Cablegate: Mexican Government Held Tip Meeting with Civil

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FM AMEMBASSY MEXICO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2999
INFO RUEHXC/ALL US CONSULATES IN MEXICO COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS MEXICO 004964

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM PREL PGOV MX
SUBJECT: MEXICAN GOVERNMENT HELD TIP MEETING WITH CIVIL
SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS

1. (SBU) On August 30, the Secretariat of Foreign Relations
(SRE) hosted a meeting on trafficking in persons (TIP) that
was attended by representatives of the federal government,
non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and UN agencies.
Since government and civil society in Mexico have
traditionally held little trust for each other, and because
their cooperation is important to effectively address
trafficking, the meeting's purpose was to provide an
introduction between the two sectors as a step towards
eventually identifying ways of collaboration.

2. (SBU) The meeting was well-attended. Presentations were
made by eight NGOs, four UN agencies, and seven federal
government secretariats and agencies. The NGOs and UN
agencies had the uncommon opportunity to present their
project activities and opinions to relevant and well-placed
government officials. In turn, the government representatives
explained their approach to TIP, with the most notable
contribution by Nemecio Lugo, the newly appointed federal
police official in charge of trafficking issues. He provided
a detailed breakdown of current and past investigations of
TIP and TIP-related cases.

3. (SBU) Poloff worked with SRE officials in organizing the
meeting, with the former charged with using its NGO ties to
bring civil society organizations to the table and the latter
to invite GOM representatives. The SRE emphasized the need
for an introductory event, with the likelihood of a second
meeting to discuss more specific issues and concrete areas of
cooperation. By that measure the meeting was a success,
though considerably more work will be required to produce
tangible results. Some cooperation between civil society and
government already exists, and post is also exploring ways to
build and expand upon informal relationships in lieu of
orchestrated, formal events by the SRE.

4. (SBU) Comment: Cooperation between government and civil
society is critical in effectively addressing trafficking in
Mexico. Civil society, for instance, is a rich source for
information on potential trafficking victims which can be
used by law enforcement agencies to carry out rescue
operations and make arrests; professionals from
non-governmental organizations can better identify victims in
detention centers than government officials; and shelters run
by churches or NGOs are suitable environments to provide
assistance to victims. There is no question that more
extensive GOM-civil society collaboration would produce
considerable synergies and post will continue to work to
bring these two sides together.

Visit Mexico City's Classified Web Site at
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/mexicocity

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