KAZAKHSTAN: TIP PUBLIC AWARENESS CAMPAIGN COMPLETED

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ASTANA 001206 SIPDIS STATE FOR INL/AAE, G/TIP, SCA/CEN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV ELAB SMIG SOCI KCRM KTIP KZ SUBJECT: KAZAKHSTAN: TIP PUBLIC AWARENESS CAMPAIGN COMPLETED REF (A) ASTANA 0222 (B) ASTANA 0187 ASTANA 00001206 001.2 OF 003 ¶1. SUMMARY: INL funded an information campaign conducted by a local NGO to increase public awareness of the risks of human trafficking, targeting in particular those at risk when seeking jobs in-country or abroad. The campaign was conducted concurrently with the Ministry of Interior's anti-trafficking operation. It ended with a conference at the headquarters of President Nazarbayev's ruling Nur Otan party, which demonstrated high-level support for cooperation among Kazakhstani law enforcement, NGOs, and the U.S. Government. END SUMMARY. QUARTERLY ANTI-TRAFFICKING OPERATIONS ¶2. The Ministry of Interior (MVD) has conducted quarterly anti-trafficking operations since 2004. During these operations, police officers check saunas, night clubs, and tourist, employment, and modeling agencies looking for evidence of trafficking rings or victims. Since 2004, over 200 criminal cases have been filed based on evidence uncovered during these operations. Law enforcement and NGOs cooperated during the most recent operation to reach every oblast (province) of Kazakhstan. NGOs have been given the opportunity to speak with both traffickers and victims during the police operations and police have reached out to the public on trafficking issues. INFORMATION CAMPAIGN ¶3. During the most recent MVD anti-trafficking operation, INL provided a $24,000 grant to the Union of Crisis Centers, one of the strongest NGO networks in Kazakhstan which has worked on human trafficking and domestic violence issues for over nine years. In addition, the MVD allocated approximately $6,000 to pay for the travel of project implementers. The campaign included a press-conference and media coverage, development and dissemination of materials (flyers, banners and booklets),public polls, the collection of signatures in support of victims of trafficking, and the organization of round-tables, meetings, seminars, and conferences. ¶4. On March 10, the project was launched with a press conference at the MVD Press Center and at oblast-level departments of interior. Following the press conference, teams made up of two NGO representatives, a psychologist, a lawyer, and a police officer, boarded two trains to talk to passengers about the dangers of trafficking. Prior to the departures, police officers, NGO members, and members of Zhas-Otan (the youth branch of the Nur Otan party) organized demonstrations on railway platforms and discussed human trafficking issues with travelers. The event was widely covered by the local media. On March 11, the Ambassador gave an interview to a local television station to mark the beginning of the information campaign. ¶5. In preparation for the events, the Union of Crisis Centers developed and printed 80,000 informational flyers that described trafficking risks, recruitment methods used by traffickers, how to avoid becoming a victim, and what to do in case one is a victim. The flyer also contained contact information for anti-trafficking organizations in every city of Kazakhstan. Conductors distributed flyers to passengers during check-in and to other people at the railway stations. NGO representatives travelling on the trains also distributed the flyers. Regional NGOs met the trains in each of the 10 cities along the routes, distributing materials and talking to passengers. ¶6. Simultaneously, NGO representatives working in 13 cities with their partners from volunteer organizations distributed materials at conferences, workshops, seminars, and meetings. They also talked to people on the street and in public locations. Polls were conducted to determine the general public's awareness of trafficking issues and the NGOs collected signatures from the public in support of victims of trafficking. The project reached an estimated 50,000 people in 13 cities and 2,000 railway passengers. NUR OTAN PARTY HOSTS TIP CONFERENCE ¶7. On April 7, a one-day conference was conducted at the ASTANA 00001206 002.2 OF 003 headquarters of the Nur Otan political party. The conference was co-chaired by the Head of the Nur Otan Committee for Party Supervision, a Vice Minister of Interior, and a Member of Parliament. Representatives of legislative and executive bodies, law enforcement, NGOs, international organizations, and the mass media participated. The conference summarized the results of the information campaign and police operation, strengthened dialogue between government agencies and non-governmental organizations, and developed recommendations for further cooperation. ¶8. During his opening remarks, the Ambassador highlighted Kazakhstan's contributions to the fight against human trafficking and the U.S. partnership with Kazakhstani government agencies and NGOs in increasing awareness of human trafficking. The co-chair from Nur Otan pointed out the necessity of consolidating governmental and NGO efforts, as well as the efforts of the international community, to create an atmosphere of intolerance towards human trafficking. Participants also discussed the OSCE's policy on human trafficking in light of Kazakhstan's upcoming 2010 OSCE chairmanship. ¶9. The Deputy Chairman of the Criminal Police Committee reported on the results of the police operation. Police uncovered 56 trafficking-related crimes and initiated 28 criminal cases. Of those, there were two cases of trafficking in persons (violations of Article 128 of the Criminal Code),one case of trafficking in minors (Article 133),one case of illegal deprivation of freedom for the purpose of exploitation (Article 126.3b),two cases of involvement in prostitution (Article 270),and 22 cases of pimping (Article 271). Police closed 22 brothels, arrested 67 pimps, and registered 468 prostitutes -- 151 of them from elsewhere in the CIS. ¶10. After the passage of the new Social Services Law (Ref A),the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) was directed to develop standards for the provision of assistance to victims of violence, including victims of trafficking. The MOJ sought suggestions from government agencies and NGOs. Seven such standards were presented by the Ust Kamenogorsk-based NGO Fenix. Following the presentation, participants discussed the standards and made recommendations. ¶11. In light of recent discussions of the issue after a public appeal from a disability group (Ref B),the Women's Support Center NGO from Petropavlovsk raised the thorny issue of legalization of prostitution and reported that NGOs fully share the opinion of the Coalition against Trafficking in Women International (CATW) that legalization of prostitution can only strengthen the sex industry. ¶12. At the end of the conference, recommendations were made to conduct a large-scale research project to determine the most critical gender problems in society that hamper anti-trafficking activities; harmonize the legislation of countries of origin, destination and transit to guarantee protection for victims and appropriate punishment for traffickers; improve methodology to develop standards for social, medical, educational, and other services for victims and establish a mechanism for funding such services; develop a social partnership between civil society and the government, including successful implementation of the law to support NGOs; and provide for flows of information between state bodies, NGOs, and international organizations. RESULTS OF POLL ¶13. NGOs polled 1935 people (1002 women and 933 men) to determine public awareness of human trafficking. When asked what they would do if they discovered human trafficking, 41% said they would inform the police, 24% would call a hotline, and 16% would take no action. Of those surveyed, 70% were not aware of human trafficking. The majority of those who did have knowledge of the problem said they had heard of it from relatives, friends, and the mass media. Almost half of those surveyed said that punishment must be strengthened to eliminate the problem, while 32% recommend expanding education and information campaigns, and 22% thought the solution was improvement of the law. PETITION ¶14. The Union of Crisis Centers collected 2,044 signatures, which will be presented to Parliament, calling for protection and ASTANA 00001206 003.2 OF 003 assistance to victims of trafficking. RESULTS ¶15. In total, the information campaign included 43 separate events conducted in 13 oblasts. In 14 oblasts and two cities, 80,000 information booklets were passed out. A total of 14,798 people participated in the events and, during the 10 day period, approximately 50 media outlets printed or broadcast 223 news stories about it. ¶16. COMMENT: Not only did this project significantly contribute to raising awareness, but it was also a significant step forward in cooperation between police and NGOs. Both the police and NGOs achieved valuable results: the police improved their public image and the NGOs were able to reach a wide audience. END COMMENT. HOAGLAND