'ani on January 15 if the Council had reviewed the anti-TIP law, al-Ma'ani demurred, saying that he is not privy to the Council's agenda. Post will continue to monitor the law's status, and urge the government to take action as quickly as possible. End Comment. GRAPPO