VZCZCXRO0164
RR RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHDK #0456/01 0591251
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 281251Z FEB 07
FM AMEMBASSY DAKAR
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7674
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RUEAHLC/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 DAKAR 000456 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR G, G/TIP, AF/W, AF/RSA, INL, PRM AND G/IWI 
ACCRA FOR USAID/WA 
BAMAKO FOR TIP OFFICER 
BANJUL FOR TIP OFFICER 
CONAKRY FOR TIP OFFICER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM KCRM KWMN ELAB SMIG ASEC PREF PU
SUBJECT: GUINEA-BISSAU: ANNUAL TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS (TIP) REPORT 
 
REF: 06 STATE 202745 
 
SUMMARY 
------- 
¶1.  (SBU) Guinea-Bissau is a source of children trafficked for 
forced agricultural work and begging, primarily in Senegal.  Muslim 
Koranic teachers, known as marabouts, travel from Senegal or send 
intermediaries to convince parents to send children purportedly for 
a religious education.  Those children are routinely beaten and 
subjected to harsh treatment; often their families never hear from 
them again.  There are no statistics or reliable estimates on the 
scope of the problem.  The GOGB has the political will to combat 
this issue, particularly in terms of prevention and assistance to 
victims.  The Government has detained traffickers, including at 
least one marabout, but prosecution would mean getting tough with 
widely revered Muslim teachers, a politically unpopular measure. 
Police, however, are proactive in stopping traffickers and assisting 
victims. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Children have been required to beg for food and money to 
receive education from Koranic schools for generations.  Some 
fathers and community leaders who send children away to learn to 
read the Koran experienced similar situations, although abuse 
appears to be growing and education dwindling.  Public discussion, 
radio programs, and solid NGO efforts, often in conjunction with 
police and government, have started to bear results, pushing 
traffickers into more remote areas to find subjects.  However, there 
is also a strong sense among Muslim communities, local officials, 
and parliamentarians that parents will continue to send children 
away until the GOGB builds local Koranic schools. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) One NGO, "Associaco de Mulher e Crianca" (the Association 
for Women and Children, known as AMIC in Portuguese) leads 
coordination efforts for government, police, and civil society in 
terms of prevention and helping returned victims find their 
families.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Responses are keyed to questions in reftel. 
 
Begin TIP report: 
 
PARA 27.  OVERVIEW OF A COUNTRY'S ACTIVITIES TO ELIMINATE 
TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
¶A.  Guinea-Bissau is a country of origin for trafficked children for 
forced begging, primarily to Senegal and to a lesser extent Mali and 
Guinea.  Children are sent by their parents with a marabout or 
intermediary to study the Koran.  Key source areas are the cities of 
Bafata and Gabu in the east.  Instead of getting an education, 
children are generally forced to beg and remit daily payments of 
anywhere from 50 cents to one U.S. dollar plus a kilo of rice to the 
marabout.  Failure to meet daily quotas earns severe beatings.  Some 
Koranic schools in Guinea-Bissau also require children to beg in the 
long-standing tradition of these schools, but with less abuse and 
more education than they get abroad.  Some marabouts have 
plantations and require children, primarily boys but also some 
girls, to work in fields doing seasonal agricultural work.  Boys 
then are sent to cities to beg in the off season. 
 
No studies have been completed on the scope of human trafficking in 
or from Guinea-Bissau, and no reliable estimates exist.  The GOGB 
repatriated 92 children from Senegal in 2006 and says there are many 
more.  Two children were repatriated from Guinea-Bissau, one to 
Senegal and one to Guinea. 
 
¶B.  Parents of young children are approached by religious leaders or 
intermediaries, usually from neighboring Senegal, and offered the 
chance to send children for a religious education where they will be 
taught to read the Koran.  Because of traditional links between 
Islamic communities across borders and the existence of extended 
families where distant relatives may be considered "uncles," the 
trafficker is often known to the parents.  There are only a few 
Koranic schools in Guinea-Bissau, but they are not highly regarded; 
so parents often feel that sending sons abroad is the only hope for 
a religious education.  Marabouts are highly respected in Muslim 
society (the majority population in target areas) and are able to 
operate with little interference.  Parents receive no compensation 
for sending their children and in many cases, pay for the initial 
travel. 
 
Begging is an old practice at Koranic schools, and some middle-aged 
adults in Guinea-Bissau went through similar experiences as youths. 
 
DAKAR 00000456  002 OF 005 
 
 
However, physical abuse of children and profits for marabouts have 
become common while education has all but disappeared.  The 
historical link between begging and Koranic schools creates a level 
of acceptance among community members and impedes efforts by NGOs 
and government to convince parents to stop sending children.  AMIC 
noted that some institutions (which they term "madrassas") are 
better than others and require little begging. 
 
The primary route to Senegal is through the town of Pirada, where 
there are police and migration controls.  Another key exit point is 
the town of Sao Domingos in the west.  Almost all traffic is 
overland, reportedly by foot, taxi or animal driven carts to the 
border.  Non-vehicular traffic can easily avoid border outposts by 
walking on foot trails through the bush.  Border guards are aware of 
the problem and according to the leading national NGO on 
trafficking, AMIC, cooperate on interdiction and repatriation.  Yet 
remoteness, low salaries that are sometimes unpaid for months at a 
time, and respect for marabouts makes guards vulnerable to bribes. 
 
Living conditions for trafficked children on the streets of 
Senegal's cities can be heartbreaking.  Children who cannot raise 
the daily payment are beaten so severely that they often don't 
return, choosing to sleep in the street rather than face punishment. 
 It is common for families to go years without receiving any word 
from children.  Some children seek help from NGOs, neighborhood 
women whom they adopt as mother figures or the Bissau-Guinean 
Embassy in Dakar.  Others simply walk back to Guinea-Bissau.  Some 
parents seek help from police or NGOs to reunite with children, but 
they are the exception.  One significant improvement this year is 
the number of children repatriated from Senegal.  Repatriations and 
reinsertion in families and schools require significant cooperation 
between NGOs, governments, police and border officials, families and 
schools.  Last year, 92 children benefited from that cooperation. 
 
Political will exists to assist victims and prevent trafficking 
through raising awareness, especially in key institutions such as 
the government's Institute of Women and Children, the Department of 
Justice, the Foreign Ministry, and among individuals throughout the 
police force.  In the GOGB's 2006 National Poverty Reduction 
Strategy Paper, root causes of trafficking are addressed, including 
intervention and awareness for street children and those engaged in 
the worst forms of child labor; improving education and nutrition; 
and strengthening the government institutions charged with 
protection.  Unfortunately, the plan received little support at the 
donor's round table in Geneva last November.  Despite these efforts, 
there is no high-level coordinated initiative to fight TIP.  There 
is little evident political will to confront TIP in terms of 
prosecutions.  According to several people interviewed from local 
governments and NGOs, enforcement against marabouts is a politically 
complicated issue because politicians believe any action against 
them will be interpreted by a major voting bloc as action against 
the Islamic faith.  The Government has detained one marabout and 
other traffickers but has yet to successfully prosecute any. 
 
¶C.  Guinea-Bissau lacks almost everything.  Police forces have 
received no training on trafficking.  They do not have vehicles to 
patrol borders; instead they rely on foot patrols.  Communication 
from border police in Pirada to the central police headquarters in 
Gabu, about two hours away by bus and where traffickers are supposed 
to be sent once detained, is by landline phone which is often out of 
service.  Police in Gabu have only one computer and no effective 
archive system to facilitate case research.  Police are receiving 
regular, albeit delayed salaries.  Repatriated victims sometimes 
live with the Gabu police commissioner until parents can be found, a 
process that sometimes takes months because children do not remember 
where they are from.  Guinea-Bissau's Ambassador to Senegal also 
houses children awaiting repatriation when no alternative can be 
found.  There is no shelter in Gabu, which receives a steady trickle 
of children returning from Senegal in search of families. 
 
While corruption is likely a factor in the remote towns and border 
areas, AMIC believes there is no high-level corruption on this 
issue, and no one in the Government is getting rich off the 
trafficking of children. 
 
¶D.  The GOGB does not make systematic efforts and does not publish 
assessments of its performance.  A police inspector under the 
auspices of the Ministry of Interior has official responsibility for 
coordinating the government enforcement response and cooperation 
with UNICEF, but these efforts are poorly organized. 
 
PARA 28.  PREVENTION 
 
DAKAR 00000456  003 OF 005 
 
 
-------------------- 
¶A.  The Government recognizes the trafficking problem and combats it 
on many fronts.  The Government contributes eight million CFA francs 
(CFAF) (about USD 16,000) per year to the operating budget of AMIC, 
the country's strongest advocate in fighting trafficking of 
children. 
 
¶B.  Agencies involved include the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of 
Interior, and the Institute of Women and Children.  There is no task 
force; so no agency has a clear lead. 
 
¶C.  AMIC conducts regular awareness efforts on radio stations in the 
Gabu area.  Guinea-Bissau's Ambassador to Senegal has also 
contributed to awareness efforts on the radio.  These efforts are 
aimed at parents in Muslim communities, notifying them of the 
dangers of sending their children away for Koranic studies.  AMIC 
notes some effectiveness, saying the city itself continues to see a 
drop in trafficked children, but traffickers are moving out to 
outlying areas where people are not yet as well-informed.  AMIC and 
police also use radio as a last resort in searching for parents of 
repatriated children. 
 
¶D.  As part of a reinsertion program for trafficking victims 
implemented by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), 
AMIC, and Senegalese NGOs, the Government assists in repatriating 
and educating children and families to avoid re-trafficking.  This 
program consists of educating parents, getting children in school, 
and follow-up visits to check progress and track children. 
Migration officials at Pirada claim they do not let anyone leave the 
country with a child unless the parent is present, due to 
trafficking concerns.  Of course the border remains porous, and 
guards may be corrupt or unprofessional. 
 
¶E.  Relevant actors cooperate well and recognize the importance of 
close coordination.  AMIC reports that it gets very good cooperation 
from local police in assisting repatriated children and finding 
parents.  There are a good understanding of issues and updated 
policies by border police and migration officials to stop 
traffickers from moving children out of the country.  AMIC and 
police work with religious and community leaders in the regions of 
Gabu and Bafata.  UNICEF says the Ministry of Justice and the Muslim 
NGO ALANSAR are very strong on the issue.  Perhaps the biggest and 
most noticeable gap is the courts, which could not point to any 
successful prosecutions where traffickers served time.  Another 
concern is the inspector at the Ministry of the Interior who claims 
to be the coordinator on enforcement but does not have a clear 
picture of prosecution efforts. 
 
¶F.  The Government does not systematically monitor its borders for 
TIP, but border guards have been educated by AMIC.  Immigration 
officials described a process they follow when they identify a 
potential trafficker: they detain the male adults if they cannot 
prove they are the fathers, contact the police in Gabu, and arrange 
transportation back to police headquarters in Gabu.  Unfortunately, 
these are barely treated as crimes, and traffickers are generally 
released while parents are contacted to pick up their children. 
 
Police claim to have increased foot patrols of the border on the 
many paths through the bush into Senegal to stem trafficking. 
 
¶G.  With a number of security concerns in the country, such as 
increased international drug trafficking and the urgent need for 
security sector reform of the bloated, violence-prone military, and 
numerous social problems such as a lack of access to adequate 
education and health care for most of its citizens, TIP has not 
surprisingly been low on the priority list.  However, even with 
these other issues, the Government is doing what it can with the few 
resources it has available to it.  The Ministry of Interior has an 
inspector in charge of crimes against children who is responsible 
for coordination on law enforcement of TIP and cooperation with 
UNICEF.  The Institute of Women and Children has taken the lead with 
respect to public awareness and marshalling efforts of the 
government and the international community.  The National Assembly's 
Ad Hoc Committee for Women's and Children's Issues attempted to get 
TIP on the legislative agenda last year, but due to a deeply 
entrenched political crisis that left the body almost paralyzed, no 
new TIP legislation was passed.  The most effective actors continue 
to be NGOs and international organizations. 
 
¶H.  There is no national plan of action to combat TIP. 
 
PARA 29.  INVESTIGATION AND PROSECUTION OF TRAFFICKERS 
 
DAKAR 00000456  004 OF 005 
 
 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
¶A.  There has been no new legislation since the last report.  There 
is no law specifically prohibiting trafficking in people.  Other 
laws are currently being used, although they are weakly applied. 
Laws against removal of minors, sexual exploitation, abuse, and 
kidnapping of minors may be used to prosecute trafficking cases. 
Prostitution is illegal, as is pimping. 
 
¶B.  There is no trafficking law, but the law against kidnapping, 
which may be used in child trafficking, carries a penalty of two to 
ten years in prison. 
 
¶C.  Guinea-Bissau is not a source or destination country for labor 
abuses and as such has no specific legislation dealing with the 
crime.  When children are exploited for labor, it is usually through 
promises of education that traffickers lure them into servitude, not 
through legitimate offers of employment with contracts. 
 
¶D.  The penalty for rape is between one and five years in prison. 
Sex trafficking is not specifically covered under the law and in 
fact does not appear to be a widespread problem in Guinea-Bissau. 
 
¶E.  The activities of the prostitute, brothel owner, pimp, and 
customer are all criminalized.  There are no statistics on 
enforcement of this crime. 
 
¶F.  There have been no successful prosecutions of traffickers. 
Police are generally aware of their responsibility when it comes to 
protecting children from traffickers, and they often take 
appropriate action.  In most cases, this involves coordinating with 
NGOs on repatriations.  In February, immigration officials on the 
border of Guinea worked with police in the city of Gabu to detain a 
marabout named Mohamed Bah who entered Guinea-Bissau illegally with 
29 young boys, all nationals of Guinea.  No documents were presented 
at the border crossing.  Police contacted AMIC for assistance caring 
for the children and also the Public Ministry for assistance in 
repatriating them.  The marabout's intent is not certain, but AMIC 
and officials suspect it was trafficking.  It is not clear if 
Guinea-Bissau was the intended destination or a transit country. 
 
¶G.  Marabouts from Senegal are the primary traffickers, although few 
legitimate marabouts are traffickers.  They sometimes use 
intermediaries with community connections to recruit and transport 
children to Koranic schools.  In most cases, they are known to 
communities in which they operate, AMIC, and the police.  Some have 
been photographed by police for the purpose of prevention.  They 
operate in the open, protected by their stature in the Muslim 
community and the fact that politicians in Guinea-Bissau and Senegal 
do not have the temerity to confront them. 
 
¶H.  The Government does not actively investigate most cases of 
trafficking, but police are proactive in stopping traffickers and 
assisting victims. 
 
¶I.  The Government does not provide any special training on 
trafficking but has said it welcomes any training that foreign 
governments or international organizations can provide.  To put this 
in context, no policemen have received any kind of training since 
¶1999.  Those who joined the force since then have never received 
formal training in conducting any kind of police work. 
 
¶J.  Police in Gabu have worked with police in Senegal in the past, 
but there were no records of joint investigations during the 
reporting period. 
 
¶K.  The Government is not prohibited from extraditing its nationals 
but has no record of being asked to do so for TIP. 
 
¶L.  There is no evidence of government involvement in TIP. 
 
¶M.  No GOGB officials are known to have been involved in 
trafficking. 
 
¶N.  There is little tourism in Guinea-Bissau, and there are no 
reports of child sex tourism. 
 
¶O.  The Government has not ratified ILO Convention 182 concerning 
the prohibition and immediate action for the elimination of the 
worst forms of child labor. 
 
ILO Conventions 29 and 105 on forced or compulsory labor were both 
ratified February 21, 1977. 
 
DAKAR 00000456  005 OF 005 
 
 
 
The Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child 
(CRC) on the sale of children, child prostitution, and child 
pornography was signed on September 8, 2000 and is in the 
ratification process. 
 
The Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, 
especially Women and Children, supplementing the UN Convention 
Against Transnational Organized Crime was signed on December 14, 
2000 but not yet ratified. 
 
PARA 30.  PROTECTION AND ASSISTANCE TO VICTIMS 
--------------------------------------------- - 
¶A.  A lack of resources keeps the Government from providing many 
services for victims besides basic transportation back from Senegal. 
 Benevolent individuals, some with the Government, some with police, 
and some NGOs, provide most other assistance. 
 
¶B.  Most significant funding comes from abroad.  The Government 
continues to contribute about USD 16,000 to AMIC's annual operating 
budget.  It cooperates and coordinates closely with UNICEF, Save the 
Children (Dakar), and other foreign NGOs.  For example, UNICEF 
announced in February it would contribute USD one million to an 
education and prevention campaign in Guinea-Bissau.  The Institute 
of Women and Children will be the implementing agency for the 
Government. 
 
¶C.  Police in the primary source areas of Gabu and Bafata generally 
coordinate with AMIC to assist victims and locate parents. 
 
¶D.  Victims are not punished or persecuted in any way by anyone 
other than their traffickers. 
 
¶E.  Nothing impedes victims from seeking justice from their 
traffickers other than a cultural perception that marabouts are 
above the law. 
 
¶F.  See above. 
 
¶G.  The Bissau-Guinean Embassy in Senegal is a leader in the fight 
against trafficking.  It coordinates closely with NGOs in Senegal 
and the Red Cross to identify, assist, and repatriate victims.  It 
uses its operating budget to fund assistance efforts and is 
reimbursed upon justification to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 
 
¶H.  The GOGB provides shelter, medical aid, and food generally with 
the assistance of NGOs and the Red Cross. 
 
¶I.  As noted above, the Government has no funds to support even a 
modest victim assistance program.  It relies heavily on NGO and 
international donor support not just for TIP assistance, but for 
many basic government functions, including payment of civil service 
salaries.  A non-exhaustive list includes the Red Cross, AMIC, 
RADDHO (Dakar), Save the Children (Dakar), UNICEF and IOM. 
 
¶5.  (U) The TIP officer for Guinea-Bissau, Gregory Holliday, who is 
resident in Dakar, Senegal, can be reached by phone at 221-823-4296 
x2415 and by e-mail at hollidaygx@state.gov.  Embassy TIP officer 
spent approximately 20 hours preparing for this year's TIP report. 
Embassy Dakar Pol FSN spent about 5 hours. 
 
JACOBS