OMAN PUBLISHES NATIONAL PLAN TO COMBAT TIP

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MUSCAT 000973 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 2019/10/20 TAGS: PREL KTIP MU SUBJECT: OMAN PUBLISHES NATIONAL PLAN TO COMBAT TIP REF: A. MUSCAT 965; B. MUSCAT 201; C. MUSCAT 897 CLASSIFIED BY: Richard Schmierer, Ambassador, Department of State, Embassy Muscat; REASON: 1.4(B),(D) ¶1. (C) Summary: The Omani National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking (NCCHT) held its second meeting on October 14 (ref A) approving a National Plan to Combat TIP, announcing a new reporting hotline and website, and confirming two more Trafficking in Persons (TIP) prosecutions in progress. In public comments to the press after the meeting, the Chairman of the committee strongly condemned the crime of trafficking and forcefully pledged to combat it in Oman. End Summary. TIP Committee Chair Strongly Condemns Crime -------------- -------------- ¶2. (U) Press reports on October 16 quoted extensively from comments made by Royal Oman Police (ROP) Inspector General H.E. Malik bin Sulaiman Al-Ma'mari after the meeting of the National Committee for Combating Human Trafficking (NCCHT). Remarks included, "Stringent measures are being taken to curb this phenomenon," and "there is a need to create awareness among the public about this menace." Ma'mari noted that the ROP had been receiving complaints from employees about violations of their rights and that the courts were currently examining the cases. He pointed out that human trafficking was not only a violation of the anti-trafficking law, but also of Shari'a law, the Basic Statute of the State, the Omani Penal Law and Labor Law and went against the practices and traditions of Omani society as well as agreements the government had signed with international organizations. Al-Ma'mari expressed satisfaction over the results achieved by Oman, particularly noting the elevation of the Sultanate from Tier 3 to Tier 2. He encouraged "any citizen or expatriate resident" to bring instances of human trafficking to the notice of the NCCHT through its new helpline or website. Two More Prosecutions -------------- ¶3. (U) In addition to the two prosecutions that have already been concluded this year (refs B, C),Al-Ma'mari announced that two additional prosecutions are currently underway. In addition, in statements to the press, Al-Ma'mari said that "Last night (Tuesday) a large number of suspected groups were arrested and will be brought to court." No further details were given. National Plan -------------- ¶4. (U) The NCCHT approved as an action plan the National Plan to Combat Human Trafficking during its second meeting and the 29-page plan was published on the new website. The plan defines trafficking - both conceptually and in specific terms of Omani law - with specific attention given to differentiating between TIP and illegal infiltration. It outlines the roles and responsibilities of each government entity working on the issue. It notes that the plan hopes to deal with trafficking crimes by reducing both supply and demand. The plan emphasizes that "it is not necessary to obtain full evidence of occurrence of the crime before taking preliminary procedures. Suspicion only is enough to help the victims by the services provided for them in the anti-trafficking law." The plan outlines a list of factors that might indicate someone is trafficked and commits to publishing a manual on identifying victims for anti-trafficking organizations in Oman. The plan lists the types of support provided for victims with an emphasis on flexibility to meet the needs and desires of the individual victim. Specifically, Oman will provide legal assistance, medical assistance, dental care, psychological assistance, and accommodation as needed. For citizens, assistance in reintegrating into society will also be provided. (Note: The plan assumes that most expatriate victims will choose to return to their home country as soon as the trial proceedings are complete. This has thus far been true. End Note. ) The plan charges the Ministry of Manpower, Public Prosecution, Ministry of Health, and ROP with ongoing responsibilities to publish information to increase awareness of TIP. The plan establishes a NCCHT Secretariat which will coordinate the collection and publication of data related to trafficking. The plan also outlines training requirements for government officials including - "Introduction to MUSCAT 00000973 002 OF 002 Anti-Trafficking Law," "Recognition of Victims of Trafficking," "International Cooperation in Anti-trafficking," and "Difference between Trafficking of Persons and Violations of Labor Law." Website -------------- ¶5. (U) After the conclusion of the NCCHT meeting, the committee launched the national anti-trafficking website ( www.ncchtoman.gov.om) in both English and Arabic. The website includes basic information about TIP, including a copy of all related laws (only in Arabic),forms to submit to report TIP cases or labor law violations, information related to prosecutions, the complete tier rankings from the State Department TIP Report, a copy of the national plan and the roles and responsibilities of each government entity involved. National TIP Committee -------------- ¶6. (U) The website gives the first full public listing of the members of the NCCHT. They are: Chairman - H.E. Malik bin Sulaiman Al-Ma'mari, Inspector General of Police and Customs H.E. Shaikh Hussain bin Ali Al-Hilali, Attorney General, Public Prosecution H.E. Sayyid Hamad bin Hilall Al-Bousaidi, U/S for Labor, Ministry of Manpower H.E. Shaikh Zahir bin Abdullah bin Mohamed Al-Abri, U/S, Ministry of Justice H.E. Advisor Mohamed bin Hamdan Al-Toubi, Ministry of Educations H.E. Said bin Khalfan Al-Harthy, Advisor, Media Affairs, Ministry of Information H.E. Ahmed bin Rashid bin Mohamed Al-Ma'mari, U/S, Ministry of Social Development H.E. Khalil bin Abdullah Al-Khunji, Chairman, Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry H.E. Dr. Ahmed bin Mohamed bin Obaid Assedi, U/S for Health Affairs, Ministry of Health H.E. Ambassador Ali Salim Al-Ma'mari, Head of International Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Assistant Advisor Saleh bin Ali bin Nasser Al-Mahrouqi, Ministry of Legal Affairs ¶7. (C) Comment: The TIP website is remarkably transparent for any government activity in Oman, and especially noteworthy in an area that has been as sensitive and contentious as TIP. The public celebration of their Tier 2 status is also a welcome change and shows an increased understanding of both the significance of the progress that has been made and the work that remains to be done. The TIP plan covers all the major issues, but in such a way that it is obvious that the government did not hire it out to a consultant, but truly worked through the document on its own. While the plan notes in the introduction that Oman is only a transit country for TIP, the details of the plan itself show an understanding that Oman may also be a destination country. End Comment. Schmierer