2010 HONDURAS TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS (TIP) REPORT

UNCLAS TEGUCIGALPA 000150 SIPDIS FOR WHA/PPC SCOTT MILLER AND G/TIP, G-LAURA PENA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KTIP ELAB KCRM KFRD KWMN PGOV PHUM PREF SMIG HO SUBJECT: 2010 HONDURAS TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS (TIP) REPORT REF: A. STATE 2094 ¶B. 09 STATE 69221 ¶C. 09 TEGUCIGALPA 1275 ¶D. 09 TEGUCIGALPA 117 ¶1. The following is the Trafficking in Persons Country Assessment for Honduras for April 2009 to mid-February 2010. Point of Contact on trafficking is Political Officer Nathan Macklin (MacklinNL@state.gov, phone: 504-236-9320 x4141, fax: 504-238-4446, IVG: 8-539-4141). As requested in reftel A, Post estimates that the FS-04 Poloff spent 30 hours, one LES spent 3 hours, and the FS-01 PolCous spent 5 hours in preparation of the TIP report cable. The Ambassador and DCM each spent approximately 2 hours each on the preparation of the cable. The information provided is in response to the questions in Reftel A. Acronyms used: IHNFA Honduran Institute for Children and the Family TIP Trafficking in Persons IO International Organizations NGO Non-governmental Organization MP Public Mnistry ESC Commercial Sexual Exploitation FA Secretary of International Relatins DOS U.S. Department of State SAVE Sae the Children Honduras CRS Catholic Relief Srvices CA Casa Alianza ILO Internatioal Labor Organization UNICEF United National Fud for Children IOM International Organizatio of Migration DNIC National Directin of Criminal Investigation DNEI National Direction of Specia Investigative Services OSPC Officeof the Special Prosecutor for Children ICESCT Inter-institutional Commission aginst Commercial Sexual Exploitation and rafficking of Children ¶1. SUMMARY: OnJune 28, 2009, Honduran President Jose Manuel "Ml" Zelaya was removed from power in a coup d'etat. The United States did not recognize the de factoregime that subsequently took over and remained n power until the January 27 inauguration of demcratically elected President Porfirio "Pepe" Lob. As a result, it has not been possible to engag in high-level advocacy on the issue of traffickin with the de facto regime, for example with offiials at IHNFA, and there was limited informationon the subject due to our no contact policy withthe de acto regime during the reporting period (ref B). ¶2. (Summary continued) Based on the information available, it appears that trafficking continued to be recognized as a serious problem among the government authorities responsible for tackling it (e.g. IHNFA, quasi-government commission charged with coordination, and the Public Ministry) and the government prosecuted a similar number of cases as in 2008 (ref D). The inter-institutional commission to combat trafficking (CICESCT) continued to function at the working level. Work continued on important projects to combat trafficking, including an awareness program among hotel owners of the dangers of commercial sexual exploitation and a police hotline to report trafficking cases, which will open in 2010 and will centralize the government's ability to accept and process reports of trafficking allegations. Advancements were made by NGOs, and the government directly supported efforts to provide more coordinated and specialized care to trafficking victims. During 2009, government training center INFOP developed plans to provide job training to trafficking victims as part of NGO CHF International's G/TIP funded "Integrated Protection Services for Victims of Trafficking" (IPSVT). Coordination of prosecutions also improved when in July 2009, the OSPC was reorganized and will now handle all trafficking cases, including those cases that involve minors and adults. This reorganization resulted in better coordination of prosecution and consolidated the expertise of trafficking laws and investigations already held by OSPC staff. ¶3. (Summary continued) Attention on regular projects and priorities within the government were negatively impacted by the June coup, and this had an effect on anti-trafficking programs as well. In addition, Honduras continued to struggle with a lack of funding for its preventative, investigative, law enforcement, and victims' assistance functions. There was no reported improvement in the allocation of resources and the large majority of resources set aside for anti-trafficking efforts continued to go to salaries. While the inter-institutional commission charged with government coordination of anti-trafficking efforts continued to function at the working level, it did not meet regularly and there was no information available regarding a self evaluation of the commission's work in 2009. There were no known advacements by the government to create a government-run specialized care center for trafficking victims. END SUMMARY. -------------- HONDURAS' TIP SITUATION -------------- ¶A. Information sources on trafficking in persons (TIP) include the Public Ministry, mid-level Honduran Police contacts, non-governmental organizations (NGOs),and international organizations (IOs). The most reliable information sources in Honduras on TIP include the Office of the Special Prosecutor for Children at the Public Ministry (OSPC),and NGOs such as Casa Alianza (CA),Save the Children Honduras (SAVE),and Catholic Relief Services (CRS). The GOH made headway in 2009 in the establishment of a national hotline for trafficking victims to obtain assistance. The line will be launched in early 2010 and will provide better central documentation of TIP cases. The Public Ministry's office that handles trafficking cases was reorganized in July 2009 and will now handle both minor and adult TIP cases, which will hopefully lead to better documentation of cases. ¶B. According to the OSPC, Honduras is primarily a country of origin and transit for trafficking in persons, however there were cases in 2009 of Honduras as a destination of trafficking victims. For example, police arrested on April 15 Olga Marcia Salvador Sanchez in Cofradia, Cortes Department and charged her with trafficking for prostitution of a 14-year-old girl from Guatemala. Sexual exploitation of the victim was the most common motive in the cases reported during 2009 and many of the victims in the cases investigated in Honduras continued to be minor girls. Honduran nationals were reportedly part of a group of 120 women smuggled to the United States to work as sex workers against their will in a Houston bar. The trafficking ring was described by the "Houston Chronicle" as one of the largest human trafficking rings ever uncovered. a. As an origin country, there are cases in which residents of Honduras are subjected to trafficking conditions within the country, however this did not occur in territory outside the government's control. For example, in May police arrested and charged with aggravated human trafficking Avilio Gomez Sobral, Luis Enrique Soriano Mondragon, and Teodosio Guzman Pindea. The three reportedly operated an organization that trafficked women and girls from rural areas for sexual exploitation in Comayagua. b. In many cases, victims are recruited from rural areas and lured to urban centers with the promise of jobs. The situation of trafficking is particularly difficult for Honduran authorities because in many cases the victim freely leaves Honduras, often times in an attempt to immigrate to the United States, and in the process of the trip north gets caught in an trafficking situation. c. The destination for the majority of trafficking victims continued to be Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Belize, and the Bay Islands of Honduras. Most foreign victims of trafficking came from neighboring counties. In a notable case in February 2009, 13 Honduras were repatriated from Romania after being lured there to work. The workers were promised a job and housing, and instead their passports were confiscated and they were told they would have to pay back over USD 4,000 in order to leave. The Government of Honduras assisted in the repatriation of 13 victims to Honduras and another 5 victims were freed and safely immigrated to countries neighboring Romania. There were no numbers available for each group of trafficking victims. ¶C. There were few changes to the conditions in which victims were trafficked. Most situations include severe conditions that affect the victim's physical and mental fitness and often a violation of their physical integrity. ¶D. According to CHF, an NGO that is working to build a network of care centers for victims of trafficking, minor girls are more at risk for trafficking that leads to sexual exploitation. ¶E. According to the 2009 AHRR and local news reports, gangs, organized crime, and human smugglers were reportedly among the principal traffickers for purposes of commercial sexual exploitation. There were anecdotal reports from police and NGOs that families sold their daughters for purposes of trafficking. Individual entrepreneurs have used the offering of lucrative jobs abroad as well as in the "city" to trap victims as well. In Honduras, those responsible for internal trafficking function like a small group of criminals whose mode of operations are the recruitment, capture, trafficking, and subsequent exploitation which are generally masterminded by one or two individuals in the group. In many cases, the trafficker is a woman. In the past, there have been cases where organized crime has directly trafficked persons but generally, investigations into trafficking cases result with one or two persons identified as responsible without any links to organized crime. The methods utilized to traffic persons are most frequently false offers of well paying jobs (generally, in Guatemala or Mexico) or victims' acquaintances trick them into being trafficking. For transiting the victims out of Honduras traffickers utilize false documents or cross the border at "blind spots" along the Guatemalan and Honduran border. No Honduran employment agencies, tourism, marriage or travel agencies have been detected to be participating in the trafficking of persons. However, the GOH has detected traffickers using newspaper advertisements offering good work to attract potential victims. -------------- SETTING THE SCENE FOR THE GOVERNMENT'S ANTI-TIP EFFORTS: -------------- ¶A. On January 19, the Special Prosecutor for Children, the office that handles all trafficking prosecutions, told Poloff that Honduras continued to take seriously the problem of trafficking and continued to investigate and prosecute those responsible for the crime. Current Honduran law prohibits forced or bonded labor but there is no specific provision outlawing trafficking into exploitive labor situations, and prosecutors must utilize other laws to prosecute in these situations. The Special Prosecutor for Children, Nora Urbina, commented to Poloff on January 19 that from her point of view, this is a shortcoming in the Honduran law that covers child labor. ¶B. Prior to the June coup, the MP, MFA, Secretary of Government and Justice (SGJ),Security Ministry, Migration Department, IHNFA, and the justice system were all involved in the fight against TIP. Due to limitations on contact with the de facto regime, the continued involvement of these organizations was not clear, however NGOs reported that at the working level, these institutions continued to undertake activities to fight TIP. IHNFA is the principal technical authority on all issues dealing with children and family. IHNFA also is charged with guaranteeing compliance with the human rights of children in coordination with all government entities, NGOs, the United Nations Fund for Children (UNICEF),the International Organization of Migration (IOM),the International Labor Organization (ILO),the Save the Children Alliance, Plan International, as well as the Spanish Agency of International Cooperation for Development (AECID). IHNFA works closely with all of these entities to ensure the protection of Honduran children and adhere to all international standards which Honduran is a signatory member. The Public Ministry is the primary organization in the Honduran government that investigates and charges those suspected of trafficking. All trafficking cases are investigated within the Office of the Special Prosecutor for Children (OSPC). The OSPC's office that handles trafficking in Tegucigalpa employed one prosecutor, one assistant prosecutor, five analysts, and two police investigators from the National Direction of Criminal Investigation. In the San Pedro Office, two district attorneys cover trafficking issues, while one attorney does so in Choluteca and one in Danli. In approximately July 2009, the Attorney General approved the consolidation of all trafficking (children and adults) investigations under the authority of the newly named "Unit to Combat Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Trafficking." The National Directorate of Special Investigative Services (DNSEI),which operates under the Minister of Security, conducted detection operations throughout the country including highways, airports, ports and hotels. An Inter-institutional Commission against Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Trafficking of Children (CICESCT) exists to coordinate the GOH's response to the problem of TIP. The CICESCT was constituted in 2003 and is made up of 52 governmental organizations, NGOs and international organizations including the following: Participant Institutions, Agencies and organizations: ¶1. National Congress of Honduras: Commission for Children and Family ¶2. Supreme Court of Justice ¶3. Public Ministry ¶4. Special Prosecutor for Children ¶5. Special Prosecutor for Women ¶6. Secretary of State for the Office of Governance and Justice: General Department of Migration and Immigration: Pact for Childhood Program ¶7. Secretary of State for the Office of International Relations ¶8. Secretary of State for the Office of Security ¶9. Strategic Department of Planning and Coordination ¶10. National Direction of Preventive Police (DNPP) ¶11. DNIC ¶12. DNSEI ¶13. Secretary of State in the Office of Health: Division of Mental Health ¶14. Secretary of State in the Office of Education ¶15. Secretary of Finance ¶16. IHNFA ¶17. Honduran Institute of Tourism ¶18. National Institute of Women ¶19. Municipal Government of the Central District: Social Management ¶20. Casa Alianza Honduras ¶21. Save the Children Honduras. ¶22. Private Institutions Promoting Children's Rights in Honduras (CIPRODEN) ¶23. National Forum for Migration in Honduras (FONAMIH) ¶24. UNICEF ¶25. IOM ¶26. ILO ¶27. Save the Children Alliance ¶28. Plan Internacional ¶29. AECID ¶30. United States Embassy In May, the CICESCT coordinated a project to obtain signatures of a code of conduct from hotels and other businesses in which they agree to not allow their businesses to be a forum for the sexual exploitation of children and to report allegations of CSE to authorities. The CICEST obtained the signatures of 36 hotel owners and two rental car agencies: Global Rent Car and Eurorent. Since 2006, the CICESCT in conjunction with IOM and UNICEF, have in place a protocol to cover the repatriation of children who are victims of trafficking or vulnerable to trafficking. The protocol contains specific procedures to be carried out by government agencies in the return of trafficking victims to Honduras. On January 19, the Special Prosecutor for Children, Nora Urbina, told Poloff that the CICEST had fine tuned the procedure at the border where children are repatriated and for example, in Corinto, Department of Puerto Cortes, minors are now only permitted to enter the country on Wednesdays. This restriction allows IHNFA to better control their entry, processing, and care. Since January 2009, CA also has a permanent staff member posted to the port of entry at Corinto to assist IHNFA in providing care to unaccompanied minors entering Honduras, many of whom departed from Mexico and Guatemala and are at risk for trafficking. Prior to these efforts, there was no standard procedure for processing this population vulnerable to trafficking. ¶C. Socio-economic conditions in Honduras continue to create an environment in which there are few labor and educational opportunities, causing vulnerable communities to fall into the hands of traffickers. Resources continue to be a limitation on the government's ability to address the problem of trafficking in practice. The OSPC told Poloff on January 19 that her office could operate in a more efficient manner if it were given more resources and that further training for those officials who attend to unaccompanied minors being repatriated at land borders would significantly help the government's response to assist a very vulnerable population. The political crisis resulted in less attention by authorities to issues such as trafficking in persons. However, there are no indications there was a complete break-down in the government response to trafficking following the June coup. ¶D. The Inter-institutional Commission against Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Trafficking of Children (CICESCT) is the primary organization charged with monitoring anti-trafficking efforts. All institutions and organizations in the commission discuss and plan future actions against trafficking and the commercial sexual exploitation of children. However, the CICESCT did not make any known private or public assessments available about the GOH's efforts to combat trafficking. The CICEST met once during the reporting period, in January 2010. The OSPC did produce a report of activities, which included an overview of activities carried out by the office in the Public Ministry that handles trafficking prosecutions. ¶E. Honduran law allows one year for parents to register children formally with the National Registry of Persons (RNP). If done after one year following the birth of the child, there is an additional court procedure and paperwork. Hondurans aged 18 can obtain a national identity card, which is proof of citizenship and is required to vote, obtain a job, and for all bank transactions. In January 2010, the RNP announced plans to issue identity cards to minors aged 12-17 during 2010. To travel outside of the CA-4 countries (Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Honduras),Hondurans are required to obtain a passport. To obtain a passport for minors, parents must present their national identity cards and the minor's birth certificate. Adults must present their national identity card and fingerprint check to match the holder of the identity card to the person presenting the card. ¶F. Prior to July 2009, two separate offices handled prosecutions of trafficking cases; adults were handled by one office and minors were handled by another. The handling of all trafficking cases by one office, which started in July 2009, will assist in the government's ability to gather information for in-depth assessments of efforts to combat trafficking. -------------- INVESTIGATION AND PROSECUTION OF TRAFFICKERS: -------------- ¶A. According to the Special Prosecutor for Children, laws and penalties for TIP crimes committed were established in Title II of Chapter II decree number 234-2005 on September 1, ¶2005. These laws were publicized in the official public law review on February 4, 2006 and are referred to as "Crimes against the freedom, physical psychological and sexual integrity of people." Beginning in January 2008, the protocol for preventing, containing and punishing trafficking in persons, especially women and children, was ratified by the legislature and entered into law. The protocol complements the UN convention against transnational organized crime. Article 105 of the Code also establishes that all TIP crimes merit civil as well as criminal charges. Articles 97, 99 and 100 of the Childhood Code of Adolescence establish that penalties and sanctions can be administered agaisnt the owners of businesses where the sexual exploitation of children takes place. These penalties can be determined up to the amount that the entire business is worth, thus effectively closing the business There were no known changes in 2009 to the legal framework that covers trafficking in persons. ¶B. Punishments of sex trafficking offenses include fines ranging from 100,000 to 500,000 Lempira (USD 5,300 to 26,500) and imprisonment for four to 20 years. Article 149 of the Penal Code established penalties of a prison sentence of 8 to 13 years and a fine of 150 to 250 minimum salaries for crimes of sexual exploitation or trafficking of persons. Aggravated sexual exploitation or trafficking is determined based on the following: 1) When the victim is less than 18 years old; 2) When the violator used force, intimidation or tricked the victims with a promise of work; 3) When the violator administered drugs or alcohol to the victim; 4) When the violator took advantage of their business interests, office or profession; and 5) When the violator took advantage of the confidence of persons who have authority over the victim or made payments or loans or other concessions to obtain their consent. There were no known changes in 2009 to the punishments for those guilty of trafficking crimes. ¶C. In Honduras, the law does not include provisions to counter trafficking of persons for the exploitation of labor. However, authorities search for other means of prosecuting criminal figures who carry out illicit actions, including those who recruit workers for the purpose of subjecting them to compelled service. In the case of extra-long working days or where a child is required to work at night, the Code of Children sanctions, in Article 134, a penalty of up to 5 years in prison which is the same sentence for violators of child labor laws. There are cases of foreigners being trafficked to Honduras for sexual exploitation, but there are no known cases of more traditional labor migrants to Honduras. ¶D. Article 140 of the Penalty Code sanctions a penalty of 10 to 15 years in prison for rape. In the case of aggravated rape a prison sentence of 15 to 20 years is given in the following circumstances: 1) When the victim is younger than 14 years old; 2) When the crime committed is against the victim's wishes; 3) When the violator uses drugs or alcohol to diminish the capacity of the victim; 4) When the violator is in charge of the protection or has custody of the child; and 5) When the violator knows that they are a carrier of HIV/Aids, or when they have committed the violation in a group or is a re-offender or when the victim is pregnant or when the victim becomes pregnant because of the rape, or when the victim is over 70 years old. There were no known changes in 2009 to the penalties for the crimes of rape and forced sexual assault. ¶E. According to the OSPC, in 2009 the GOH prosecuted cases against Hondurans involved in commercial and/or sexual exploitation and trafficking in persons; exact figures nationwide are not available. The OSPC reported that the central Tegucigalpa office issued 26 indictments and closed 10 cases of child trafficking or sexual exploitation in 2009; these cases all originated before 2009. Three of the cases involved specific charges of trafficking and in all three cases, there was a guilty sentence. The laws covering the following were used to prosecute traffickers: aggravated trafficking in persons, commercial sexual exploitation, pimping, practice of irregular adoption, usurpation of the civil state, falsification of public documents, child pornography, and rape. Punishments imposed in 2009 ranged from 3 years to 10 years imprisonment and there were no reports that those found guilty were not serving the time sentanced. The office of the OSPC had 83 pending investigations at the end of 2009, compared to 57 in 2008, into allegations of trafficking and sexual exploitation of children. Eight new cases of trafficking were being investigated at year's end. Of those 8 cases, OSPC reported that in 2 cases arrests were made and that the remaining 6 are still being investigated. None of the cases that originated in 2009 were concluded at year's end given that the process to reach a trial can last up to two years in Honduras. All eight trafficking investigations started in 2009 involved minor girls. ¶F. On March 5, INHFA held training for members of the Public Prosecutor's office, police officials, and members of various NGOs to discuss a new manual that outlines proper attention to trafficking victims of commercial sexual exploitation. The OSPC reported that with the support of UNICEF, its office held 8 training sessions for those involved in enforcing laws against CSE and civil society representatives. The OSPC reported holding 217 "collateral activities" dealing with CSE and trafficking. These activities included inter-institutional meetings and trainings, speakers hosted by educational centers and civil society groups and other activities to promote the rights of children and counter trafficking. In addition, the Special Prosecutor for Children, Nora Urbina, attended various international training sessions on the topic of trafficking and CSE during ¶2009. The Ministry of Security's Division Against Abuse, Trafficking, and Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents (DATESI) conducted training sessions in 13 of the 18 departments of Honduras. This training raised awareness about abuse, trafficking, and sexual exploitation and reached 1,500 government officials, police, and volunteers. The USG's Military Information Support Team (MIST) met in April with the inter-institutional commission (CICESCT) and developed media products to raise awareness about the dangers of TIP. The collaborative project resulted in the production of 44 large banners and 6 packages of posters. IOM announced on February 5 the launching of a 15 week "virtual course" about anti-TIP efforts that includes training on how to identify the characteristics of the crime and information on national anti-TIP legislation. The training was offered to police and other members of the CICESCT. ¶G. The Honduran government is a signatory member to a number of regional conventions including: ¶1. A regional convention signed in July 2006 which established regulations for dealing with minors and children who have been transited from one country to another. ¶2. A regional convention signed in March 2008 which codified common methods for investigating and promoting the rights of minor and child migrants exposed to commercial sexual exploitation. ¶3. A regional convention with Mexico ratified in November 2007 regarding the dignified treatment and safety of returned minors and child migrants who are unaccompanied by adults. ¶4. Regionally-elaborated methods for sharing of best practices in the prevention of trafficking of persons. ¶5. A regional project to strengthen the national and regional capacities to combat and prevent trafficking in persons in Central America, agreed upon by all the Attorneys General of Central America. There were no new international agreements signed in 2009. OSPC reported better cooperation in 2009 with prosecutors and immigration authorities in neighboring countries on cases of trans-national trafficking. OSPC reported working in 2009 with Guatemala on 3 TIP cases, with Spain on one case of child pornography, and one case with Mexico involving organized crime and trafficking of minors. ¶H. Under Article 102 of the Honduran constitution, no Honduran citizen can be expatriated or turned over to the authorities of a foreign state. There was no reliable information available on the number of extraditions of non-Hondurans for trafficking crimes and none were reported in the press. ¶I. There were no reports of high level or widespread government involvement in or tolerance of trafficking during ¶2009. There are allegations of involvement of low level immigration officials; however, there were no active investigations in 2009. There were no developments or advances in the investigation of the May 2008 "Cubanazo" scandal, which included allegations of government involvement in the unlawful issuance of visas to Cuban nationals at the Honduran consulate in Havana in what some media outlets reported as a trafficking ring and others described as a smuggling ring. ¶J. There were no known cases of government officials being involved in human trafficking in 2009. ¶K. Honduras was involved in peacekeeping missions abroad but there were no reported cases of involvement of members of those missions in trafficking. ¶L. In the past there have been cases of sexual tourism from both the USA and Australia. According to the Penal Code, Honduras penalizes sexual tourism with a penalty of 8-12 years in prison. The penalty is augmented if victims are children. In 2009, there were no known reports of sexual tourism filed with authorities. In May, the CICESCT coordinated a project to obtain signatures of a code of conduct from hotels and other businesses in which they agree to not support any event at their business that is tied to the sexual exploitation of children, including sex tourism. The CICEST obtained the signatures of 36 hotel owners and two rental car agencies: Global Rent Car and Eurorent. Honduran trafficking laws do have extraterritorial coverage, but there were no reported cases in 2009 of Hondurans being charged for trafficking or CSE crimes in other countries. -------------- PROTECTION AND ASSISTANCE TO VICTIMS: -------------- ¶A. According to the GOH, Article 237 of the Penal Code establishes the protection of witnesses. When the justice system identifies that a witness or victim is in grave danger because of their testimony it is responsible for providing protection according to the following: ¶1. That the name, address, place of work and profession of the witness are not entered into the record of the court or if they are they are sealed and are not distributed beyond the court; ¶2. That appearances in court utilize methods to disguise the identity of the witness to the defendant(s) and the public in general; The National Congress approved a new law for the protection of witnesses, experts and other intervening parties in the penal process who are also instrumental in combating crime. This law was first introduced in the Congress in 2003, but was not approved until March of 2007 by the Commission on Judicial Matters. According to the law, the Public Ministry coordinates the witness protection program for witnesses, funded by 25 percent of seized criminal assets through the Office for the Administration of Seized Assets (OABI). Also, the PM counts on the help of other organizations involved in the penal process, like the Supreme Court of Justice, the Public Defender, the Secretary of Security, the National Police, the National Commission of Human Rights, the Solicitor General of the Republic and the Environment, amongst others. The law is shaped by 31 articles and four chapters which establish its objective, application and define relevant principles and terms. IHNFA also manages the program of Intervention and Social Protection in order to protect and restore the rights of children whose lives or integrity are in danger. This is implemented with a central focus on human rights and the reintegration of victims into their families and society. The victims of commercial sexual exploitation are provided care through a process consisting of three elements: ¶1. Homes of Protection: residential centers with caretakers specialized in guaranteeing observance of the four areas of children's rights under protection. ¶2. Family Protection: exposure to the traditional nuclear family when possible. ¶3. Family Consultation: to ensure full recuperation, re-orientation to family life and family participation throughout their recuperation. The investigation and monitoring of the families of child victims of commercial sexual exploitation is performed by family counselors. These investigations are carried out to determine whether or not a return of the victim to the family is in the victim's best interest. From January to December 2009, Casa Alianza (CA) provided care to 73 minor females victims of trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation. CA classified 46 of the cases as trafficking within Honduras and 27 cases of minor females having been trafficked outside Honduras. ¶B. IHNFA was created to attend to child victims of crimes and children on the margins of society and at social and physical risk. There are no centers specifically oriented for victims of trafficking. Rather, trafficking is addressed within programs and centers oriented to combating the broader problem of commercial sexual exploitation. In 2009, the same as in 2008, the only center for victims of commercial and sexual exploitation and trafficking was run by the NGO Casa Alianza, which received funds from various international donors. There was no known difference in access for foreign victims compared to domestic trafficking victims. Funding amount for victim care was unknown. Local NGO CHF International made progress in 2009 in the implementation of a G/TIP funded "Integrated Protection Services for Victims of Trafficking" (IPSVT) (reftel B). The goal of the program in Honduras is to facilitate integration of service delivery to victims of trafficking, strengthen the Honduran government's capacity to provide services to victims, and build a network of over 10 organizations that will be equipped to provide ongoing integrated assistance to victims of trafficking. CHF signed four memorandums of understanding (MOU) in 2009 with implementing organizations, including United Foundation for Life (FUL),San Juan Bosco Treatment Center, the Honduran National Institute of Training (INFOP),and ABAC Victoria Project. These MOUs were the first step in achieving the goal of an integrated menu of assistance options for trafficking victims and is the target of the project's first implementing objective. The target of CHF's other implementing objectives, including increasing capacity and access of services, increasing vocation and employment opportunities to victims, will be implemented more fully once the implementing partners open for business, which CHF expects to occur during early 2010. ¶C. The Government of Honduras provides medical services to victims of TIP, funded by the government at local public hospitals. NGO CHF's trafficking assistance program, IPSVT, also works to link victims to these services. The application of the "Protocol for the Repatriation of children and adolescent victims or those vulnerable to trafficking in persons" tasks the government with providing care to victims which includes secure and adequate accommodation, a healthy balanced diet, medical and psychological attention including educative and recreational programs, taking into consideration the protection of their security, and considering any pertinent personal information for each and every victim. To ensure their safety, repatriated victims of trafficking must have their family situation verified as safe and stable. This is done through investigations and communication between the various entities of IHNFA with the parallel institution in the victim's country and presumably the victim's family. When a victim is Honduran, the IHNFA works to verify their family situation and establish communication with the family and, when verified, arrange the victim's reintegration into the family. In 2009, IOM assisted in the repatriation from Mexico of three minors, and one minor from Nicaragua after being trafficked for sexual exploitation. Most of these children were reintegrated into their families. ¶D. The OSPC reported that in 2009 a Colombian national victim of trafficking requested and was granted "special status" in order to stay in Honduras after she had been trafficked from Colombia. ¶E. In 2009, the GOH had no specialized shelters for rehabilitation and reintegration of victims. IHNFA appoints special personnel to assist under age victims who are repatriated. NGO CHF's trafficking assistance program, IPSVT, will in 2010 provide the only long-term shelter for adult trafficking victims. CA continued to operate a shelter for child victims of trafficking. ¶F. The referral process to transfer detained victims remained the same as in 2008. A protocol exists for repatriating children and adolescent victims or those vulnerable to trafficking in persons. The referral process is managed by IHNFA and the costs of extradition are covered by the receiving nation. ¶G. Statistics on trafficking victims are not reliable. CA estimated that 73 formerly trafficked girls (ages 12-17) stayed at its shelter and participated in recovery programs in 2009; 46 had been trafficked internally and 27 had been trafficked outside Honduras. Another highly publicized case was reported in January 2009 in the national daily newspaper, "La Tribuna," in which 18 Hondurans were reportedly trafficked to Romania for labor exploitation and were seeking repatriation with the help of the Honduran Embassy in Italy. ¶H. There currently is no formal mechanism within the GOH to identify trafficking victims, however one goal of NGO CHF's anti-trafficking program, IPSVT, is to develop a worksheet for use by its implementing partners and government agency partners in an effort to identify the characteristics of trafficking victims among high-risk persons. ¶I. The GOH appeared to continue its work to better protect the rights of trafficking victims and there were no known cases of victims being detained or otherwise punished. ¶J. The OSPC, the office that handles trafficking cases, continued to encourage victim participation in the investigation and prosecution of human trafficking and reported that 14 such victims participated in investigations in 2009. OSPC reported that in all cases prosecuted, the victim played some role, usually as a witness, in the execution of the case. Prosecutors continue to face obstacles due to victims' mistrust in the judicial system, including its capacity to ensure their personal safety. There was no information available with regard to impediments to their legal redress, restrictions placed on them as witnesses, or ability to obtain restitution. ¶K. The GOH did provide training to government officials to assist them in identifying and providing assistance to trafficking victims. On March 5, INHFA held training for members of the Public Prosecutor's office, police officials, and members of various NGOs to discuss a new manual that outlines proper attention to trafficking victims of commercial sexual exploitation. On August 26, the Public Ministry unveiled a "guidebook" for effective attention to the victims of sexual crimes, including the sexual exploitation of minors, and the investigation of these crimes. There was no known training held at Honduran embassies abroad. The Embassy of Honduras in Italy assisted in the February repatriation of 13 victims of trafficking for labor exploitation. ¶L. Medical assistance to victims is offered at public hospitals, but most care is given by NGOs. ¶M. CA provides immediate and long term support for victims of sexual exploitation and trafficking. CA provides education opportunities, recreation, health care and other capacity building and care. CA partners with ILO and other NGOs to provide this assistance. CHF's anti-trafficking program, IPSVT, began work in 2009 to create a network of ten organizations to provide assistance to trafficking victims and training programs with the support of government entities, including the National Institute for Professional Formation (INFOP). IOM has provided technical expertise and logistical support for the launching of the police hotline for trafficking. In December 2009, IOM assisted police to carry out a training session for approximately 20 staff members who will run the hotline. The training included a presentation of all government and NGO agencies that work with trafficking victims and an explanation of how they can best refer callers to these different agencies to assist trafficking victims. UNICEF has provided technical assistance in the preparation of the inter-institutional protocol on the repatriation of trafficking victims, and both Save the Children and PLAN International had programs that raised awareness about trafficking. -------------- PREVENTION: -------------- ¶A. The Government of Honduras has conducted various campaigns against commercial sexual exploitation and against trafficking in persons. With the support of ILO, the government supported 17 educational workshops between January-June 2009 on sexual exploitation and trafficking for university students, government employees, police, and journalists. No information was available on training offered after the June coup. Please also see response F in the "Investigation and Prosecution of Traffickers" section. ¶B. Better coordination at some border entries has improved monitoring of immigration for evidence of trafficking. Since January 2009, CA also has a permanent staff member posted to the port of entry at Corinto to assist IHNFA in providing care to unaccompanied minors entering Honduras, many of whom departed from Mexico and Guatemala and are at risk for trafficking. Prior to these efforts, there was no standard procedure for processing this population vulnerable to trafficking. ¶C. An Inter-institutional Commission against Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Trafficking of Children (CICESCT)exists to coordinate the GOH's response to the problem of TIP. The CICESCT was constituted in 2003 and is made up of 52 governmental organizations, NGOs, and international organizations. Please see response B in the "Setting the Scene" section for a list of the organizations involved. ¶D. Planned objectives to combat trafficking are covered under the National Plan of Action Against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Girls, Boys and Youth, which is administered by the Inter-Institutional Commission Against Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Trafficking. As described above, a wide-range of government agencies and NGOs are included and consulted. There was very little information available on the activities of this commission after the June coup. The Commission met in January 2009 and did not formally meet again until January ¶2010. However, IOM and police did continue work at a technical level on the establishment of a national telephone hotline. ¶E. Most of the trafficking cases in 2009 were Hondurans being trafficked out of and through Honduras. However, various training sessions offered by the government included commercial sex as a major demand producing activity for trafficking. An important advancement was the May project of CICESCT to coordinate a project to obtain signatures of a code of conduct from hotels and other businesses in which they agree to not support any event at their business that is tied to the sexual exploitation of children. The CICEST obtained the signatures of 36 hotel owners and two rental car agencies: Global Rent Car and Eurorent. ¶F. Honduran nationals are not "consumers" in the international child sex tourism industry. However, the Government of Honduras has made efforts to reduce Honduran participation in the child sexual tourism industry including through the awareness raising program described in question E. ¶G. Honduras is not listed in ref A as being required to respond with regard to measures adopted to ensure its nationals who are deployed abroad as part of a peacekeeping force are not a part of trafficking. -------------- PARTNERSHIPS -------------- ¶A. The government engaged with other governments, civil society, and multilateral organizations to focus attention on human trafficking. For example, the Ministries of Governance and Security and the Public Ministry signed memorandums of understanding with NGO Save the Children on May 18 to work together through workshops and information sharing to combat child labor and the trafficking of children. Additionally, the OPSC reported that during 2009 its worked closely with prosecutors in neighboring countries on trafficking cases. With the support of ILO, the government supported 17 educational workshops between January-June 2009 on sexual exploitation and trafficking for university students, government employees, police, and journalists. Additionally, national police cooperated with IOM to provide training to employees that will staff the police hotline for trafficking. ¶B. Honduras cooperates closely with its neighbors to fight trafficking, however, it is not in a position to provide financial assistance to help other countries address TIP. -------------- CHILD SOLDIERS PREVENTION ACT -------------- The Child Soldiers Prevention Act of 2008 does not apply to Honduras because Honduras has not been subject to allegations in the Human Rights Report regarding unlawful child soldiering. LLORENS