TANZANIA/TIP: FIRST ARREST UNDER NEW ANTI-TIP LAW

UNCLAS DAR ES SALAAM 000890 SIPDIS SENSITIVE DEPARTMENT FOR AF/E JTREADWELL, G/TIP RYOUSEY, INR FEHRENREICH JUSTICE FOR OPDAT SILVERWOOD E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PHUM KTIP TZ SUBJECT: TANZANIA/TIP: FIRST ARREST UNDER NEW ANTI-TIP LAW ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: On December 13, Tanzanian police arrested and charged their first suspect under the 2008 Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act. Although Tanzania has otherwise made little progress in implementing the law, in part due to poor inter-ministerial coordination, the recent arrest is a positive step. It may serve as a catalyst for increased government efforts. We will continue to encourage the government to improve coordination and enforcement measures. END SUMMARY ¶2. (U) On December 13, police in the Tarime District (near Lake Victoria) arrested a man for abducting two children, ages four and eight, from Isebania, Kenya and attempting to sell them at a mining site in the Nyamongo area. IOM has identified Isebania as a "hot spot" for child trafficking due to the lack of stringent control at the nearby border crossing. The suspect was charged with trafficking. The suspect would be the first person to be tried under the 2008 Anti-Trafficking in Persons law. ¶3. (SBU) Although the arrest is a positive step, inter-ministerial coordination on anti-trafficking continues to be lacking. Tanzania's Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act (2008),which came into effect in February 2009, designates the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) as responsible for its implementation. The Act provides for the establishment of an Anti-Trafficking Secretariat to coordinate inter-ministerial anti-trafficking efforts. To date, President Kikwete has not named a Secretary, nor has MHA established a Secretariat (or other organizational elements of the law, such as an anti-trafficking fund to support victims). ¶4. (SBU) On December 8, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosted a coordination meeting on counter trafficking, which brought together representatives from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA),mainland and Zanzibar Departments of Social Welfare (DSW) and Public Prosecution (DPP),international organizations, local NGOs, and the diplomatic community. (Note: The MFA has held these stakeholder meetings annually since 2006 as a means of generating discussion about trafficking in persons. End Note.) MHA and DPP representatives had been informed of the meeting only minutes before it started and thus could offer no information regarding the establishment of the Secretariat, ongoing investigations or prosecutions, or other progress towards implementing the various provisions of the law. (Note: The Tanzania National Police's former lead officer on trafficking in persons had been transferred to Kigoma region two months earlier; his replacement has yet to be identified. End Note.) At the conclusion of the meeting, the MFA host announced that coordinating responsibility for the inter-ministerial meetings would be passed to the mainland DSW. Although IOM and PolOff were aware of the planned handover, the DSW representative was clearly taken off guard, commenting that "it takes many hands to coordinate effectively." The meeting demonstrated the lack of coordination among GOT agencies, as well as a general lack of familiarity with the Act's provisions. Principal State Attorney Anselm Mwampoma subsequently told Poloff that the GOT is moving towards implementation of the law, but he could not provide any details. ¶5. (SBU) With respect to protection, at the meeting NGOs and various international organizations discussed their efforts to assist TIP victims and build capacity within the DSW for prevention and protection. Representatives from Child in the Sun, Dogo Dogo, Daughters of Mary Immaculate, and Kiwohede are working to help young victims of trafficking, undertaking fostering and reunification efforts. (Note: Several of these NGOs receive USG funding through IOM.) UNICEF, IOM, and ILO are building the capacity within the DSW and immigration departments to identify and counsel trafficking victims, while also raising awareness among local and district authorities. ¶6. (SBU) COMMENT: The arrest of and charges against the suspected child trafficker in Tarime is a good first step towards Tanzania's full application of its Anti-TIP law. We will continue to support the GOT's anti-trafficking efforts, specifically working with the Ministries of Home Affairs and Justice to improve internal coordination. END COMMENT LENHARDT