PRETORIA INPUTS TO THE 2010 TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 PRETORIA 000291 SIPDIS SENSITIVE DEPT FOR AF/S, AF/RSA; G/TIP FOR STEPHANIE KRONENBURG; G-LAURA PENA, INL, DRL, PRM E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL SF KTIP KCRM PHUM KWMN SMIG KFRD ASEC, PREF, ELAB, KMCA SUBJECT: PRETORIA INPUTS TO THE 2010 TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS (TIP) REPORT -- PART 3 OF 3 REF: A. STATE 02094 ¶B. PRETORIA 1551 ¶C. PRETORIA 2016 ¶D. PRETORIA 2229 ¶E. PRETORIA 2567 ¶F. PRETORIA 2671 PRETORIA 00000291 001.2 OF 003 (Text continues from paragraph 11 of the "Part 2" cable.) -------------- Partnerships -------------- ¶12. (Response to paragraph 30 of Ref A.) -- A. The SAG is widely engaged, at both national and local levels, in a range of intergovernmental and public-private partnerships to mobilize against trafficking. As noted above, the European Commission (EC) extensively funded NPA/SOCA grants to lay the groundwork for legislation, training, monitoring, and awareness raising. (Poloff believes Norway or another Scandinavian country may also have provided funding through IOM.) As for the USG, Post is working to facilitate State/GTIP support to the SAG's law enforcement efforts through its provincial interagency task teams. With respect to civil society, the SAG has partnerships both on policy leadership (e.g. Molo Songololo representing NGOs on the interagency task team, and municipal participation in NGOs' anti-TIP consortia in provinces like the Western Cape, Mpumalanga, and Limpopo),legislative development (via extensive consultations and solicitations of input to the TIP Bill -- the very process that has slowed its progress),and operations (e.g. through DSD collaboration with private shelters on victims' assistance). Finally, the SAG has close collaborations with multilateral organizations, principally IOM, ILO, and UNODC. -- B. The SAG's international assistance on TIP to other governments has been in the form of hosting conferences on the formulation of TIP legislation, Action Plans, and development of anti-TIP institutional capacity. In September 2009 NPA/SOCA hosted its so-called "all Africa" convention, inviting officials from around the continent to compare progress on TIP; it participated in a Southern African Development Community (SADC) forum working toward fulfilment of SADC member states' commitments to have national Action Plans by 2015; and it hosted smaller groupings of adjacent countries to attend conferences on gender issues that, inter alia, addressed trafficking. -------------- Child Soldiers -------------- ¶13. (Response to paragraphs 31-33 of Ref A.) This section is not applicable to South Africa, which has not been subject to allegations of unlawful child soldiering. -------------- "TIP Heroes" -------------- ¶14. (Response to paragraph 34 of Ref A.) For the second year, post applauds Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa (FTTSA),whose initiatives to protect children from exploitation in sex tourism are especially relevant in this World Cup year. As reported previously, FTTSA has led the campaign to introduce "The Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and PRETORIA 00000291 002.2 OF 003 Tourism" (http://www.thecode.org) to South Africa. The Code is a worldwide campaign committing signatories to six concrete anti-TIP actions related to institutional policy, training, contracting, awareness-raising among clients and counterparts, and reporting. This initiativee was launched by the Swedish NGO ECPAT, on whose steering committee FTTSA holds one of the NGO seats for 2008-10, with UNICEF funding and WTO support. For its part, FTTSA (http://www.fairtourismsa.org.za) is a local nonprofit encouraging tourism that is sustainable and respectful vis-a-vis environmental resources and culture, and that is ethical and equitable to local communities. By FTTSA's action, South Africa joins Kenya in leading the Africa continent towards adoption of the Code. FTTSA's work on the Code gained momentum during the reporting period. UNICEF (in coordination with the ILO) committed funding for piloting the Code during the World Cup competition, to kick-start its implementation thereafter. In the next three months before the games, FTTSA aims to sign on ten large companies in the tourism industry whose facilities will then become distribution channels for marketing materials protecting children. Target partners include hotel chains (such as world partner Accor),rental car companies, and airlines. Materials are in development by local advertising firms, aiming to deliver serious warnings without overly scary or shocking effect. The aim is balanced messaging, to portray South Africa as a wholesome travel destination, where families are welcome and exploitation is not tolerated, while at the same time encouraging alertness to the issue. The Code has also been incorporated into the DSD's Child Protection Strategy mentioned earlier, and FTTSA will support UNICEF's efforts to create "child friendly zones" in ten official fan parks. -------------- Commendable Initiatives -------------- ¶15. (Response to paragraph 35 of Ref A.) International faith-based organizations the Alliance of Christians Against Trafficking (ACT),in partnership with Youth With A Mission (YWAM) and Ultimate Goal, which have historically been involved in major global sporting championships, have enlisted a projected 3,000 volunteers from overseas to promote awareness and prevent TIP during the 2010 World Cup. The volunteers, whose airfare, travel, and lodging costs will be paid by themselves or their home churches without SAG or FIFA assistance, will bring specific skills in physical education, medical assistance, and child protection. These YWAM staff will help generate recreation opportunities for unaccompanied kids flocking to fan parks when schools are suspended during the games. ACT will train at least 1,000 of them specifically on trafficking, to distribute anti-TIP pamphlets in game areas and man lost-children booths and TIP information stands. Post has put ACT in contact with other groups engaged in the Child Qput ACT in contact with other groups engaged in the Child Protection Strategy, so that their volunteers can be channeled to the sites with the greatest needs for supervision. -------------- Sources and Contributors -------------- ¶16. Information above is derived from post meetings with government officials, law enforcement and the judiciary, lawmakers, academics, IOs and NGOs, diplomatic counterparts, trainers and researchers, and members of civil society: - Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) - Department of Labor (SADOL) PRETORIA 00000291 003.2 OF 003 - Department of Social Development (DSD),Victim Empowerment directorate - Department of Justice, Deputy Minister - Department of Justice, Rights of Vulnerable Groups unit - National Prosecuting Authority / Sexual Offences and Community Affairs unit (NPA/SOCA) - International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ),G/TIP grantees - (Department of Home Affairs) South Africa Immigration Liason (SAIL) Team and border control officers, Johannesburg International Airport - South African Police Service (SAPS) / TIP desk - South African Law Reform Commission (SALRC) - Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa (FTTSA) - Cape Town Tourism - International Organization for Migration (IOM) - United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) - Susan Kreston, University of Free State / U.S. Fulbright - Khulisa (human rights NGO),Johannesburg - Molo Songolo (children's NGO),Cape Town - Alliance of Christians Against Trafficking (ACT),Cape Town - World Hope International and WHSA, G/TIP grantees - Stellenbosch municipality - Anti-TIP task team members, Durban and E. Cape - Amazing Grace shelter, Mpumalanga - Ikhaya Lethemba shelter, Johannesburg - Childline - Nelson Mandela Children's Fund ¶17. Post's interagency TIP working group coordinates anti-TIP reporting and programs among the Political section, DHS/ICE, DoJ/INL/Women's Justice and Empowerment Initiative (WJEI),Economic / Labor office, and USAID. ¶18. The estimated total time spent by Post to compile this information is 48 hours. This includes 36 hours by the TIP officer, and 12 by the rest of post's interagency working group. Of this, an estimated 16 hours were devoted to interviews with interlocutors, 14 arranging and holding group meetings, and 18 writing the reporting cable. ¶19. Post point of contact on TIP is Cassandra Carraway, telephone 27-(0)12-431-4374 and fax 27-(0)12-431-4612. GIPS