Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09BRIDGETOWN109
2009-02-13 19:11:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Bridgetown
Cable title:  

TIP SUBMISSION - ST. VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES

Tags:  KTIP XL PHUM KWMN ELAB SMIG ASEC KFRD PREF VC 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO2477
RR RUEHGR
DE RUEHWN #0109/01 0441911
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 131911Z FEB 09
FM AMEMBASSY BRIDGETOWN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7113
INFO RUCNCOM/EC CARICOM COLLECTIVE
RHMFIUU/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON DC
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 07 BRIDGETOWN 000109 

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR G/TIP, G, INL, DRL, PRM, AND WHA/CAR STATE PASS
TO USAID/LAC/CAR-BOUNCY

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KTIP XL PHUM KWMN ELAB SMIG ASEC KFRD PREF VC
SUBJECT: TIP SUBMISSION - ST. VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES

REF: STATE 132759

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 07 BRIDGETOWN 000109

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR G/TIP, G, INL, DRL, PRM, AND WHA/CAR STATE PASS
TO USAID/LAC/CAR-BOUNCY

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KTIP XL PHUM KWMN ELAB SMIG ASEC KFRD PREF VC
SUBJECT: TIP SUBMISSION - ST. VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES

REF: STATE 132759


1. (U) As requested reftel, below are Post's responses to
questions regarding St. Vincent and the Grenadines for the
annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report.

--------------
PARA 23 - THE COUNTRY'S TIP SITUATION
--------------


2. (SBU)

-- A. What is (are) the source(s) of available information on
trafficking in persons? What plans are in place (if any) to
undertake further documentation of human trafficking? How
reliable are these sources?

There are three primary sources for TIP information: the
Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines (GOSVG),which
includes the police and the Ministry of Gender Affairs; the
press; and the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Human Rights
Association (SVGHRA). The SVGHRA and the press are reliable,
however the GOSVG can be selective in the information it
releases and is less timely and reliable. Both the
government and civil society are sensitive to TIP issues, but
neither consider TIP to be a critical problem in the country.
Both entities are understaffed to take vigorous additional
steps to increase TIP documentation.

-- B. Is the country a country of origin, transit, and/or
destination for internationally trafficked men, women, or
children? Does trafficking occur within the country's
borders? If so, does internal trafficking occur in territory
outside of the government's control (e.g. in a civil war
situation)? To where are people trafficked? For what
purposes are they trafficked? Provide, where possible,
numbers or estimates for each group of trafficking victims.
Have there been any changes in the TIP situation since the
last TIP Report (e.g. changes in destinations)?

St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) is a small multi-island
nation with a population of 110,000. There have been no
reports of TIP from the government or the press during the
reporting period. In conversations with TIP contacts, the
only TIP issue is the possible trafficking of young women for

prostitution, although there have been no confirmed reports
of any women being trafficking victims. SVG has the
potential to be a country of transit and destination for
persons, primarily young women, from the Dominican Republic,
Guyana, Venezuela or other countries in the region. There
are no reports of trafficking victims within the country's
borders. There are no sources of TIP statistics and
estimates point to a minimal problem if any. There have been
no changes in the TIP situation since the last TIP report.

-- C. What kind of conditions are the victims trafficked into?

There have been reports of women traveling to SVG to engage
in prostitution, but no reports that these women are victims
of TIP. There have been no reports of sexual slavery or
trafficking of children for prostitution.

-- D. Vulnerability to TIP: Are certain groups of persons
more at risk of being trafficked (e.g. women and children,
boys versus girls, certain ethnic groups, refugees, IDPs,
etc.)?

Young women are the most venerable group in St. Vincent and
the Grenadines, but there is currently no evidence that they
are being trafficked.

-- E. Traffickers and Their Methods: Who are the
traffickers/exploiters? Are they independent business
people? Small or family-based crime groups? Large
international organized crime syndicates? What methods are
used to approach victims? For example, are they offered
lucrative jobs, sold by their families, or approached by
friends of friends? What methods are used to move the
victims (e.g., are false documents being used?). Are
employment, travel, and tourism agencies or marriage brokers
involved with or fronting for traffickers or crime groups to
traffic individuals?

There have been no reports of TIP by the press or the
government. Small business owners of establishments such as

BRIDGETOWN 00000109 002 OF 007


bars and/or brothels may offer women employment as
prostitutes, however there is no evidence any women have been
trafficked against their will. There is no indication that
employment, travel, tourism agencies, or marriage brokers are
involved in TIP.


--------------
PARA 24 - SETTING THE SCENE FOR THE
GOVERNMENT'S ANTI-TIP EFFORTS
--------------


3. (SBU)

-- A. Does the government acknowledge that trafficking is a
problem in the country? If not, why not?

The government does not deny that TIP may occur in isolated
incidents, but does not acknowledge TIP is a serious problem,
and there have been no reports of TIP.

-- B. Which government agencies are involved in
anti-trafficking efforts and which agency, if any, has the
lead?

The police force and the Ministry of Gender Affairs are the
two primary government agencies dealing with any TIP issues.
The police have the lead in combating TIP as a law
enforcement matter, typically as part of routine enforcement
measures against prostitution. The Ministry of Gender
Affairs is able to support TIP victims with assistance, but
did not report any victims of TIP.

-- C. What are the limitations on the government's ability to
address this problem in practice? For example, is funding
for police or other institutions inadequate? Is overall
corruption a problem? Does the government lack the resources
to aid victims?

Almost every government agency in SVG lacks sufficient
resources, including both funding and staffing. The
government's primary deficiency in addressing any TIP problem
is an inability to patrol their borders. St. Vincent and the
Grenadines is a multi-island nation with an extensive
coastline. The coast guard is undermanned, underequipped,
operates only one vessel and is unable to remain at sea
overnight. It would be possible for a TIP victim to enter
and leave SVG without the government knowing.

-- D. To what extent does the government systematically
monitor its anti-trafficking efforts (on all fronts --
prosecution, victim protection, and prevention) and
periodically make available, publicly or privately and
directly or through regional/international organizations, its
assessments of these anti-trafficking efforts?

The government does not take specific measures to monitor
potential trafficking and has no official reports or
statistics.


--------------
PARA 25 - INVESTIGATION AND PROSECUTION
OF TRAFFICKERS
--------------


4. (SBU)

-- A. Existing Laws against TIP: Does the country have a law
or laws specifically prohibiting trafficking in persons --
both for sexual exploitation and labor? If so, please
specifically cite the name of the law(s) and its date of
enactment and provide the exact language (actual copies
preferable) of the TIP provisions. Please provide a full
inventory of trafficking laws, including non-criminal
statutes that allow for civil penalties against alleged
trafficking crimes (e.g., civil forfeiture laws and laws
against illegal debt). Does the law(s) cover both internal
and transnational forms of trafficking? If not, under what
other laws can traffickers be prosecuted? For example, are
there laws against slavery or the exploitation of
prostitution by means of force, fraud, or coercion? Are
these other laws being used in trafficking cases?

There are no existing laws prohibiting TIP. There are laws

BRIDGETOWN 00000109 003 OF 007


prohibiting slavery, prostitution, child labor and
kidnapping. There are no accounts of these laws being used
to prosecute TIP cases.

-- B. Punishment of Sex Trafficking Offenses: What are the
prescribed and imposed penalties for trafficking people for
sexual exploitation?

There are no laws prohibiting TIP, so there are no specific
penalties for trafficking people for sexual exploitation.

-- C. Punishment of Labor Trafficking Offenses: What are the
prescribed and imposed penalties for trafficking for labor
exploitation, such as forced or bonded labor? If your
country is a source country for labor migrants, do the
government's laws provide for criminal punishment -- i.e.
jail time -- for labor recruiters who engage in recruitment
of workers using knowingly fraudulent or deceptive offers
with the purpose of subjecting workers to trafficking in the
destination country? If your country is a destination for
labor migrants, are there laws punishing employers or labor
agents who confiscate workers' passports or travel documents
for the purpose of trafficking, switch contracts without the
worker's consent as a means to keep the worker in a state of
service, or withhold payment of salaries as means of keeping
the worker in a state of service?

There are no laws prohibiting TIP, so there no specific
penalties for trafficking people for labor exploitation.
There were no reports of TIP for labor exploitation.

-- D. What are the prescribed penalties for rape or forcible
sexual assault? (NOTE: This is necessary to evaluate a
foreign government's compliance with TVPA Minimum Standard 2,
which reads: "For the knowing commission of any act of sex
trafficking . . . the government of the country should
prescribe punishment commensurate with that for grave crimes,
such as forcible sexual assault (rape)." END NOTE)

The penalty for rape or forcible sexual assault is 10 years
to life in prison.


-- E. Law Enforcement Statistics: Did the government
prosecute any cases against human trafficking offenders
during the reporting period? If so, provide numbers of
investigations, prosecutions, convictions, and sentences
imposed, including details on plea bargains and fines, if
relevant and available. Please note the number of convicted
traffickers who received suspended sentences and the number
who received only a fine as punishment. Please indicate which
laws were used to investigate, prosecute, convict, and
sentence traffickers. Also, if possible, please desegregate
numbers of cases by type of TIP (labor vs. commercial sexual
exploitation) and victims (children under 18 years of age vs.
adults). If in a labor source country, did the government
criminally prosecute labor recruiters who recruit workers
using knowingly fraudulent or deceptive offers or by imposing
fees or commissions for the purpose of subjecting the worker
to debt bondage? Did the government in a labor destination
country criminally prosecute employers or labor agents who
confiscate workers' passports/travel documents for the
purpose of trafficking, switch contracts or terms of
employment without the worker's consent to keep workers in a
state of service, use physical or sexual abuse or the threat
of such abuse to keep workers in a state of service, or
withhold payment of salaries as a means to keep workers in a
state of service? What were the actual punishments imposed
on persons convicted of these offenses? Are the traffickers
serving the time sentenced? If not, why not?

The government did not prosecute any cases against human
trafficking offenders. St. Vincent and the Grenadines is not
currently a labor destination country, and there were no
cases of labor agents confiscating workers' travel documents.


-- F. Does the government provide any specialized training
for government officials in how to recognize, investigate,
and prosecute instances of trafficking? Specify whether NGOs,
international organizations, and/or the USG provide
specialized training for host government officials.

The government does not provide specialized training for
government officials in how to recognize, investigate, and

BRIDGETOWN 00000109 004 OF 007


prosecute instances of trafficking. SVGHRA is the only NGO
active in the TIP arena, and their activity is minimal. They
do not provide any specialized TIP training to the
government. Both groups, though, would be amenable to TIP
training sponsored by outside agencies.

--G. Does the government cooperate with other governments in
the investigation and prosecution of trafficking cases? If
possible, provide the number of cooperative international
investigations on trafficking during the reporting period.

There are no such cases on record.

-- H. Does the government extradite persons who are charged
with trafficking in other countries? If so, please provide
the number of traffickers extradited during the reporting
period, and the number of trafficking extraditions pending.
In particular, please report on any pending or concluded
extraditions of trafficking offenders to the United States.

The government has never extradited or charged anyone with
TIP related crimes.

-- I. Is there evidence of government involvement in or
tolerance of trafficking, on a local or institutional level?
If so, please explain in detail.

The only reports of the government's potential involvement in
the tolerance of TIP are local police officers tolerating
prostitution by women from countries other than SVG. Usually
police will shut down prostitution when citizens report it.

-- J. If government officials are involved in trafficking,
what steps has the government taken to end such
participation? Please indicate the number of government
officials investigated and prosecuted for involvement in
trafficking or trafficking-related corruption during the
reporting period. Have any been convicted? What sentence(s)
was imposed? Please specify if officials received suspended
sentences, or were given a fine, fired, or reassigned to
another position within the government as punishment. Please
indicate the number of convicted officials that received
suspended sentences or received only a fine as punishment.

There is no evidence suggesting government officials are
involved in TIP, and no government officials have been
charged or prosecuted for TIP offenses.

-- K. Is prostitution legalized or decriminalized?
Specifically, are the activities of the prostitute
criminalized? Are the activities of the brothel
owner/operator, clients, pimps, and enforcers criminalized?
Are these laws enforced? If prostitution is legal and
regulated, what is the legal minimum age for this activity?
Note that in countries with federalist systems, prostitution
laws may be under state or local jurisdiction and may differ
among jurisdictions.

Prostitution is illegal, as is the facilitation of
prostitution, such as pimping or running a brothel.
Government efforts to enforce these laws are weak.

-- L. For countries that contribute troops to international
peacekeeping efforts, please indicate whether the government
vigorously investigated, prosecuted, convicted and sentenced
nationals of the country deployed abroad as part of a
peacekeeping or other similar mission who engaged in or
facilitated severe forms of trafficking or who exploited
victims of such trafficking.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines does not generally contribute
troops to international peacekeeping efforts.

-- M. If the country has an identified problem of child sex
tourists coming to the country, what are the countries of
origin for sex tourists? How many foreign pedophiles did the
government prosecute or deport/extradite to their country of
origin? If your host country's nationals are perpetrators of
child sex tourism, do the country's child sexual abuse laws
have extraterritorial coverage (similar to the U.S. PROTECT
Act) to allow the prosecution of suspected sex tourists for
crimes committed abroad? If so, how many of the country's
nationals were prosecuted and/or convicted during the
reporting period under the extraterritorial provision(s) for
traveling to other countries to engage in child sex tourism?

BRIDGETOWN 00000109 005 OF 007



St. Vincent does not have an identified problem of child sex
tourists coming to the country.

-------------- -
PARA 26 - PROTECTION AND ASSISTANCE TO VICTIMS
-------------- -


5. (SBU)

-- A. What kind of protection is the government able under
existing law to provide for victims and witnesses? Does it
provide these protections in practice?

The Ministry of Gender Affairs is able to provide some
assistance to trafficking victims if necessary, however this
assistance is limited to counseling and shelter in a battered
women's shelter. This assistance does not include financial
support. No TIP victims requested such assistance during the
reporting period.

-- B. Does the country have victim care facilities (shelters
or drop-in centers) which are accessible to trafficking
victims? Do foreign victims have the same access to care as
domestic trafficking victims? Where are child victims placed
(e.g., in shelters, foster care, or juvenile justice
detention centers)? Does the country have specialized care
for adults in addition to children? Does the country have
specialized care for male victims as well as female? Does
the country have specialized facilities dedicated to helping
victims of trafficking? Are these facilities operated by the
government or by NGOs? What is the funding source of these
facilities? Please estimate the amount the government spent
(in U.S. dollar equivalent) on these specialized facilities
dedicated to helping trafficking victims during the reporting
period.

SVG operates a battered women's shelter. The government has
indicated women who are victims of trafficking are welcome,
however there have been no reports of TIP victims using this
shelter. A local NGO, Marion House, provides victim care
services that could be accessed by trafficking victims.
Foreign and domestic victims of trafficking have the same
access to these services. Children of women housed in the
shelter would be housed with their mothers. Children without
parents would usually be placed with relatives, and there is
one facility for teenage boys. There is no specialized care
for males and females. There are no facilities dedicated
specifically to trafficking victims.

-- C. Does the government provide trafficking victims with
access to legal, medical and psychological services? If so,
please specify the kind of assistance provided. Does the
government provide funding or other forms of support to
foreign or domestic NGOs and/or international organizations
for providing these services to trafficking victims? Please
explain and provide any funding amounts in U.S. dollar
equivalent. If assistance provided was in-kind, please
specify exact assistance. Please specify if funding for
assistance comes from a federal budget or from regional or
local governments.

The government does not provide access to legal and
psychological services, but would provide medical services to
victims of TIP through the state run hospital. The
government does provide some funding for Marion House.

-- D. Does the government assist foreign trafficking victims,
for example, by providing temporary to permanent residency
status, or other relief from deportation? If so, please
explain.

The only assistance available to TIP victims is temporary
shelter in the battered women's shelter and limited medical
care. These services are available to all victims of crime
and are not specific to TIP victims.

-- E. Does the government provide longer-term shelter or
housing benefits to victims or other resources to aid the
victims in rebuilding their lives?

No.

-- F. Does the government have a referral process to transfer
victims detained, arrested or placed in protective custody by

BRIDGETOWN 00000109 006 OF 007


law enforcement authorities to institutions that provide
short- or long-term care (either government or NGO-run)?

No.

-- G. What is the total number of trafficking victims
identified during the reporting period? Of these, how many
victims were referred to care facilities for assistance by
law enforcement authorities during the reporting period? By
social services officials? What is the number of victims
assisted by government-funded assistance programs and those
not funded by the government during the reporting period?

There were no reports of TIP victims during the reporting
period.

-- H. Do the government's law enforcement, immigration, and
social services personnel have a formal system of proactively
identifying victims of trafficking among high-risk persons
with whom they come in contact (e.g., foreign persons
arrested for prostitution or immigration violations)? For
countries with legalized prostitution, does the government
have a mechanism for screening for trafficking victims among
persons involved in the legal/regulated commercial sex trade?

There is no system in place to proactively identify TIP
victims.

-- I. Are the rights of victims respected? Are trafficking
victims detained or jailed? If so, for how long? Are
victims fined? Are victims prosecuted for violations of
other laws, such as those governing immigration or
prostitution?

Since there were no reports of TIP victims, this information
is unavailable.

-- J. Does the government encourage victims to assist in the
investigation and prosecution of trafficking? How many
victims assisted in the investigation and prosecution of
traffickers during the reporting period? May victims file
civil suits or seek legal action against traffickers? Does
anyone impede victim access to such legal redress? If a
victim is a material witness in a court case against a former
employer, is the victim permitted to obtain other employment
or to leave the country pending trial proceedings? Are there
means by which a victim may obtain restitution?

Since there were no reports of TIP victims, this information
is unavailable.

-- K. Does the government provide any specialized training
for government officials in identifying trafficking victims
and in the provision of assistance to trafficked victims,
including the special needs of trafficked children? Does the
government provide training on protections and assistance to
its embassies and consulates in foreign countries that are
destination or transit countries? What is the number of
trafficking victims assisted by the host country's embassies
or consulates abroad during the reporting period? Please
explain the type of assistance provided (travel documents,
referrals to assistance, payment for transportation home).

The government does not provide any specialized TIP training
for any of its officials or embassies, but would be amenable
to training offered by outside sources. There were no
reports of TIP victims.

- L. Does the government provide assistance, such as medical
aid, shelter, or financial help, to its nationals who are
repatriated as victims of trafficking?

The government does not provide any special services specific
to TIP victims. If nationals of SVG that are victims of TIP
are repatriated, only the normal social services are
available.

-- M. Which international organizations or NGOs, if any, work
with trafficking victims? What type of services do they
provide? What sort of cooperation do they receive from local
authorities?

SVGHRA is able to provide legal services and limited aid.

--------------

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PARA 27 - PREVENTION
--------------


6. (SBU)

-- A. Did the government conduct anti-trafficking information
or education campaigns during the reporting period? If so,
briefly describe the campaign(s),including their objectives
and effectiveness. Please provide the number of people
reached by such awareness efforts, if available. Do these
campaigns target potential trafficking victims and/or the
demand for trafficking (e.g. "clients" of prostitutes or
beneficiaries of forced labor)? (Note: This can be an
especially noteworthy effort where prostitution is legal. End
Note.)

The government did not conduct anti-trafficking for education
campaigns.
-- B. Does the government monitor immigration and emigration
patterns for evidence of trafficking?

The government does not monitor immigration and emigration
patterns for evidence of trafficking

-- C. Is there a mechanism for coordination and communication
between various agencies, internal, international, and
multilateral on trafficking-related matters, such as a
multi-agency working group or a task force?

There are no specific mechanisms for coordination and
communication between various agencies on trafficking related
matters aside from normal communication on criminal activity
among government agencies. Nothing specific to TIP.

-- D. Does the government have a national plan of action to
address trafficking in persons? If the plan was developed
during the reporting period, which agencies were involved in
developing it? Were NGOs consulted in the process? What
steps has the government taken to implement the action plan?

There is no government plan of action to address TIP.

-- E: What measures has the government taken during the
reporting period to reduce the demand for commercial sex
acts? (see ref B, para. 9(3) for examples)

The government undertakes routine action to stop prostitution
as part of its regular law enforcement responsibilities.

-- F. Required of all Posts: What measures has the government
taken during the reporting period to reduce the participation
in international child sex tourism by nationals of the
country?

There is no evidence of participation in international child
sex tourism by nationals of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
HARDT