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