TIP OUTREACH CONNECTS KEY STAKEHOLDERS

UNCLAS LUANDA 000223 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR AF/S, DRL AND G/TIP E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL KTIP PGOV PHUM AO SUBJECT: TIP OUTREACH CONNECTS KEY STAKEHOLDERS ¶1. (U) Summary: On March 31, PolOff led a TIP roundtable, in which key ministries of the Government of Angola (GRA) participated. GRA and NGO participants spoke openly about TIP problems and strategies for Angola's increasingly active anti-TIP efforts. Post believes that real progress in identifying TIP and communicating with Angola about the USG's anti-TIP priorities is under way. End summary. ¶2. (U) On March 31, PolOff led a roundtable hosted by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on trafficking in persons (TIP). Representatives of the National Police, Ministry of the Interior, National Institute for Children (INAC),Ministry of Foreign Relations, and Ministry of Justice, as well as local NGOs participated in the session. PolOff presented information on US laws against TIP, case studies of labor and sex trafficking prosecutions, and the Attorney General's May 2008 report to Congress assessing USG activities to combat TIP. ¶3. (U) Following the presentation, GRA participants spoke openly about cases of trafficking they encountered during their work, including ongoing trafficking-related prosecutions. They said that their work will be much easier once new legislation--already in the works--codifies trafficking as a crime unto itself. The GRA participants understood how the examples of trafficking for labor and sex exploitation differed from human smuggling and grasped the gravity of the problem and its relevance to Angola. ¶4. (U) GRA participants also spoke openly about challenges they faced fighting TIP in post-war Angola. The INAC representative stated that the lack of reliable data on the different types of trafficking present in different parts of Angola makes it difficult to target their limited resources. The representative of the Ministry of the Interior, a past participant in USG-funded, IOM-administered TIP training sessions, said that while the trainings were increasing Police and MinInt capacity to identify and combat TIP in the provinces, the population as a whole still has much to learn. He then requested advice on information campaigns for the general public. The participants reached a consensus that a key element in USG successes was the codification of trafficking as a crime. ¶5. (U) Comment: The level of GRA involvement in the roundtable was significant. The GRA representatives' reactions were open, informative, and introspective, demonstrating yet again that a non-confrontational approach to dialogue generally carries the greatest rewards, and that this approach need not mean watering down USG positions. The level of knowledge on TIP and wide participation in the roundtable are further indications that over recent years the GRA is increasingly focused on fighting TIP. End comment. HAWKINS