CAMBODIAN ANTI-TIP LAW PASSED AND PROMULGATED

UNCLAS PHNOM PENH 000179 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/MLS, G/TIP, AND EAP/RSP E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PHUM KJUS KWMN CB SUBJECT: CAMBODIAN ANTI-TIP LAW PASSED AND PROMULGATED REF: 07 STATE 122413 ¶1. (U) Post is pleased to pass on good news from the Royal Government of Cambodia: Cambodia's anti-trafficking in persons law was promulgated on February 15 and went into effect immediately. Passage of the anti-TIP law was one of five high-priority measures for Cambodia to move to a more favorable tier placement according to the Cambodia Tier 2 Watch List Action Plan (reftel). Cambodia was recognized as making "significant progress" in the recent official interim assessment for 2007 Tier 2 Watch List countries partly due to the fact that the law had moved to the Council of Ministers in August 2007 and to the National Assembly in November 2007. ¶2. (U) The new anti-TIP law is a comprehensive law containing provisions criminalizing all forms of trafficking, including trafficking through debt bondage. Ministry of Justice Secretary of State Chan Sotheavy held primary responsibility within the ministry for drafting the law. She explained punishments proscribed by the law: buying and/or selling of a human being is punishable by two to five years in prison; human trafficking with the intent to exploit the victim is punishable by seven to 15 years; and for crimes involving aggravating circumstances, such as child victims or perpetrators who are government officials, 15 to 20 years. ¶3. (SBU) Chan Sotheavy stated that the MOJ is currently seeking funds to disseminate the law to judges, prosecutors, law enforcement officials, and to the general public. The USAID-supported C-TIP program has plans to work with the National Task Force to disseminate, and generally provide exposure to, the law among RGC officials, legal aid providers, and shelter employees over the coming months. A local UNICEF representative stated that UNICEF has plans to support publication of the law for dissemination purposes but UNICEF has not yet received official word that the law was promulgated. Promulgation of the law has not yet been widely publicized. MUSSOMELI