PAKISTAN HUMAN TRAFFICKING INTERIM ASSESSMENT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ISLAMABAD 002941

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER ELAB KTIP PK
SUBJECT: PAKISTAN HUMAN TRAFFICKING INTERIM ASSESSMENT

REF: SECSTATE 114330


1. (SBU) Summary. This cable responds to ref A request for
an interim assessment of Pakistan's progress in combating
trafficking in persons (TIP). In response to Pakistan's Tier
2 Watch List ranking in the 2009 TIP report, the government
enhanced its efforts to address Pakistan's significant human
trafficking problems, including bonded and forced labor. The
Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) also provided new data to
us on anti-TIP activities. Per the TIP Report's
recommendation that Pakistan increase labor trafficking law
enforcement activity, post obtained statistics that indicate
increased bonded labor releases over previous years. With
respect to the recommendation that Pakistan increase activity
against fraudulent labor recruiting, the government reported
that it has expanded services in overseas FIA offices and
that the Bureau of Immigration now maintains a database of
labor recruiters. Regarding the recommendation to increase
law enforcement activity against government complicity in
trafficking, the government did not have mid-year data
available on this issue, but promised to provide such data at
year's end. In response to the recommendation calling for
expanded victim protection services, the government initiated
a formal evaluation of the extent of existing services and
began providing services overseas to trafficking victims.
Given the government's response to the deficiencies
highlighted in the TIP Report, Post assesses that Pakistan
has made progress, but continues to need significant
assistance in building anti-TIP capacity. End Summary.

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PAKISTANI RESPONSE TO TIER 2 WATCHLIST RANKING
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2. (SBU) The Federal Investigative Agency (FIA),mandated to
be the national rapporteur for anti-trafficking efforts,
responded proactively to the TIP Tier 2 Watchlist ranking,
despite an increasingly unstable political and security
climate, including two suicide bombs in 2009 on FIA
facilities. Immediately following the TIP Report release, FIA
Director General Tariq Khosa and Additional Director General
of Immigration Iftikhar Ahmed informed federal and provincial
labor, education and health ministries, provincial chief
secretaries, and provincial inspectors general of police of
the report's findings and recommendations, and requested data
on anti-trafficking efforts. Demonstrating political will to
combat trafficking, the FIA established bimonthly meetings
with the Embassy, hired a new staff member, and created a
time line and plan to address the complexities of Pakistan's
internal trafficking problems. With a specific focus on
bonded and forced labor, the resource-strapped agency also
established bimonthly meetings with local and international
NGOs to enhance collaboration on anti-trafficking activities,
and formed three FIA-civil society committees to address
public awareness, law enforcement training needs, and victim
protection services.


3. (SBU) Pakistani officials provided us new information on
ongoing anti-trafficking projects, and explained legal gaps
in Pakistan's bonded labor legislation and the sections of
the Pakistani Penal Code under which bonded and forced labor
complaints may be filed. According to the FIA, the Punjab
Labour Ministry, the Punjab Child Protection Bureau, the
Sindh provincial government, and the Employers Federation of
Pakistan are currently implementing programs that aim to
eliminate bonded and forced child labor through land
redistribution efforts, industrial sector reform, and
education projects. The FIA also said that while almost no
cases have been filed under the 1992 Bonded Labor Abolition
Act (BLLA) as a result of technical flaws in the legislation,
criminal and civil charges for bonded and forced labor
violations are, in fact, filed under other sections of the
penal code. (Note: The International Labor Organization,
provincial labor ministries, and NGOs are working together on
a draft BLLA amendment which would fix the BLLA's legal
defects. End Note.) While the government was not previously
able to provide us with statistics on bonded and forced labor
cases charged under these other sections of the penal code,
post will work with its government contacts on trying to
obtain such information for the 2010 TIP Report.

ISLAMABAD 00002941 002 OF 003



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GOP ACTION ON TIP RECOMMENDATIONS
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4. (SBU) The 2009 TIP Report's first recommendation to
address Pakistani's purported deficiencies combating
trafficking calls for the government to increase law
enforcement activity against perpetrators of bonded labor and
forced child labor. The report noted that Pakistan did not
provide 2008 data to demonstrate any significant law
enforcement efforts against labor trafficking. However, in
response to the TIP Report, the FIA went to great lengths to
try to obtain such data for the Embassy, even though this
data is not readily available to the FIA because it is
maintained at the provincial and local levels. Drawing on
their own personal relationships with local police, FIA
officials obtained for us 2006-09 statistics of bonded
laborer releases by police in four districts of Sindh
province with high bonded labor incidence. According this
data, bonded labor releases increased by between 140% and
200% in the four districts over that four year period.
District police superintendents attribute these increases to
greater media and public awareness of labor rights.
Consulate Lahore managed to obtain Punjab data for 2008 and
2009 that details case registrations and convictions of
forced and bonded labor offenses under 12 sections of the
Pakistani Penal Code. The data, which is incomplete,
indicates a 10% increase in cases registered for forced or
bonded labor related offenses in Punjab province from 2008 to

2009.


5. (SBU) In response to the second TIP Report recommendation
for increased law enforcement activity against fraudulent
labor recruiting, the Pakistani government has made
significant progress by expanding services overseas in its
Muscat, Oman FIA office and by closely monitoring recruiters
through the Bureau of Immigration. In June, FIA officers in
Muscat rescued two young girls, one 14 years of age, brought
to Oman by a Karachi-based agent who advertised legitimate
work, but then attempted to sell them into the sex trade.
FIA repatriated both girls and initiated a criminal case
against the trafficker. FIA is awaiting budgetary approval
to open additional offices in Turkey and Greece to augment
efforts against fraudulent recruiting and other forms of
trafficking. Additionally, Umer Moriya, Director General of
the Bureau of Immigration, reported to us in a November 3
meeting that his offices are charged with close monitoring of
all formal recruiting for overseas labor and revoke licenses
when recruiters abuse the process. The Bureau revoked one
license to date in 2009. The Bureau conducts security and
financial investigations before issuing operating licenses to
recruiters, and maintains a database of more than 1,300
recruiters, 150 of whom were licensed in 2009. It also
tracks recruitment fees and places special exit stamps in
passports for Pakistani departing the country for work
obtained through recruiters, providing a mechanism for
documenting such Pakistani workers overseas.


6. (SBU) The third recommendation calls for more law
enforcement activity against government complicity in human
trafficking. FIA confirmed that it continues to punish
government officials who participate in human trafficking.
The agency was unable to provide mid-year data, but will
provide data for the final TIP Report.


7. (SBU) The fourth TIP Report recommendation identifies the
need for expanded forced labor and sex trafficking victim
protection services. In direct response to this
recommendation, FIA initiated a project in October with NGOs
to develop a national victim protection services database.
They have thus far identified 276 women's centers, 53 drop-in
centers and 47 shelters. Additionally, officials in Sindh
confirmed to us that the government and NGOs are operating
several camps for released bonded labors. In both Punjab and
Sindh, NGOs are also providing shelter, food and vocational
training to released bonded labors. Lastly, FIA has begun to
provide medical and psychological services to trafficking
victims via its Muscat offices and hopes to expand these
services to offices in Turkey and Greece.

ISLAMABAD 00002941 003 OF 003




8. (SBU) Comment: Pakistani government institutions,
including the FIA, took the TIP Report and Pakistan's Tier 2
Watch List ranking very seriously, and are taking steps to
implement the recommendations, despite the difficulties in
doing so at a time when Pakistan is experiencing frequent
terrorist attacks, many aimed at law enforcement, and when
the country's law enforcement efforts must necessarily be
focused on the counter-terrorism fight. The difficulty
surrounding the collection and sharing of law enforcement
data in Pakistan, largely a result of a decentralization of
law enforcement functions and a lack of data management
technology at local levels, impedes accurate reporting on the
country's anti-TIP efforts.


9. (SBU) Comment Continued: To better combat bonded and
forced labor, Pakistan needs more economic development
programs that target the informal labor sectors in Punjab and
Sindh and incorporate labor rights and skills- development
training. There is also great need for financial assistance
for organizations that provide legal and welfare assistance
to victims of labor trafficking. End Comment.
PATTERSON