G/TiP: KEEPING ZAMBIA ENERGIZED

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 LUSAKA 000768 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR AF/S, G/TIP STEPHANIE KRONENBURG PROGRAM E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL KWMN KOCI SMIG SOCI PREF ZA SUBJECT: G/TiP: KEEPING ZAMBIA ENERGIZED REF: 09 LUSAKA 102, 08 LUSAKA 1100 ¶1. (SBU) Summary/Action Request: Zambian authorities and civil society are energized around efforts to operationalize the 2008 Anti-Human Trafficking Act and 2009 Anti-TiP Policy, interlocutors impressed upon G/TiP Reports Officer Stephanie Kronenburg during her October 12-17 visit. With prevention messages clearly getting out, 2010 will be a crucial year to test Zambia's resolve to consolidate Tier 2 status through implementation of sustainable victim protection and prosecution programs. Action Request: Post requests G/TiP consideration of FY2010 INCLE and ESF fund allocation to harness Zambia's forward momentum on anti-TiP and prevent backsliding. End summary/action request. -------------- Anti-TiP: STRUCTURE AND STUMBLING BLOCKS -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Having admitted that it has a trafficking problem (Ref A) and decided to put itself firmly on the road to recovery, Zambia is designing the architecture to render the 2008 Anti-Trafficking Act and 2009 Plan of Action effective. Ministry of Home Affairs Deputy Director of Research and Planning Esau Mashow and his team briefed G/TiP Reports Officer Kronenburg and Emboff on the ongoing creation of Zambia's national anti-TiP steering committee, chaired by Home Affairs. The GRZ envisions a flexibly thin structure to oversee and monitor National Plan implementation, and will draw upon the cross-sectoral expertise of civil society organizations for protection and prevention roles, Esau said. ¶3. (SBU) The anti-trafficking effort has spurred revision of other legislation, particularly acts relating to child welfare, Law Development Commission officer Sharon Williams told Emboff separately. Zambia is in the midst of a project to look at child-related legislation through an anti-trafficking lens, she said, and drafts of adoption and other codes will soon make their way through Parliament. ¶4. (SBU) Despite Zambia's efforts to put a competent national structure in place to combat trafficking in persons, lack of practical knowledge and budget remain formidable stumbling blocks. Opposition MP Chishimba Kambwili, who has been outspoken on trafficking issues, expressed fear that the anti-TiP Act could start to gather dust if police investigators lack training on evidence-gathering, prosecutors are unaware of how to get convictions under the Act, and the government fails to allocate funds to operationalize the legislation. Kambwili's fears were echoed by Zambian government counterparts and NGOs alike. -------------- POLICE AND PROSECUTIONS -------------- ¶5. (SBU) With passage of the new anti-trafficking law, Zambian authorities are monitoring the ability of police and prosecutors to take full advantage of its provisions to punish traffickers. Zambian Police Victim Support Unit (VSU) National Coordinator Tresford Kasale (himself a beneficiary of RSO-sponsored anti-trafficking training at ILEA in Botswana in 2007, one of 18 police and immigration officers to receive such training since 2005) and Esau Mashow of Home Affairs pointed out that the legislation is a powerful tool -- if investigators and prosecutors know how to use it. Kasale noted with satisfaction that Zambian Police have benefited from IOM-run training and that efforts would be made to ensure officers would be assigned to border posts or otherwise apply their skills. ¶6. (SBU) Kronenburg and Conoff met one such officer at the Sakania border crossing with the DRC. Police Officer in Charge Peter Mbewe had attended training while working with the Ndola VSU and brought both anti-trafficking knowledge and provocative posters to his new border assignment. (Note: Mbewe was one of seven officers assembled by Officer in Charge Ernest Chanda on Immigration headquarters notice, a sign that the border postings have both an interest in anti-TiP and take their jobs seriously. End note). Mbewe observed that victim counseling is key to securing prosecutions. Chanda added that anti-trafficking awareness helps avoid exploitation by traffickers of his calm post where officers rely mostly on picking strange faces out of routine border crossers. ¶7. (SBU) While VSU experience and G/TiP-sponsored IOM training make a difference, Zambia is still building a core contingent of trained officers, and allocation of those human resources to appropriate posts is spotty. At the much busier Kasumba-Lesa crossing, none if LUSAKA 00000768 002 OF 002 the officials had gone through VSU training. Worse still, none was aware of provisions of the new law calling for victim protection. ¶8. (SBU) Whereas Zambian authorities previously had to cobble together various elements of the penal code to levy some form of deportation notice or fine on traffickers, Home Affairs contacts note, the new 2008 Act defines the elements of a trafficking crime and provides for punishment. ¶9. (SBU) Zambian courts are just starting to hear cases under the new legislation. A Namibian citizen is currently being tried under charges of trafficking children to Namibia for farm and domestic labor. Note: Zambian Social Welfare officials plan a visit to these children following Embassy inquiries into the case. End note. -------------- "BREAK THE CHAIN" - PREVENTION AND PROTECTION -------------- ¶10. (SBU) While the GRZ is formulating its overall comprehensive prevention-oriented media strategy, recent "Break the Chain" campaigns, including a radio soap opera (Ref A) already seem to have made an impact. A group of female high-school students from the government-run Chibote School clearly articulated their role as anti-trafficking sensitization "Community Ambassadors" and had a lively exchange with Kronenburg at the American Corner in Kitwe. The students were joined by representatives from the YWCA, which plays a major role as government partner in victim protection. ¶11. (SBU) Visits to secure YWCA shelters for victims of gender violence and trafficking in Lusaka and Kitwe highlighted the importance of the IOM-sponsored hotline in victim referrals and the need for additional shelters. GRZ Social Welfare Director Rose Matupo said that the GRZ envisions the establishment of shelters in eight of Zambia's nine provinces, with initial emphasis on border areas. In the meantime, the government relies on YWCA facilities. -------------- --- PROOF IN THE THREE P'S: KEEPING ZAMBIA ON TRACK -------------- --- ¶12. (SBU) Comment: While GRZ and NGO interlocutors energetically go about implementing the Anti-TiP Act, we are still in the optimistic phase where it seems that only good can prevail in the fight against traffickers. IOM, ILO, UNICEF and RSO training are helping to create a cadre of professionals well-versed in basic prevention, prosecution and protection anti-TiP skills. ¶13. (SBU) Keeping that momentum up and ensuring that Zambia keeps out of the watchlist category means mustering available resources at a time when political will and public interest are high. Zambia needs to deliver on promises to provide more comprehensive victim support and develop the skills needed to successfully investigate crime and prosecute traffickers. To this end, Post advocates consideration of Zambia in the list of countries eligible for FY2010 ESF and INCLE funding to complement work being done both under the UN Joint Program and with current G/TiP resources. End comment. ¶14. (U) Stephanie Kronenburg was not able to clear this cable. BOOTH