SWAZILAND 2009 INTERIM TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS REPORT

UNCLAS MBABANE 000313 SIPDIS DEPT FOR AF/RSA, AF/S FOR MAYA HARRIS, G/TIP MARK TAYLOR E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KTIP KCRM KWMN PGOV PHUM SMIG WZ SUBJECT: SWAZILAND 2009 INTERIM TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS REPORT REF: STATE 112432 ¶1. SUMMARY: Since the June 2009 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report, the Government of Swaziland has made substantial progress in addressing human trafficking. GKOS has acknowledged it did not take TIP seriously until this year, and therefore many initiatives to prosecute and punish traffickers, provide victim assistance, and increase prevention measures are still in their infancy. Major developments include the passage of comprehensive anti-human trafficking legislation, the establishment of a government-NGO anti-human trafficking taskforce, the development of a trafficking hotline, and the start of a 2010 campaign to publicize the new legislation and highlight the issue of human trafficking. END SUMMARY. ¶2. Since the June 2009 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report, the Government of Swaziland has made substantial progress in addressing human trafficking. GKOS has acknowledged it did not take TIP seriously until this year, and therefore many anti-human trafficking initiatives are still in their infancy. Prompted by the 2009 TIP report, GKOS has created an Anti-trafficking Task Force, made up of members from multiple government and law enforcement agencies, UNICEF and UNDP, and NGOs focused on assisting women, children, victims of crime, and other vulnerable populations, and the Task Force has met weekly to draft a road map to inform a national strategy on TIP and provide input on anti-trafficking legislation. ¶3. A member of the Task Force confirmed a press report that King Mswati III assented to the 2009 People Trafficking and People Smuggling Prohibition Act in early November, although government officials were unable to give a specific date. The law was passed by the Senate and House in October, and is expected to be published in the government gazette within the next few weeks, after which it will enter into effect. The law definitively outlaws human trafficking and provides the legal basis to pursue criminals, protect victims under the legal process, and provide law enforcement with tools to gather evidence and prosecute perpetrators. In addition, the law includes legal protections for undocumented and foreign trafficking victims. ¶4. In order to increase victim assistance, and to determine the nature and extent of the problem, local NGO Swaziland Action Plan Against Abuse (SWAGAA) has been commissioned to report on TIP in Swaziland and should complete its study within the next few months. In addition, members of the Task Force have confirmed that plans are being finalized for an anti-trafficking hotline victims can use to get assistance and report occurrences of slavery. The hotline is set to be managed out of the police's domestic violence unit, and government officials have been seeking international support to assist in training operators. ¶5. Although GKOS has made substantial progress since June in setting a foundation to combat human trafficking, now that legislation is on the books, it will need to act on the new provisions to combat labor trafficking, install greater victim assistance programs, and train government and judicial officials on the new law. In September, Prime Minister Barnabas Sibusiso Dlamini unveiled the "Red Light 2010 Campaign" to combat human trafficking. The campaign focuses on education and awareness of the problem of human trafficking, and provides a vehicle to publicize the new law. IRVING