Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09DAMASCUS727
2009-10-13 10:51:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Damascus
Cable title:  

WHAT CARROT, WHAT STICK? PUSHING THE SARG ON TIP

Tags:  PHUM PGOV PREL PREF EINT KPAO KTIP KWMN OIIP 
pdf how-to read a cable
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DE RUEHDM #0727/01 2861051
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 131051Z OCT 09
FM AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6921
INFO RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD PRIORITY 0029
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 0739
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 0698
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 0713
RUEHUNV/USMISSION UNVIE VIENNA PRIORITY 0065
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0730
RHEHAAA/WHITE HOUSE WASHDC PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L DAMASCUS 000727 

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/ELA, INL/G-TIP
LONDON FOR LORD, PARIS FOR NOBLES

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/13/2019
TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL PREF EINT KPAO KTIP KWMN OIIP
SOCI, SY
SUBJECT: WHAT CARROT, WHAT STICK? PUSHING THE SARG ON TIP

REF: A. DAMASCUS 00554

B. DAMASCUS 00555

Classified By: CDA Charles Hunter for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)

C O N F I D E N T I A L DAMASCUS 000727

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/ELA, INL/G-TIP
LONDON FOR LORD, PARIS FOR NOBLES

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/13/2019
TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL PREF EINT KPAO KTIP KWMN OIIP
SOCI, SY
SUBJECT: WHAT CARROT, WHAT STICK? PUSHING THE SARG ON TIP

REF: A. DAMASCUS 00554

B. DAMASCUS 00555

Classified By: CDA Charles Hunter for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (SBU) Summary: Deputy Minister of Social Affairs and Labor
Dr. Issa Maldoon met the Charge and U.S. Speaker Program
participant Dr. Lourdes Green on October 12 to discuss
Syria's ongoing efforts at combating trafficking in persons
(TIP),expand services for victims of domestic violence, and
explore possible areas of cooperation with international and
U.S. partners. Maldoon voiced considerable interest in
Green's Second Chance Employment Service (SCES)for women
victims of domestic violence, suggesting a willingness to
employ such a model in Syria. He also assured the Charge
that his ministry would be open to providing the embpFvrtbuFpP
Qn germane to the annual TIP report. This was the
first visit in recent memory between the Embassy and the
Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor. End Summary.

--------------
Cooperation in Theory
--------------


2. (SBU) After welcoming Green and praising her U.S.-based
organization SCES, Deputy Minister Maldoon stated Syria could
"benefit" from such an agency. (SCES, founded by Green, is a
not-for-profit organization assisting women victims of
domestic violence find employment.) Maldoon expressed a
willingness to explore possible areas of cooperation with
Green in the future. He also intimated a desire for
technical assistance in developing a similar model, including
the use of tracking software, which Green described as a key
element of her program. He did not go so far as to recommend
how his ministry might initiate any first steps in the
direction of collaboration other than to promise he would
pass her information to the Minister.


3. (C) Maldoon took the opportunity to enumerate the SARG's

current services to TIP victims and victims of domestic
violence, nearly all of which have been covered in reftels.
He was keen on pressing the significance of the "concrete
steps" the SARG had taken in working with local and
international NGOs to open women's shelters. And while
Maldoon addressed himself primarily toward Green, initially,
it was clear his comments were intended for Post's
consumption.


4. (SBU) "But we still suffer from not having a proper
system" for dealing with TIP, Maldoon sighed; "this is a new
problem for us." The Iraqi refugee crisis and the "new
phenomenon" of domestic servants had overwhelmed the
country's immigration and law enforcement capacities. "There
are 100,000 foreign maids in Syria," Maldoon asserted. (Note:
we have heard from the Philippine Embassy that Filipino
domestic servants in Syria number approximately 15,000. End
note.) Though an anti-trafficking law had yet to be passed,
Maldoon said there was a new law limiting and regulating the
admission of foreign domestic workers. The new legislation
also reportedly defined domestic workers' rights as well as
their employers' obligations to them.

--------------
Cooperation in Practice
--------------


5. (C) The Charge took the opportunity to emphasize our
willingness to begin a "broad conversation" on TIP-related
issues with SARG officials. He acknowledged the Ministry's
recent work in the area of protective services and hoped
similar progress would be made in the realms of prevention
and prosecution as well. The Ministry could, the Charge
pointed out, also assist us in painting as accurate a picture
as possible of Syria's anti-trafficking progress in our next
TIP report by providing specific information on arrest and
conviction rates.


6. (SBU) While Maldoon announced a willingness to give the
Embassy whatever information he possessed, he quickly
qualified his openness by saying the TIP portfolio was
"shared by several ministries," including the Ministry of
the Interior. As for the much anticipated anti-trafficking
law, Maldoon told us the draft was in the final touch-up
stages and would, he predicted, be passed into law before the
end of the year.


7. (C) Comment: Getting in the door of the Ministry was a
positive step in our slow engagement of the SARG on TIP
reforms, which began with our August 5 meeting with the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Office for International
Organizations (ref A). Whether Issa Maldoon will be a
lobbying force on our behalf remains to be seen. His
strength inside the Ministry is dubious. Rumor would have it
the Minister, Dr. Diala Haj Aref, has given him little real
authority and deploys him only on those issues she finds of
minor interest.


8. (C) Comment continued: However weak Maldoon's position is,
there are signs the SARG will cooperate on TIP projects, as
evidenced by its work with IOM, UNDP, UNHCR, and local NGOs
and faith-based organizations. To that end, we see our
continued dialogue with SARG as an opportunity to increase
good will and open up a ground for future collaboration. The
arguments for hurrying the passage of anti-trafficking
legislation as well as for greater transparency on TIP
prosecution figures might gain traction if combined with
attractive capacity-building inducements. If the Department
considers pursuing this course of action, it might consider
ways to provide SARG-sponsored women's shelters and relevant
governmental agencies with the kind of web-based tracking
programs used by U.S. programs like SCES. We are unsure,
though, that such software would be waiverable under the
current sanctions regime. End Comment.
HUNTER