Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09GRENADA10
2009-02-17 21:41:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Grenada
Cable title:  

TIP SUBMISSION - GRENADA

Tags:  KTIP XL PHUM KWMN ELAB SMIG ASEC KFRD PREF GJ 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO4744
PP RUEHGR
DE RUEHGR #0010/01 0482141
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P R 172141Z FEB 09
FM AMEMBASSY GRENADA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0528
INFO RUEHWN/AMEMBASSY BRIDGETOWN 0544
RUEHGR/AMEMBASSY GRENADA 0609
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 06 GRENADA 000010 

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR G/TIP,G,INL,DRL,PRM,AND WHA/CAR

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KTIP XL PHUM KWMN ELAB SMIG ASEC KFRD PREF GJ
SUBJECT: TIP SUBMISSION - GRENADA

REF: STATE 5577,08 STATE 132759

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 06 GRENADA 000010

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR G/TIP,G,INL,DRL,PRM,AND WHA/CAR

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KTIP XL PHUM KWMN ELAB SMIG ASEC KFRD PREF GJ
SUBJECT: TIP SUBMISSION - GRENADA

REF: STATE 5577,08 STATE 132759


1. (U) As requested reftel B, below are Embassy Grenada's
responses to questions regarding Grenada for the ninth 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?

Post consulted with the Royal Grenada Police Force (RGPF),the
Ministry of Legal Affairs, the Ministry of Labor, the Ministry
of Social Development, and several non-governmental
organizations (NGO's). There are no reports of any form of
trafficking in persons (TIP) as defined in reftels. There are
no laws in Grenada concerning TIP. Local NGO's and government
offices are sensitive to TIP issues but do not consider TIP to
be a problem in the country. The police continue to pursue
training in recognizing TIP. However, government offices and
the RGPF are understaffed and overstretched.

-- 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)?

Grenada is a small tri-island country with a population of
approximately 105,000. There have been no reports of TIP from
the government, NGO's, or the press during the reporting period.
Grenada could potentially be a transit and destination country
from other islands and countries in the region. There are no
reports of trafficking victims within the country's borders.

There are no TIP statistics available and estimates indicate the
problem is minimal if it exists at all. There is no change in
the situation since the previous reporting period.

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

While there is local speculation that some young women come to
Grenada to engage in prostitution, there are no reports that any
are victims of TIP. There have been no reports of trafficking
in children for prostitution or sexual slavery.

-- 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 vulnerable group in Grenada but there
is no evidence 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 Grenada's government,
NGO's, or the press. There is no indication that employment,
travel, or tourism agencies, or marriage brokers, are involved
in TIP.

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

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

The Government of Grenada does not deny that TIP might occur,
but does not acknowledge that TIP is a serious problem. There
have been no reports of TIP on any of the three islands that
make up Grenada.


GRENADA 00000010 002 OF 006


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

The Royal Grenada Police Force (RGPF),the Ministry of Labor,
and the Ministry of Legal Affairs have primary legal and law
enforcement responsibility within the government for TIP issues.
The RGPF Immigration and Customs units are aware of the issue
and would take action should any cases of TIP be discovered.
The Ministry of Social Development would provide support to any
TIP victims, but did not report any victims of TIP during the
reporting period.

-- 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?

All government ministries are underfunded and understaffed. The
country currently labors under a heavy debt burden necessitated
by rebuilding required after the devastating passage of
Hurricane Ivan in 2004. Grenada's coast guard (a part of the
police) is unable to patrol its coastal areas which contain many
coves and bays. The coast guard has only one boat capable of
staying at sea overnight and it is not currently working
reliably. It is relatively easy to slip out of any of Grenada's
islands without anyone 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?

Because TIP is not considered to be a problem in Grenada, few
resources are dedicated to looking for it. Immigration
officials have assured post that they do keep an eye out for
TIP, especially with young women from other island nations
arriving in Grenada for weekend visits. To date, they report no
cases of trafficking.

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

-- 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 laws prohibiting TIP. There are laws prohibiting
slavery and the exploitation of prostitution, and child labor
which fall under Grenada's Labor Law. There is no record of any
of these laws being used to prosecute TIP.

-- 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 penalties for
trafficking people for sexual exploitation. There were no
reports of people being trafficked 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 are no specific

GRENADA 00000010 003 OF 006


penalties for trafficking people for labor exploitation. There
were no reports of trafficking people for labor exploitation.

-- D. What are the prescribed penalties for rape or forcible
sexual assault?

Penalties for rape or forcible sexual assault range from
flogging to fifteen years 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 disaggregate 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. While some Grenadians migrate elsewhere
to find employment, there were no reports of labor recruiters or
agents operating in Grenada. There were no reports of
Grenadians being trafficked for labor. Grenada is not currently
a labor destination country and there were no cases of labor
recruiters or 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.

Neither the government nor any of the local NGO's offer TIP
training due to lack of resources and other more urgent
priorities. No education campaigns specific to TIP have been
instituted.

RGPF officers have attended TIP training offered by the USG in
the past to learn how to identify TIP. Two RGPF officers
attended February 12 - 23, 2008 USG-funded TIP training in San
Salvador. Upper level RGPF officers have expressed an interest
in having training in Grenada where more members of the force
could be trained, if it becomes available.

--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 anyone nor charged anyone
with TIP-related offenses.

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

There is no evidence of government involvement in or tolerance
of TIP at any level.

-- 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

GRENADA 00000010 004 OF 006


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 that any 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 for the most part, unless such
activity is brought to its attention by the press or NGO's.
Areas where such activity might be expected, such as beach and
hotel areas, are actively patrolled.

-- 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.

Three Grenadian police officers have served in UNMIH in Haiti.
There have been no allegations that any of these officers were
involved in any TIP activities.

-- 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?

There is no identified problem of child sex tourists coming to
Grenada.

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

-- 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 government could provide only limited assistance to victims
and/or witnesses of TIP. Some counseling services are available
and there is one home for battered women in the country. There
is no financial assistance available. There were no requests
for assistance from TIP victims 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.

There is one battered woman's shelter in Grenada, which
depending on space available would be open to a victim of TIP.
Children would be housed with their mothers. There have been no
reports that any victims of TIP have been housed there.


GRENADA 00000010 005 OF 006


-- 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 legal assistance. Medical care,
including counseling, is available to a victim of TIP, through
the Grenada General Hospital and the Ministry of Social
Development.

-- 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.

No.

-- 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
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 are no reports of TIP victims, there is no
information available.

-- 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 are no reports of TIP victims, there is no
information available.

-- 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).


GRENADA 00000010 006 OF 006


The government does not provide specialized TIP training for any
of its officials or embassies but would be amenable to an offer
of training from outside. 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?

There are no special services available for TIP victims. If
nationals of Grenada were repatriated as victims of TIP, only
normal medical and counseling services would be 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?

Should international organizations or NGO's request assistance
from local authorities, the government would do what it could to
assist. There are no services specific to TIP victims available
in Grenada.

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

-- 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)?

The government did not conduct anti-trafficking information or
education campaigns.

-- B. Does the government monitor immigration and emigration
patterns for evidence of trafficking?

The government does not specifically monitor general immigration
and emigration patterns for evidence for trafficking since due
to lack of resources they are unable to monitor all entrance and
egress points on the islands.

-- 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 is no specific mechanism for coordination and
communication between various agencies on trafficking-related
matters. There are no TIP-specific mechanisms in Grenada.

-- 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 action plan to address TIP.

-- E: What measures has the government taken during the
reporting period to reduce the demand for commercial sex
acts?

The government undertook routine action to stop prostitution as
part of its regular law enforcement activities.

-- 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 of Grenadian nationals in
international child sex tourism.
MCISAAC