VZCZCXRO0620
PP RUEHAO
DE RUEHC #0433/01 2992316
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 262254Z OCT 09
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO RUEHBE/AMEMBASSY BELMOPAN PRIORITY 3326
RUEHWN/AMEMBASSY BRIDGETOWN PRIORITY 1564
RUEHBU/AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES PRIORITY 7852
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS PRIORITY 1689
RUEHGE/AMEMBASSY GEORGETOWN PRIORITY 5909
RUEHGT/AMEMBASSY GUATEMALA PRIORITY 0287
RUEHMU/AMEMBASSY MANAGUA PRIORITY 0007
RUEHDG/AMEMBASSY SANTO DOMINGO PRIORITY 8270
RUEHAO/AMCONSUL CURACAO 6804
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 STATE 110433
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KCRM KTIP KWMN PGOV PHUM SMIG AR BH DR GT GY NU XL
VE, NL
SUBJECT: WHA: INSTRUCTIONS FOR 2009 TIP INTERIM ASSESSMENT
REF: NONE
1.(U) This is an action cable; action request in paras 5 and
6.
2.(SBU) The Trafficking Victims Protection Act, as amended in
2003, requires the Secretary of State to submit a "Special
Watch List" of countries on the TIP Report that either 1) had
moved up a tier on the TIP Report over the last year or 2)
were ranked on Tier 2 but a) had not shown evidence of
increasing efforts to address severe forms of TIP from the
previous year, b) were placed on Tier 2 because of
commitments to carry out additional future actions over the
coming year, or c) had a significant or significantly
increasing number of victims of severe forms of TIP.
3.(SBU) The "Special Watch List" has been submitted to
Congress, as required, along with the President's
determinations for sanctions of Tier 3 countries. The TVPA,
as amended, now requires the Secretary to submit to Congress
an Interim Assessment on the Special Watch List countries no
later than February 1, 2010.
4.(SBU) The Interim Assessment, which the Department plans to
release on January 5, 2010, will serve as a narrowly-focused
progress report, assessing only a country's key deficiency(s)
highlighted in the June 2009 TIP Report. Measuring progress
or lack of progress in addressing these deficiencies (the
basis for which the country was placed on the Watch List
initially) is the main purpose of the Interim Assessment.
This will not/not serve as a large-scale analysis of
anti-trafficking efforts in the relevant country. Similarly,
it will not describe the trafficking problem in that country
(readers can refer to the 2009 TIP Report for that).
Finally, it will not mention Tiers or allude to progress in
achieving a higher tier or, conversely, forecast a fall to a
lower tier.
5.(U) Action Request for Action Addressees: Please answer
the questions addressed to your Post in para 6 in concise
analytical terms, citing examples of the progress (or lack
thereof) sparingly. Post's submission should not exceed four
or five paragraphs. The final Interim Assessment will
include a narrative of no more than half a page on each
country's progress. Please provide these responses to the
Department via front-channel cable -- slugged for WHA/PPC and
G/TIP -- no later than November 16.
6. (U) Interim Assessment Requirements:
A. FOR EMBASSY BELMOPAN: Please summarize the progress, or
lack thereof, the Government of Belize has made in:
(a)Increasing efforts to investigate and prosecute
trafficking offenses and convict and punish trafficking
offenders, including any allegedly complicit officials;
(b)increasing law enforcement efforts against forced labor;
(c)continuing to improve victim services and assistance; and
(d) increasing penalties for sex trafficking crime so they
are commensurate with penalties for other grave crimes.
Please report on any other significant developments.
B. FOR EMBASSY BRIDGETOWN (ST. VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES):
Please summarize the progress, or lack thereof, the
Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines has made in: (a)
developing and implementing a comprehensive anti-trafficking
law; (b) investigating allegations of the commercial sexual
exploitation of children; (c) utilizing existing legal
statutes to prosecute cases of women or children forced into
commercial sexual exploitation; and (d) providing protective
services to children rescued from commercial sexual
exploitation. Please report on any other significant
developments.
C. FOR EMBASSY BUENOS AIRES: Please summarize the progress,
or lack thereof, the Government of Argentina has made in: (a)
implementing the new anti-trafficking law; (b) intensifying
law enforcement efforts to dismantle trafficking networks;
(c) increasing judicial and prosecutorial efforts to
investigate, prosecute, convict and punish trafficking
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offenders, including corrupt public officials who may
facilitate or be involved with trafficking; (d) increasing
investigations of forced labor and domestic servitude crimes;
(e) dedicating more resources for victim assistance(f)
sustaining anti-trafficking training for law enforcement,
judges, and other public officials, including labor
inspectors; and (g)improving data collection on trafficking.
Please report on any other significant developments.
D. FOR EMBASSY CARACAS: Please summarize the progress, or
lack thereof, the Government of Venezuela has made in: (a)
amending existing laws to prohibit and adequately punish all
forms of trafficking in persons, particularly the internal
trafficking of men and boys; (b) intensifying efforts to
investigate and prosecute trafficking offenses, and
convicting and punishing trafficking offenders; (c)
investigating reports of trafficking complicity by public
officials; (d) providing greater assistance and services to
trafficking victims; (e) designating a coordinator to lead
the government,s anti-trafficking efforts; and (f) improving
data collection for trafficking crimes. Please report on any
other significant developments.
E. FOR CONSULATE GENERAL CURACAO: Please summarize the
progress, or lack thereof, the Netherlands Antilles have made
in: (a) enacting legislation criminalizing all forms of human
trafficking; (b) vigorously prosecuting and convicting sex
and labor trafficking offenders throughout the Netherlands
Antilles; (c) establishing formal procedures to guide
officials in the proactive identification of trafficking
victims and referral of thee victims to service providers;
and (d) considering ways to educate clients of the sex trade
and beneficiaries of forced labor about the causes and
consequences of trafficking. Please report on any other
significant developments. (NOTE: Although the Consulate
General is being asked to collect and report anti-TIP data
for the Netherlands Antilles, the Interim Assessment will
note that the Antilles are part of the Kingdom of the
Netherlands, and the assessment of the Antilles in the 2010
TIP Report will be part of the assessment of the Kingdom of
the Netherlands, as was the case in the 2009 TIP Report. END
NOTE)
F. FOR EMBASSY GEORGETOWN: Please summarize the progress, or
lack thereof, the Government of Guyana has made in: (a)
vigorously investigating and prosecuting trafficking
offenses, and convicting and sentencing trafficking
offenders;(b) proactively identifying trafficking victims
among vulnerable population such as women and children in
prostitution; (c) protecting trafficking victims throughout
the process of criminal investigations and prosecutions; (d)
assigning more judges and court personnel to handle
trafficking cases in the country,s interior regions; and (e)
expanding anti-trafficking training for police and
magistrates. Please report on any other significant
developments.
G. FOR EMBASSY GUATEMALA: Please summarize the progress, or
lack thereof, the Government of Guatemala has made in: (a)
Implementing and enforcing the new anti-trafficking law; (b)
increasing efforts to investigate and prosecute trafficking
offenses, and convicting and punishing trafficking offenders,
including public official complicit with trafficking
activity; (c)pursuing suspected cases of forced labor and
domestic servitude crimes, in addition to suspected cases of
adult sex trafficking; (e) improving victim services and
assistance; (f) increasing anti-trafficking training for
judges and police; and (g) increasing funding for
anti-trafficking efforts, particularly for the country,s
dedicated prosecutorial and police units. Please report on
any other significant developments.
H. FOR EMBASSY MANAGUA: Please summarize the progress, or
lack thereof, the Government of Nicaragua has made in: (a)
increasing efforts to investigate and prosecute trafficking
offenses, and convicting and punishing trafficking offenders,
including government officials who may be suspected of
complicity with trafficking activity; (b) increasing law
enforcement efforts against forced labor; (c) dedicating
additional resources for victim assistance; (d) providing
adequate care for adult trafficking victims; and (e) raising
public awareness about human trafficking, particularly among
young Nicaraguan seeking gainful employment. Please report on
any other significant developments.
STATE 00110433 003 OF 003
I. FOR EMBASSY SANTO DOMINGO: Please summarize the progress,
or lack thereof, the Government of Dominican Republic has
made in: (a) Intensifying efforts to prosecute and punish
trafficking offender, especially public officials complicit
in or facilitating human trafficking; (b) increasing
investigation into potential labor trafficking situations;
(c) continuing to increase victim assistance and shelter
services; (d) providing greater legal protections for
undocumented and foreign trafficking victims; (e) increasing
prevention and demand-reduction efforts; (f) increasing
efforts to identify and care for all trafficking victims; and
(g) increasing anti-trafficking training for government and
judicial officials. Please report on any other significant
developments.
CLINTON