S/GWI Project Proposal for Benin.

UNCLAS COTONOU 000073 PARIS FOR ARS (DWINTON) DEPARTMENT FOR S/GWI, AF/PD, AF/W, INL, DOJ FOR OPDAT SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PHUM KWMN KPAO BN SUBJECT: S/GWI Project Proposal for Benin. ¶1. SUMMARY OF PROPOSED PROGRAM: This S/GWI project proposal for Benin consists of equipping and renovating Benin's existing DNA laboratory in order to give it the capacity to perform DNA comparison analysis in criminal cases and to thereby furnish the courts with the valuable forensic evidence they need in many gender-based violence (GBV) cases. This would in turn increase the number of convictions in GBV cases. The Women's Justice and Empowerment Initiative (WJEI) in Benin already has a budget for public awareness raising, victim support, and law enforcement/judicial training. There is even a budget to equip police and gendarmes to collect forensic evidence. The DNA lab is the missing piece to the WJEI in Benin, and by funding this project, the overall efficacy of the WJEI will be improved, resulting in more convictions for GBV and the justice systems having a greater dissuasive effect vis-a-vis GBV. ¶2. PROBLEM TO BE ADDRESSED: Benin is an otherwise relatively peaceful country with a high rate of (GBV). A recent study by the Family Ministry revealed that 74 per cent of Beninese women reported having been the victim of physical violence and 28.5 per cent of Beninese woman reported having been the victim of sexual violence. The two primary factors that explain the prevalence of GBV in Benin are that GBV is culturally accepted by many Beninese and that law enforcement and the justice system are poorly trained and equipped to handle GBV cases, resulting in few convictions and little dissuasive effect. ¶3. Starting in November 2007, the WJEI has been working to reduce GBV in Benin. In Benin, the WJEI is run by USAID, DOJ/OPDAT, and DOJ/ICITAP. Specifically, the WJEI in Benin has raised public awareness in every area of the country about GBV, has encouraged victims to press charges, and has offered support to GBV victims. The WJEI has also trained police, gendarmes, prosecutors, and judges on how to best investigate, prosecute, and hear GBV cases. Recognizing that in GBV cases, law enforcement and the courts are often dependent upon the evidence furnished by medical professionals, the WJEI has also trained gynecologists in legal medicine as it pertains to sexual assault cases. ¶4. Since the WJEI began in Benin, socio-cultural attitudes towards GBV have begun to slowly change for the better. GBV is no longer a taboo subject, and it is now a subject that garners much attention in the media and among ordinary Beninese. Additionally, law enforcement and the courts have taken a greater interest in GBV cases and are now better trained to handle them. With the help of the project, more victims have come forward and there are more cases before the courts. ¶5. However, even with this increased willingness to press charges on the part of victims and this increased willingness to investigate, prosecute, and sanction on the part of law enforcement and the courts, most GBV cases are still either being dismissed or being reduced to misdemeanors for which the available sanctions are lenient. The reason for many of these dismissals and reductions is a lack of sufficient evidence. GBV, by its very nature, usually takes place either in the home or in a secluded place where there will not be any witnesses present. As such, most GBV cases are what law enforcement and the courts would consider 'he said - she said' affairs. In the United States, advances in forensic science, particularly in the science of DNA, have allowed law enforcement and the courts to obtain the type of evidence that allows for convictions, even in 'he said - she said' situations. Benin does not currently have the capacity to produce such evidence during investigations and at trial, and as a result, many GBV cases are dismissed or reduced, thus demoralizing victims and limiting the dissuasive power of the justice system in its fight against GBV. ¶6. Benin's existing DNA lab currently does DNA paternity testing (a simpler, more straightforward experimental procedure than DNA comparison analysis in criminal cases). Organizationally, the lab falls under (and is financed by) the Ministry of Higher Education. In July 2009, the WJEI financed an audit of this lab in order to determine its capacities. The forensic scientist who audited the lab found the scientists to be well-trained, capable, and eager to increase their skill set to include DNA comparison analysis in criminal cases. She also found the lab to be fairly well-equipped, as it already possessed much of the equipment necessary for DNA comparison analysis in criminal cases. However, if the lab were to engage in DNA comparison analysis in criminal cases, the auditor determined that minor renovations would need to be made to the lab in order to institute unidirectional office flow, prevent contamination, and improve the electrical supply. ¶7. PROJECT DESCRIPTION: This project would be overseen by US Embassy Cotonou through its DOJ/OPDAT and DOJ/ICITAP representatives who already work on WJEI-Benin. It would involve first signing a letter of agreement with the Ministry of Higher Education establishing a partnership in this project. The necessary renovations would then be put out to bid, and the additional laboratory equipment procured. At the same time, the WJEI would finance the training of the Beninese laboratory scientists with respect to the additional equipment used in DNA comparison analysis in criminal cases. Once the renovations are completed, an experienced forensic scientist would then supervise the installation of the additional equipment and the initial start-up experimentations. It is envisaged that the entire time frame for this project would be no more than one year. ¶8. DESCRIPTION OF RECIPIENT ORGANIZATION: The recipient organization would be the Beninese Ministry of Higher Education, and more specifically, the Laboratoire Cytogenetique de Cotonou. The laboratory is headed by a doctor who is a former Health Minister, and has two other scientists on its staff, one of whom holds a Ph.D. in molecular biology. To date, the lab has handled almost 100 paternity cases, and their work has been verified by a Belgian forensic laboratory which has shown their work to be 100 per cent accurate. The staff of the lab has shown itself to be dedicated and competent, and the lab is well-managed. Sustainability concerns should not be an issue with the lab given that it already has a Higher Education Ministry-funded budget to replace consumables (pipettes, beakers, chemicals, etc.) There is also an additional revenue stream that comes from the paternity tests themselves. ¶9. BUDGET: Based upon the audit already done in July, the cost of the various pieces of laboratory equipment necessary to upgrade the lab's capacity to include DNA comparison analysis in criminal cases would be USD 62,500. This amount covers over 70 different pieces of equipment, kits, and chemicals. USD 30,000 is budgeted for an automatic generator. USD 7500 is budgeted for the minor renovations (sealing doors; building temporary walls; repainting the walls) that would be necessary to create the single-flow work environment necessary to prevent contamination. ¶10. DESIRED OUTCOMES AND PERFORMANCE MEASURES: The desired outcomes of this project would be 1) access to forensic DNA evidence in GBV cases, particularly sexual assaults; and 2) an increase in convictions in GBV cases as a result of this newly available DNA evidence. Taking a broader view, this project would aid the WJEI in reducing GBV in Benin. The logic behind the WJEI is two-fold: that GBV can be reduced through greater public awareness and through greater prosecution. The addition of a DNA lab would allow the prosecution access to much stronger evidence in many GBV cases, thus augmenting the dissuasive effect of the justice system on GBV. The success of this project would be measured by the number of GBV cases in which the lab provided useful DNA evidence, and by the percentage of these cases that resulted in conviction. This 'lab-aided' conviction rate would then be compared to the conviction rate in other GBV cases where the lab's services were not utilized. ¶11. RATIONALE: As mentioned above, the WJEI in Benin takes a comprehensive approach to combating GBV. The WJEI recognizes that raising awareness, changing socio-cultural attitudes towards women, and helping GBV victims are all essential if the overall rate of GBV is to be reduced. But the WJEI also recognizes that a meaningful reduction of GBV cannot occur without a simultaneous effort at increased prosecution and conviction. As long as the justice system either will not or cannot convict and sentence those who are guilty of GBV crimes, there will be little incentive to stop committing them. As things currently stand, the WJEI in Benin has a budget for public awareness raising, victim support, and law enforcement/judicial training. There is even a budget to equip police and gendarmes to collect forensic evidence. What is missing is the forensic crime laboratory to analyze this evidence. Funding this project would complement the existing WJEI, and would result in an overall greater impact in the fight against GBV in Benin. KNIGHT