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FM AMEMBASSY OSLO
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RUEHUJA/AMEMBASSY ABUJA
UNCLAS OSLO 000100
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
FOR G/TIP (LAURA PENA)
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV KTIP ELAB KCRM KFRD KWMN PHUM PREF SMIG KMCA NI
NO
SUBJECT: NORWAY 2010 TIP REPORT
REF: 10 STATE 2094; 09 OSLO 112
1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Embassy Oslo's points of contact for TIP issues
are Scott Sommers, Political Officer ( 47) 21 30 88 69, fax ( 47)
22 55 43 13 and Tord Bergesen, Political Specialist, LES ( 47) 21
30 85 02. Poloff spent approximately 35 hours researching and
preparing this report. End Summary.
2. The Trafficking In Persons report for Norway follows below
sequenced by the checklist paragraph numbers:
25. (SBU) THE COUNTRY'S TIP SITUATION:
-- A. What is (are) the source(s) of available information on human
trafficking? What plans are in place (if any) to undertake further
documentation of human trafficking? How reliable are these sources?
Norway has a single coordinating unit for victims of trafficking
(hereafter denoted by the acronym KOM) which oversees coordination
among an inter-ministerial commission and local government
coordinating units. As such, KOM has an excellent overview of the
trafficking situation in Norway, at least as far as the government
is concerned. The statistics in this report largely were derived
from KOM representatives. NGOs that help victims of trafficking,
the Norwegian equivalent of the FBI ("Kripos"), and the MFA's
trafficking department also have aided in the production of this
report. All the above named sources are quite reliable.
-- B. Is the country a country of origin, transit, and/or
destination for men, women, or children subjected to conditions of
commercial sexual exploitation, forced or bonded labor, or other
slave-like conditions? Are citizens or residents of the country
subjected to such trafficking conditions within the country? If so,
does this internal trafficking occur in territory outside of the
government's control (e.g. in a civil war situation)? From where
are people recruited or from where do they migrate prior to being
subjected to these exploitative conditions? To what other countries
are people trafficked and for what purposes? Provide, where
possible, numbers or estimates for each group of trafficking
victims. Have there been any changes in the TIP situation since the
last TIP Report (e.g. changes in destinations)?
Norway is mainly a country of destination for trafficking, but may
be to a minimal extent also a country of transit and origin. (The
latter is suspected by the KOM unit to occur when asylum applicants
who are turned down are recruited into trafficking when they are
desperate to find an income). Victims from 45 countries were
identified in 2009, with Nigerians being the largest group and most
others were from eastern Europe and other countries in Africa, with
a few from Brazil. The government identified a reported 292
possible trafficking victims to Norway in 2009, an increase of 36
over last year. These include both possible victims of
prostitution and labor trafficking, of which 69 were under 18 years
of age (however, there were also 42 "accompanying children" who
were living with their trafficked mothers in prostitution). The
majority of victims are engaged in forced prostitution. The
statistics are based on information gathered from the government
and NGOs. Victims are generally trafficked into Norway through
other countries in Europe. During the last year, the KOM project
has documented that Belgium, Spain, England, France, Greece, Italy,
the Netherlands, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Poland, Germany, and
Russia were transit countries. Outside Europe, India, Libya,
Morocco, Thailand, and Turkey were transit countries. Victims'
movement is often controlled by large-scale criminal operations.
The traffickers are usually criminals from the victim's home
countries or transit countries.
Since the government made the purchase of sex, but not prostitution
per se (i.e. the sale of sex) illegal on January 1, 2009, 334
persons have been charged with the purchase or attempted purchase
of sexual services and 21 have been charged with the purchase or
attempted purchase of sexual services from a minor. The number of
sexual trafficking investigations has dropped last year, coinciding
with a drop in the number of prostitutes seeking help from the most
significant NGO that aids prostitutes. At the same time, more
women than ever have sought help from the ROSA project, the key NGO
that aids trafficked women. Thus, the effect of the law on
trafficking is not yet clear, and the numbers might reflect higher
awareness of aid available to victims of trafficking (VOTs),
combined with lower overall TIP numbers.
-- C. To what kind of conditions are the trafficking victims
subjected?
The conditions victims are trafficked into vary by source country.
Nigerian victims typically live in communal apartments (4-6 people
in a one-bedroom apartment), and until the change in the law, were
forced into street prostitution, with the threat that unless they
paid back their transit costs (often "50,000 Euros") their families
in Nigeria would be threatened. Victims from Eastern Europe are
often given individual apartments but are closely watched and
threatened with violence. Some victims from African countries are
legally married to their traffickers, and "work from home."
-- D. Vulnerability to TIP: Are certain groups of persons more at
risk of human trafficking (e.g. women and children, boys versus
girls, certain ethnic groups, refugees, IDPs, etc.)? If so, please
specify the type of exploitation for which these groups are most at
risk (e.g., girls are more at risk of domestic servitude than
boys).
The vast majority of trafficked persons who are identified by the
government and NGOs are adult women for the commercial sex trade.
Often victims are from minority groups in their source countries.
KOM representatives suspect that labor trafficking victims are more
likely to escape detection and identification than sex trafficking
victims.
-- E. Traffickers and Their Methods: Who are the
traffickers/exploiters? Are they independent business people? Small
or family-based crime groups? Large international organized crime
syndicates? What methods are used to gain direct access to victims?
For example, are the traffickers recruiting victims through
lucrative job offers? Are victims sold by their families, or
approached by friends of friends? Are victims "self-presenting"
(approaching the exploiter without the involvement of a recruiter
or transporter)? If recruitment or transportation is involved, what
methods are used to recruit or transport victims (e.g., are false
documents being used)? Are employment, travel, and tourism agencies
or marriage brokers involved with or fronting for traffickers or
crime groups to traffic individuals?
There are multiple types of trafficking schemes, and each is
largely associated with a different country of origin of the
trafficked person:
The largest single national group of trafficked people are
Nigerian, and Nigerian traffickers compromise a wide ranging
network with many people making money off of victims.
Victims--vulnerable girls or women in Nigerian cities--are
typically approached by a "nice" man with the promise of a
legitimate job braiding hair (or similar) in Europe. They are sent
by bus to an intermediate point, such as Morocco, where they begin
to be abused by their traffickers while waiting for transport to
Europe, but many still maintain their belief that better days are
ahead. Usually, false papers are used to get them across the
border into Italy or Spain, at which point illusions dissipate and
they are forced into prostitution by their traffickers. When a new
batch of victims comes from Nigeria, they are forwarded from the
intermediate country to Norway. Fear is maintained by (sometimes
acted-upon) threats to their families in Nigeria, and superstitious
beliefs that the traffickers hold magical powers over them. They
are also promised escape from prostitution if they pay back an
enormous sum (around 50,000 Euro).
Trafficked victims from other African countries (e.g. Ghana,
Eritrea, Cameroon, Kenya, Congo) are trafficked by individuals.
Traffickers with residency in Norway go to their home countries and
marry attractive women, then bring them back legally to Norway, and
initially ask them to prostitute themselves just to help out with
finances for a short time. The traffickers always intended this to
become their way of life.
Traffickers from Eastern Europe are typically members of small
family mafias. A male trafficker is sent to his home country with
the assignment to make an attractive girl fall in love with him.
He spends money on her, but also may demonstrate a violent,
powerful, or aggressive streak--but at least at first in an
"attractive" way. He eventually asks her to go to Norway with him,
and once there, he gives her very strict instructions about her
behavior. He checks up on her constantly, and begins to become
unpredictably violent. Victims are held in a state between terror
and love, vaguely aware that they are being exploited, but afraid
of and "admiring" the control their trafficker has over them.
26. (SBU) SETTING THE SCENE FOR THE GOVERNMENT'S ANTI-TIP EFFORTS:
-- A. Does the government acknowledge that human trafficking is a
problem in the country? If not, why not?
The government acknowledges that trafficking is a serious problem,
and has a special office (KOM) devoted entirely to overseeing
intragovernmenal cooperation. The government had an action plan,
drafted in 2006, that was designed to run through 2009, when a new
one would be drafted. The drafting is still in progress, and the
old action plan has been extended. KOM is currently undergoing an
independent evaluation of its effectiveness, and has a mandate
through September 2010, by which time a new action plan should be
in place.
-- B. Which government agencies are involved in efforts to combat
sex and labor trafficking - including forced labor - and, which
agency, if any, has the lead in these efforts?
Many government agencies are involved in combating TIP, including
the Ministries for Labor and Social Inclusion, Justice and the
Police, Foreign Affairs, Health, Children and Equality, and the
Ministry of Defense. The coordination of efforts under the Action
Plan unveiled in 2007 is the responsibility of the Ministry of
Justice and the Police KOM ("Coordinator for Human Trafficking")
unit.
-- C. What are the limitations on the government's ability to
address these problems in practice? For example, is funding for
police or other institutions inadequate? Is overall corruption a
problem? Does the government lack the resources to aid victims?
Funding for the police and other institutions is generally
adequate, as would be expected of a relatively wealthy country such
as Norway (consistently rated at or near the top in the UNDP
development index). In 2010, however, there was no "ear-marked"
funding from the Ministry of Justice regarding TIP for the police.
The Ministry has told the police authority that it must prioritize
activity against TIP, and find funding from its general budget
(which has been increased). KOM itself has received "ear-marked"
funding for January-September 2010 (the length of its current
mandate before the new action plan is expected to be completed).
In Oslo, the country's largest city, 14 police officers are
assigned to the STOP anti-trafficking initiative, and in Bergen,
the second largest city, three investigators are assigned to the
EXIT anti-trafficking initiative. These initiatives must, like
other initiatives, fight for resources internally within their
police districts.
Corruption is not a problem. The aid to the victims is partly paid
by the government and partly by the local authorities where the
victim lives. Benefits are generous; the same comprehensive
welfare benefits given to all Norwegians are available to victims
of trafficking.
-- D. To what extent does the government systematically monitor its
anti-trafficking efforts (on all fronts -- prosecution, victim
protection, and prevention) and periodically make available,
publicly or privately and directly or through
regional/international organizations, its assessments of these
anti-trafficking efforts?
Norway monitors its efforts abroad and domestically to prevent
trafficking. The Coordination Unit for Victims of Human
Trafficking (KOM project) collects information from all the
different institutions and organizations working against
trafficking. The results are available to the public through
statistical reports and open presentations of annual findings.
Norway also provides its information to the EU and to the
Nordic-Baltic Ministerial Conference.
-- E. What measures has the government taken to establish the
identity of local populations, including birth registration,
citizenship, and nationality?
Norway is a highly efficient bureaucratic state, and all births are
registered. Indigenous populations are fully integrated as
Norwegian citizens.
--F. To what extent is the government capable of gathering the data
required for an in-depth assessment of law enforcement efforts?
Where are the gaps? Are there any ways to work around these gaps?
The government is capable of gathering data on identified victims,
formal investigations, decisions made by police lawyers/district
attorneys, and of convictions. The police directorate administers
a national competence group on TIP, with members from many police
districts. The group shares information about ongoing cases,
experience with the use of different investigative measures, and so
on.
One significant data-gathering "gap" that the KOM unit experiences
is that it is difficult to get reliable data to do in-depth
assessment of why a particular case is dropped and another case is
prosecuted. To find this out, KOM must ask the investigator and
prosecutor in every case. Some NGOs suspect that the police drop
cases due to lack of resources for investigation. KOM has
recommended that there be an in-depth analysis of all cases being
dropped, to find out the real reasons.
Another data-gathering "gap" is that the KOM unit has no way of
knowing when police officers effectively "downgrade" a case that
really should be a TIP case to some other kind of crime, such as
pimping.
27. (SBU) INVESTIGATION AND PROSECUTION OF TRAFFICKERS:
For questions A-D, posts should highlight in particular whether or
not the country has enacted any new legislation since the last TIP
report.
-- A. Existing Laws against TIP: Does the country have a law or
laws specifically prohibiting trafficking in persons -- both sexual
exploitation and labor? If so, please specifically cite the name of
the law(s) and its date of enactment and provide the exact language
[actual copies preferable] of the TIP provisions. Please provide a
full inventory of trafficking laws, including non-criminal statutes
that allow for civil penalties against alleged trafficking crimes
(e.g., civil forfeiture laws and laws against illegal debt). Does
the law(s) cover both internal and transnational forms of
trafficking? If not, under what other laws can traffickers be
prosecuted? For example, are there laws against slavery or the
exploitation of prostitution by means of force, fraud, or coercion?
Are these other laws being used in trafficking cases?
There have been no changes in the law since the last report. A
significant change occurred on January 1, 2009, when the purchase,
but not sale, of sex was banned.
There is a paragraph specifically on trafficking in Criminal Code
Section 224, as amended in 2006, in the chapter addressing crimes
against personal freedom. This is the section of law most
frequently used to prosecute traffickers. People who have been
involved in trafficking will often have broken several other laws,
such as: sexual abuse of minors under 14 years old, Section 195
(2003); overseeing the prostitution trade in Section 202 (2003);
law against coercion, Section 222 (2003); law against imprisonment,
Section 223 (1999); law against slavery, Section 225 (2003); law
against threats, Section 227 (2003); law against assault, Section
228 (1988); law against sexual abuse, Section 192 (2003) and the
Foreigner Act. In addition, Section 60A, the 'organized crime
paragraph' is commonly used with Section 224 on trafficking; it can
double the length of punishment and allows more extensive police
investigative methods.
-- B. Punishment of Sex Trafficking Offenses: What are the
prescribed and imposed penalties for the trafficking of persons for
commercial sexual exploitation, including for the forced
prostitution of adults and the prostitution of children?
5-10 years of prison are the maximum ranges of penalty for regular
and aggravated trafficking.
-- C. Punishment of Labor Trafficking Offenses: What are the
prescribed and imposed penalties for labor trafficking offenses,
including all forms of forced labor? If your country is a source
country for labor migrants, do the government's laws provide for
criminal punishment -- i.e. jail time -- for labor recruiters who
engage in recruitment of workers using knowingly fraudulent or
deceptive offers with the purpose of subjecting workers to
compelled service in the destination country? If your country is a
destination for labor migrants (legal/regular or
illegal/irregular), are there laws punishing employers or labor
agents who confiscate workers' passports or travel documents for
the purpose of labor trafficking, switch contracts without the
worker's consent as a means to keep the worker in a state of
compelled service, or withhold payment of salaries as means of
keeping the worker in a state of compelled service?
Forced labor has been illegal since 1959, and for trafficking there
is a 10 year maximum sentence for aggravated circumstances.
Section 224 for trafficking applies equally to sexual and labor
trafficking. Norway is not a significant destination for labor
trafficking relative to other countries, but KOM unit personnel
suspect that a smaller percentage of victims of labor trafficking
are identified than victims of sexual trafficking. There were
seven investigations of forced labor in 2009; none resulted in
prosecution in 2009, although at least one investigation is still
ongoing..
-- D. What are the prescribed penalties for rape or forcible sexual
assault? (NOTE: This is necessary to evaluate a foreign
government's compliance with TVPA Minimum Standard 2, which reads:
"For the knowing commission of any act of sex trafficking... the
government of the country should prescribe punishment commensurate
with that for grave crimes, such as forcible sexual assault
(rape)." END NOTE)
The penalties for forcible sexual assault or rape range from 14
days to 10 years in prison. In trafficking cases, frequently
several laws will have been broken, all of which will be considered
during sentencing.
-- E. Law Enforcement Statistics: Did the government take legal
action against human trafficking offenders during the reporting
period? If so, provide numbers of investigations, prosecutions,
convictions, and sentences imposed, including details on plea
bargains and fines, if relevant and available. Please note the
number of convicted trafficking offenders who received suspended
sentences and the number who received only a fine as punishment.
Please indicate which laws were used to investigate, prosecute,
convict, and sentence traffickers. Also, if possible, please
disaggregate numbers of cases by type of TIP (labor vs. commercial
sexual exploitation) and victims (children under 18 years of age
vs. adults). What were the actual punishments imposed on convicted
trafficking offenders? Are they serving the time sentenced? If not,
why not?
During 2009, there were 38 investigations into trafficking cases
(31 for sexual exploitation and 7 for labor exploitation). There
were 5 prosecutions against traffickers under section 224, all for
sexual exploitation. These 5 prosecutions involved 7 defendants.
Of the five prosecutions, four led to convictions-six persons
convicted total. None of the convicted persons received a
suspended sentence or fine as punishment--all received jail time.
One of the convictions concerned a trafficked victim under the age
of 18. Sentences were as follows: one woman from Nigeria sentenced
to 3 years and 2 months prison for exploiting a woman from Nigeria
in prostitution; one man from Nigeria sentenced to 3 years prison
for exploiting two women from Brazil in prostitution. One man from
Nigeria sentenced to 1 year 6 months prison for exploiting a woman
from Nigeria in prostitution; three men from Albania sentenced to 3
years and 3 months prison for exploiting a girl from Albania (16
years old) in prostitution. (Given the overall comparative
leniency of the Norwegian justice system, these are significant
sentences. A man convicted of attempted murder, who shot at a
synagogue and was implicated in a planned bombing of the US and
Israeli embassies, received a sentence of 8 years in 2008.)
-- F. Does the government provide any specialized training for law
enforcement and immigration officials on identifying and treating
victims of trafficking? Or training on investigating and
prosecuting human trafficking crimes? Specify whether NGOs,
international organizations, and/or the USG provide specialized
training for host government officials.
This is an area in which, in Post's opinion, the government of
Norway excels. In September of 2009, the KOM project held a
well-attended three day seminar for key actors on TIP issues to
educate them about identifying victims. The seminar featured
speakers from around the world, whom the head of the KOM project
met on an International Visitor's program she attended in the U.S.
in February 2009. There were 200 participants from three
categories of officials at the national level. The main topics
were trends and statistics on VOTs in Norway, experience in
training of officers for identifying VOTs, and presentation of
successful tools for identifying, assisting, and registering VOTs.
There were 50 participants from each of the following four groups:
police/prosecution, child welfare, immigration authorities, and
NGOs. U.S. Embassy officers were invited and observed parts of the
seminar, and found it impressive. The participants were from
government and non-governmental organizations from all over Norway
(Norway is a country of under five million people spread over a
land area the size of California).
In 2009, KOM gave about 40 additional speeches about TIP in
different fora. The audiences included police, prosecution
authorities, child welfare workers, immigration authorities, NGO's
and other social service agencies. KOM hosts a national TIP
hotline, and provides information and guidance to all actors
working against TIP.
In May 2008, the KOM project published a guide to identification of
possible victims of trafficking, which is used to educate all
government employees who might come in contact with victims of
trafficking (e.g. immigration officials, social workers,
asylum/refugee center employees) and explains how to identify
victims, who to contact when trafficking is suspected, and what
help for the victim is available. Many NGOs operating in Norway
receive substantial government funding in their work; this includes
NGOs working with trafficking victims. Cooperation between NGOs and
the KOM project is excellent, and data from the NGOs was used in
developing the identification guide. Nether the USG nor
international organizations provided training to Norwegian
officials except the aforementioned International Visitor program.
--G. Does the government cooperate with other governments in the
investigation and prosecution of trafficking cases? If possible,
provide the number of cooperative international investigations on
trafficking during the reporting period.
The Norwegian government works with other European governments at
the national and local police level to combat trafficking and
pursue investigations and prosecution of traffickers residing
outside Norway. The Norwegian government has worked over the last
year with the governments of the following countries in specific
trafficking cases: Bulgaria, Italy, Spain, Sri Lanka, Brazil,
Romania, Thailand, Argentina, Cambodia, Albania, the United
Kingdom, and all of the Nordic and Baltic countries.
Some of the different institutions with which the Norwegian
government cooperates are the Council of Europe, the UN, the EU,
NATO, the OSCE, EUROPOL, INTERPOL, FRONTEX, the Barents
Cooperation, the Council of Baltic Sea States, the Nordic Baltic
Task Force Against Trafficking in Human Beings, and the Nordic
Council of Ministers.
-- H. Does the government extradite persons who are charged with
trafficking in other countries? If so, please provide the number of
traffickers extradited during the reporting period, and the number
of trafficking extraditions pending. In particular, please report
on any pending or concluded extraditions of trafficking offenders
to the United States.
Cases of this nature have yet to occur in Norway. However, Norway
does have extradition agreements with many countries, and
theoretically the government would be willing to extradite if the
legal system and rights of the accused in the requesting country
were deemed sufficiently reliable. Norway cannot legally extradite
Norwegian citizens.
-- I. Is there evidence of government involvement in or tolerance
of trafficking, on a local or institutional level? If so, please
explain in detail.
There is no evidence of governmental involvement in or tolerance of
trafficking, however, a police officer was convicted of trafficking
as detailed in paragraph J below.
-- J. If government officials are involved in human trafficking,
what steps has the government taken to end such complicity? Please
indicate the number of government officials investigated and
prosecuted for involvement in trafficking or trafficking-related
criminal activities during the reporting period. Have any been
convicted? What sentence(s) was imposed? Please specify if
officials received suspended sentences, or were given a fine,
fired, or reassigned to another position within the government as
punishment. Please indicate the number of convicted officials that
received suspended sentences or received only a fine as punishment.
There is no evidence of any government involvement in human
trafficking, but in January 2010 a police officer from Bergen was
convicted and sentenced to 10 years of prison (the maximum
sentence) for severe abuse of minors from Norway, Brazil, Romania
and Afghanistan. The officer was part of a pedophilia and child
pornography ring. He was prosecuted under Criminal Code Section
224, the main trafficking section of the law. The exploited
victims were "traded" among the ring members.
-- K. For countries that contribute troops to international
peacekeeping efforts, please indicate whether the government
vigorously investigated, prosecuted, convicted and sentenced
nationals of the country deployed abroad as part of a peacekeeping
or other similar mission who engaged in or facilitated severe forms
of trafficking or who exploited victims of such trafficking.
Not applicable for Norway. Troops deployed on peacekeeping
missions are trained on trafficking concerns. There have not been
any reported incidents requiring investigation in recent history.
-- L. If the country has an identified problem of child sex
tourists coming to the country, what are the countries of origin
for sex tourists? How many foreign pedophiles did the government
prosecute or deport/extradite to their country of origin? If your
host country's nationals are perpetrators of child sex tourism, do
the country's child sexual abuse laws have extraterritorial
coverage (similar to the U.S. PROTECT Act) to allow the prosecution
of suspected sex tourists for crimes committed abroad? If so, how
many of the country's nationals were prosecuted and/or convicted
during the reporting period under the extraterritorial provision(s)
for traveling to other countries to engage in child sex tourism?
There have been no indications that Norway is a destination for
child sex tourists. However, Norway's child sex crime laws, as
well as its newly enacted prostitution law, have extraterritorial
applicability. As detailed above in section J, a police officer
from Bergen was convicted and sentenced in January 2010 to ten
years in prison for TIP and severe abuse of minors. In 2007, one
Norwegian was convicted for trafficking for the sexual abuse of
five young boys/children in Thailand during 2004/2005. He was
sentenced to 7 years in prison of "preventative detention"
("forvaring") which allows for longer imprisonment if, on a
continuing basis, he is evaluated and found to be a threat.
28. (SBU) PROTECTION AND ASSISTANCE TO VICTIMS:
-- A. What kind of protection is the government able under existing
law to provide for victims and witnesses? Does it provide these
protections in practice?
Victims and witnesses have not generally experienced threats or
harassment from traffickers once they have sought help from the
government, although (sometimes rational, sometimes irrational)
fear of retribution against family and friends in the source
country prevents women from seeking government help. The
government provides safe housing in shelters or other types of
housing, if needed. This is provided primarily through the ROSA
project--a government funded program specifically to help victims
of exploitation. Victims are sent by ROSA to a network of dozens
of women's' shelters around the country, where the fact that they
have been trafficked is not even disclosed to other women in the
shelter (usually other battered women). It is in practice nearly
impossible for the trafficker to find out where his victim has
gone, after she has accepted shelter from ROSA. Through ROSA and
the Norwegian welfare state, there are also aid programs for the
victims to rebuild their lives, such as medical care, training,
working possibilities, and legal aid. The full panoply of aid
provided by the Norwegian welfare state is available to trafficking
victims who choose to legally stay in Norway.
-- B. Does the country have victim care facilities (shelters or
drop-in centers) which are accessible to trafficking victims? Do
foreign victims have the same access to care as domestic
trafficking victims? Where are child victims placed (e.g., in
shelters, foster care, or juvenile justice detention centers)? Does
the country have specialized care for adults in addition to
children? Does the country have specialized care for male victims
as well as female? Does the country have specialized facilities
dedicated to helping victims of trafficking? Are these facilities
operated by the government or by NGOs? What is the funding source
of these facilities? Please estimate the amount the government
spent (in U.S. dollar equivalent) on these specialized facilities
dedicated to helping trafficking victims during the reporting
period.
The government-funded ROSA project is one of the main institutions
for assisting victims of trafficking. In the last year, the ROSA
project received 2.1 million kroner in funding (approx $350,000).
ROSA received 124 distinct "initial contacts" with trafficking
victims in 2008, a moderate increase from 2007 when there were 113
"initial contacts." Of the 124, 51 ultimately accepted shelter
from ROSA (last year the number was 44). This aid consists of
support, housing and information. Victims are provided with access
to a lawyer, access to police interviewers should they want to
speak with them and press charges, money for food, fitness
facilities, Norwegian language classes, and other aid. Foreign and
domestic victims of trafficking have the same access to these
services. Due to the increasing awareness of potential victims,
other institutions around the country are also providing victims
safe housing and other social services. Children are helped
directly by the child welfare services. In addition, other
government-supported "NGOs", such as ProSenteret, an organization
that helps prostitutes, also help victims of trafficking. Emboffs
have visited both ProSenteret and the women's shelters used by
ROSA, and are impressed with the physical amenities provided to
victims and trafficking and prostitutes. Because of the
all-encompassing nature of the Norwegian welfare state, it is
nearly impossible to arrive at a total figure that the Norwegian
government spends on trafficking victims: the $350,000 listed above
for funding for the ROSA project, for example, primarily covers the
administration costs of the program--services actually received by
trafficking victims (including the actual free housing, free legal
advice, and so forth) come through the welfare state, and are often
paid directly by local governments. The shelter system, for
example, is an already-existing social program for any women who
need a shelter, and is not maintained or administered by ROSA.
-- C. Does the government provide trafficking victims with access
to legal, medical and psychological services? If so, please specify
the kind of assistance provided. Does the government provide
funding or other forms of support to foreign or domestic NGOs
and/or international organizations for providing these services to
trafficking victims? Please explain and provide any funding amounts
in U.S. dollar equivalent. If assistance provided was in-kind,
please specify exact assistance. Please specify if funding for
assistance comes from a federal budget or from regional or local
governments.
As stated above, legal, medical, and psychological services are
provided through the ROSA project, as well as other NGOs such as
ProSenteret, an NGO that helps prostitutes whether trafficked or
not. (Note that the concept of "NGO" in Norway is somewhat
self-contradictory: what this means in practice is an organization
that is not directly controlled by the government, but receives a
large amount of its support from the government, with the
understanding that the "NGO" can operationalize the government's
concern about particular issues within its competency.) The
national health services, asylum services, and other welfare
services all help victims of trafficking. Much of the housing,
medical and practical expenses are paid by the agencies,
municipalities and institutions that provide the various services.
Those funds come for those agencies' own budgets.
The government's main contributions to combat foreign trafficking
go through aid projects to NGOs, the UN, and other International
Organizations in the source countries for trafficking.
Internationally, the Norwegian government spent approximately
50,000,000 kroner ($8.3 million) each year for the last two years
on international anti-trafficking efforts and bilateral cooperation
on trafficking. The largest single recipient of Norwegian
trafficking aid was the IOM, followed by NGO's, and other
organizations like UNICEF and UNDOC. All funding is made by the
national government.
-- D. Does the government assist foreign trafficking victims, for
example, by providing temporary to permanent residency status, or
other relief from deportation? If so, please explain.
All non-Norwegian trafficking victims are provided a 6 month
"reflection period" of legal residence in Norway, during which they
can legally work, legally reside, and access all the social welfare
benefits of the Norwegian state. In order to access this
"reflection period," the victim need not make a legal complaint
about her/his trafficker; it only needs to be shown that there is
"some" evidence that trafficking has occurred. The 6 month
"reflection period" cannot be renewed. In order to obtain a
longer-term residence permit which can be renewed, the victim must
make a complaint to the police against the trafficker, and then the
police will report this complaint to the immigration authorities.
-- E. Does the government provide longer-term shelter or housing
benefits to victims or other resources to aid the victims in
rebuilding their lives?
The government provides safe housing in shelters or other types of
housing, if needed. This is provided through, among others, the
ROSA project (a government funded program). There are also aid
programs for the victims to rebuild their lives, such as medical
care, training, working possibilities, and legal aid. The
Norwegian welfare state is one of the most comprehensive in the
world.
-- F. Does the government have a referral process to transfer
victims detained, arrested or placed in protective custody by law
enforcement authorities to institutions that provide short- or
long-term care (either government or NGO-run)?
Yes.
-- G. What is the total number of trafficking victims identified
during the reporting period? (If available, please specify the type
of exploitation of these victims - e.g. "The government identified
X number of trafficking victims during the reporting period, Y or
which were victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation and Z of
which were victims of nonconsensual labor exploitation.) Of these,
how many victims were referred to care facilities for assistance by
law enforcement authorities during the reporting period? By social
services officials? What is the number of victims assisted by
government-funded assistance programs and those not funded by the
government during the reporting period?
There were a total of 292 persons identified as potential victims
of trafficking in 2009. Of these, referrals to the KOM unit were
as follows: 6 from the child welfare services, 134 from the
Immigration Directorate, 41 from asylum reception centers for
unaccompanied minors over the age of 15, 52 from the ROSA project,
19 from the IOM, 38 from the police (of which 22 from the STOP
project and 10 from the EXIT project), 1 case from KRIPOS (national
criminal investigation service), 29 from ProSenteret, 30 from
Nadheim (church city mission in Oslo), 32 from Oslo social
services, 17 from the ADORA project (an employment project funded
by the Norwegian state), 6 from Bergen municipality, 23 from Oslo
municipality, and 3 from the church city mission in Stavanger.
In all, there were 551 referrals to care facilities in trafficking
cases--this is significantly greater than the total number of
victims identified, because the same individuals were often
referred by multiple different agencies or NGOs.
-- H. Do the government's law enforcement, immigration, and social
services personnel have a formal system of proactively identifying
victims of trafficking among high-risk persons with whom they come
in contact (e.g., foreign persons arrested for prostitution or
immigration violations)? For countries with legalized prostitution,
does the government have a mechanism for screening for trafficking
victims among persons involved in the legal/regulated commercial
sex trade?
Yes. The Identification Guide to Possible Victims of Trafficking,
published by the KOM project in May 2008, incorporates a formal
system of proactively identifying victims of trafficking among
high-risk persons. It is distributed to all government employees
who, in the course of their work, have the potential to come in
contact with trafficked persons.
-- I. Are the rights of victims respected? Are trafficking victims
detained or jailed? If so, for how long? Are victims fined? Are
victims prosecuted for violations of other laws, such as those
governing immigration or prostitution?
The rights of the victims are respected. They are neither
detained, nor jailed, nor fined. They are not prosecuted for
violations of any legislation. They are given a reflection period
to build a case against the traffickers. They are given a safe
place to stay, information and legal aid. In November 2008, the
law was changed to give an amnesty from immigration laws (i.e.
deportation) for any trafficking victim who gives evidence in court
against her/his trafficker.
-- J. Does the government encourage victims to assist in the
investigation and prosecution of trafficking? How many victims
assisted in the investigation and prosecution of traffickers during
the reporting period? May victims file civil suits or seek legal
action against traffickers? Does anyone impede victim access to
such legal redress? If a victim is a material witness in a court
case against a former employer, is the victim permitted to obtain
other employment or to leave the country pending trial proceedings?
Are there means by which a victim may obtain restitution?
Victims are encouraged to file civil suits or legal action against
their traffickers. The victim can have other employment, and is
also free to leave the country even though they plan to serve as a
witness, unless they apply for asylum or a reflection period, in
which case they must stay in Norway to preserve their immigration
status. A part of the government action plan is to have the
victims find work or start training during the time they stay in
Norway. This fits into the program that the government has both in
Norway and in the source country for those who return. The minimum
amount for restitution is $20,000 (note: in last year's report we
said $40,000. This appears to have been an error.), while in
special cases compensation may exceed $200,000. The compensation is
paid by the government regardless of whether the trafficker has the
assets to pay it, although in cases where the traffickers do have
assets, the government collects restitution money from them in the
form of a penalty.
-- K. Does the government provide any specialized training for
government officials in identifying trafficking victims and in the
provision of assistance to trafficked victims, including the
special needs of trafficked children? Does the government provide
training on protections and assistance to its embassies and
consulates in foreign countries that are destination or transit
countries? What is the number of trafficking victims assisted by
the host country's embassies or consulates abroad during the
reporting period? Please explain the type of assistance provided
(travel documents, referrals to assistance, payment for
transportation home).
Yes, the KOM project provides necessary training for the different
groups that are involved in identifying victims. Individuals
trained in identifying trafficking victims from the Immigration
Department are present in some, but not all Norwegian embassies
abroad. Identifying possible victims of trafficking is part of the
purpose of the visa interview process. KOM works with the
immigration directorate to help identify possible victims of
trafficking at the time of their visa application to Norway.
Numbers are not available on how many victims are being helped by
the host country's embassies. Norwegian embassies can assist
victims who have returned to their home countries to improve their
situation. Norway assists in a special program of the IOM which
helps victims of trafficking in Norway return to their home
country, where they receive support from local NGOs or other
International Organizations. The government of Norway works
through its embassies on bilateral cooperation on trafficking. For
example, a continuing project with Bulgaria will pay for equipment
that will allow Bulgarian victims who were trafficked to Norway
testify in Norwegian courts via a DVC link. Ten Bulgarian and ten
Norwegian experts (police and NGOs) will do an exchange to each
other's countries in April 2010. During the reporting period,
Norwegian TIP experts visited Bulgaria and gave seminars for police
districts all over the country.
-- L. Does the government provide assistance, such as medical aid,
shelter, or financial help, to its nationals who are repatriated as
victims of trafficking?
There are no identified Norwegian victims who have been
repatriated.
-- M. Which international organizations or NGOs, if any, work with
trafficking victims? What type of services do they provide? What
sort of cooperation do they receive from local authorities?
The Norwegian government cooperates with a variety of international
organizations such as the International Organization for Migration
(IOM) and UNICEF, and local organizations such as Care, Red Cross
and Save the Children. However, in Norway, the primary service
provider is the Norwegian government, through the ROSA project and
the welfare state.
Outside Norway, the Norwegian government has spent approximately
50,000,000 kroner ($8.3 million) per year over the last two years
on international anti-trafficking efforts and bilateral
cooperation. The largest single recipient of Norwegian trafficking
aid was the IOM, followed by NGO's, and other organizations,
including like UNICEF and UNODC.
29. (SBU) PREVENTION:
-- A. Did the government conduct anti-trafficking information or
education campaigns during the reporting period? If so, briefly
describe the campaign(s), including their objectives and
effectiveness. Please provide the number of people reached by such
awareness efforts, if available. Do these campaigns target
potential trafficking victims and/or the demand for trafficking
(e.g. "clients" of prostitutes or beneficiaries of forced labor)?
(Note: This can be an especially noteworthy effort where
prostitution is legal. End Note.)
The purchase of sex is no longer legal in Norway, so some of the
government's prior initiatives are now defunct, such as an internet
campaign called STOP menneskehandel (stop human trafficking). This
campaign focused on making purchasers of sex (legal until 2009)
aware of the relationship between trafficking and prostitution.
-- B. Does the government monitor immigration and emigration
patterns for evidence of trafficking?
While Norway is a member of the Schengen area and does not closely
monitor land borders, trafficking patterns are monitored in
cooperation with Frontex, Europol, and Interpol.
-- C. Is there a mechanism for coordination and communication
between various agencies, internal, international, and multilateral
on trafficking-related matters, such as a multi-agency working
group or a task force?
As noted above, the government does have a steering/coordinating
committee within the Norwegian government, chaired by the Ministry
of Justice and the Police. The earlier mentioned KOM project is
established to coordinate the combating trafficking work and to
gather the information from all the different institutions and
groups. International efforts are coordinated and arranged by the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Section for Global Initiatives and
Gender Equality. The government has not had an actual corruption
case at the national level for years, but investigations for such
matters would fall to Okokrim, the financial crimes investigative
unit in the Ministry of Finance.
-- D. Does the government have a national plan of action to address
trafficking in persons? If the plan was developed during the
reporting period, which agencies were involved in developing it?
Were NGOs consulted in the process? What steps has the government
taken to implement the action plan?
In December 2006, the Norwegian government released its newest
National Plan Against Trafficking, which laid out the strategy for
the government to fight trafficking at the national and
international levels through 2009. All interested agencies were
consulted and participated in the building of the National Plan.
A new action plan began to be drafted in November 2009 and is still
in progress, likely to be unveiled in the summer of 2010. The
applicability of the old action plan has been extended until the
new one takes effect.
-- E: Required of all Posts: What measures has the government taken
during the reporting period to reduce the demand for commercial sex
acts? (please see ref B, para. 9(3) for examples)
After the government criminalized the purchase of sex on January 1,
2009, the police consistently and publicly arrested attempted
purchasers of sexual services consistently over the year. During
the year 334 persons were charged with the purchase or attempted
purchase of sexual services and 21 were charged with the purchase
or attempted purchase of sexual services from a minor.
-- F. Required of all Posts: What measures has the government taken
during the reporting period to reduce the participation in
international child sex tourism by nationals of the country?
The government has taken steps to reduce participation in sex
tourism by investigating and convicting sex tourists. For example,
in 2007 a Norwegian national was convicted for having sex with
children in Thailand, and received a sentence of 7 years
"protective custody" (a prison sentence that can be lengthened
based on the criminal's perceived further risk to society). Norway
is in the lead in preventing sexual exploitation of children on the
internet, having in past years traced a child pornography ring to a
US national. In January 2010 a police officer from Bergen was
convicted and sentenced to 10 years of prison (the maximum
sentence) for severe abuse of minors from Norway, Brazil, Romania
and Afghanistan. The officer was part of a pedophilia and child
pornography ring, and traveled to Afghanistan and other countries
for sex. He was prosecuted under Criminal Code Section 224, the
main trafficking section of the law. The exploited victims were
"traded" among the ring members.
-- G. Required of posts in countries that have contributed over 100
troops to international peacekeeping efforts (Argentina, Australia,
Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Brazil, Burkina Faso,
Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Denmark,
Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gambia,
Germany, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy,
Jordan, Kenya, Korea (ROK), Malawi, Malaysia, Mongolia, Morocco,
Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Poland,
Portugal, Russia, Rwanda, Senegal, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain,
Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United
Kingdom, Uruguay, Yemen, Zambia, and Zimbabwe): What measures has
the government adopted to ensure that its nationals who are
deployed abroad as part of a peacekeeping or other similar mission
do not engage in or facilitate severe forms of trafficking or
exploit victims of such trafficking? If posts do not provide an
answer to this question, the Department may consider including a
statement in the country assessment to the effect that "An
assessment regarding Country X's efforts to ensure that its troops
deployed abroad for international peacekeeping missions do not
engage in or facilitate trafficking or exploit trafficking victims
was unavailable for this reporting period."
All deploying Norwegian troops are briefed on trafficking prior to
their overseas assignments. This is a part of their military
education. There have been no reported cases of Norwegian troops
being in any way involved in facilitating or exploiting victims of
trafficking.
30. (SBU) PARTNERSHIPS
Secretary Clinton has identified a fourth "P", Partnerships,
recognizing that governments' partnerships with other government
and elements of civil society are key to effective anti-TIP
strategies. Although the 2010 Report will include references and/or
descriptions of these partnerships, they will not be considered in
the determining the tier rankings, except in cases where a
partnership contributes to the government's efforts to implement
the TVPA's minimum standards.
-- A. Does the government engage with other governments, civil
society, and/or multilateral organizations to focus attention and
devote resources to addressing human trafficking? If so, please
provide details.
See answer to paragraph B below.
-- B. What sort of international assistance does the government
provide to other countries to address TIP?
The Norwegian government works both multilaterally (predominantly)
and bilaterally on TIP. Most of the $8.3 million spent on foreign
aid that impacts human trafficking projects abroad is channeled
through the IOM, followed by NGO's, and other organizations like
UNICEF and UNODC. The Norwegian government engages with many other
governments on TIP issues, mostly on individual cases, but in
specific instances-as with Bulgaria as detailed in paragraph 28 K
above-on overall TIP prevention training and strategies.
As another example, in cooperation with Italy and the Netherlands,
Norway supports the IOM's "Counter Trafficking Initiative" (project
No. NGA-2041). The project period is 2008-2010 and the total
funding is 4.2 million kroner ($700,000). The objective is to
provide for direct assistance to and protection of victims of human
trafficking in Nigeria, and to contribute to free access to
follow-up services. The Norwegian support will be used to
strengthen the authorities' efforts, mainly those of the National
Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons (NAPTIP), to
combat trafficking, support for female victims of human trafficking
and support for NGOs. The initiative will mainly contribute to
ensure the safe return and rehabilitation of victims, reduce the
recruitment from Nigeria, strengthen the cooperation between
authorities and NGOs, provide better knowledge about Human
Trafficking and strengthen research on the subject.
WHITE