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