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PP RUEHBC RUEHDA RUEHDE RUEHDH RUEHIHL RUEHKUK
DE RUEHGB #2403/01 2500621
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 070621Z SEP 09
FM AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4610
INFO RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 002403 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KTIP KWMN KLPM PHUM PREL ELAB SMIG UG IZ
SUBJECT: TRAFFICKED UGANDANS REPATRIATED FROM IRAQ 
 
¶1. SUMMARY: (SBU) From August 18-30, the Embassy and MNF-I, 
with the assistance of the International Organization for 
Migration (IOM) and the GOI, successfully repatriated 14 
women to Uganda who had been trafficked into Iraq for the 
purposes of labor exploitation.  The women had escaped from 
their employers in July and sought refuge at Camp Victory. 
During their time in Iraq, the women alleged that they were 
subjected to involuntary confinement, physical abuse, and in 
one instance, sexual assault.  As a result of the 
allegations, the GOI initiated both a criminal and a human 
rights investigation that to date have resulted in the 
issuance of two arrest warrants.  While the case has provided 
the GOI an opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to 
addressing its trafficking problem, it has also revealed gaps 
in the GOI's capacity, particularly in the area of providing 
temporary shelter to trafficking victims.  We will encourage 
the GOI to take steps to rectify this deficiency.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
--------------------------- 
Ugandans Trafficked to Iraq 
--------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) Over the period July 4-29, 14 women with Ugandan 
nationality made their way in small groups to Camp Victory, 
with allegations that they had been the victims of physical 
abuse and involuntary confinement at the hands of their 
employers and requested temporary shelter on the base.  On 
July 9, the Iraqi Major Crimes Task Force (MCTF), including 
members of the FBI, traveled to Victory Base to interview the 
women.  During these and subsequent interviews, the women 
stated that they were hired by a Ugandan company (Uganda 
Veterans Development Ltd.) to work as domestic employees in 
Iraq.  The women said that they were told that they would 
work on U.S. military bases, although the MCTF determined 
that no USG contractors or sub-contractors were involved in 
bringing them to Iraq.  Based on information provided by 
Uganda Veterans Development, the company sent more than 100 
persons to Iraq to work as domestic laborers from April 2008 
to June 2009. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Upon their arrival to Iraq, the women were met by 
representatives of an Iraqi company called SOS, which worked 
with Ugandan Veterans Development.  The women claimed that 
they were then sent to work as domestic employees for private 
Iraqi families throughout Baghdad and that the wages they 
received from the families were much lower than what they had 
been promised.  Moreover, a majority of the women alleged 
that at some point either SOS or the Iraqi family for whom 
they worked held them against their will by locking them in a 
room.  Five of the women said their passports had been 
confiscated either by SOS or their Iraqi host family.  The 
women also claimed that on multiple occasions they were 
provided little food or water, and many alleged that an SOS 
employee physically beat them when they went to complain 
about their treatment by Iraqi families.  Several claimed 
physical abuse by the Iraqi families.  One woman stated that 
she was raped by a member of the family for whom she worked; 
she is now pregnant. 
 
---------------- 
GOI Takes Action 
---------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) From the outset, the GOI took a leading role in 
providing assistance to the victims and in conducting a 
judicial investigation.  On July 10, the Minister of Human 
Rights, Wijdan Selim, assigned the GOI's interagency 
trafficking coordinator, Dr. Sa'ad Fatahallah, along with Dr. 
Mohammed al-Obeidi to work with the Embassy on the case. 
Both Dr. Fatahallah and Dr. al-Obeidi attempted to liaise 
with the MFA to establish direct communication between the 
Qwith the MFA to establish direct communication between the 
GOI and the Government of Uganda (GOU) for the purposes of 
obtaining travel documents for the women in order to 
facilitate their repatriation.  This process proved 
cumbersome given that the GOU does not currently maintain an 
embassy in Iraq.  To facilitate the process, Embassy Baghdad 
and Embassy Kampala served as a go-between for the two 
governments, and temporary travel documents acceptable to 
both governments were obtained with the assistance of the IOM 
through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). 
On July 19, Dr. al-Obeidi traveled to Camp Victory to meet 
with the women and to gather information for an official 
report that was subsequently presented to the Minister of 
Human Rights. 
 
¶5. (SBU) On July 15, an Iraqi investigative judge affiliated 
with the Iraqi Major Crimes Task Force, traveled to Camp 
Victory to investigate the allegations of physical abuse and 
sexual assault.  To date, the investigation has resulted in 
two Iraqi arrest warrants and one Iraqi search warrant.  One 
of the arrest warrants was for the Iraqi owner of the company 
SOS and the other was for the individual accused of rape. 
 
BAGHDAD 00002403  002 OF 002 
 
 
Subsequent to the warrants being issued, the owner of the 
Iraqi company was taken into custody without incident and 
released on bail.  Concurrently, the search warrant for his 
business headquarters was executed and evidence seized.  He 
is now awaiting trial and the evidence is being reviewed. 
The individual accused of rape is presently in fugitive 
status and the GOI is actively seeking his arrest. 
 
------------------------- 
Lack of Capacity Revealed 
------------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) Notwithstanding the GOI's forthright reaction in 
addressing an apparently large trafficking operation within 
its borders, the GOI continues to lack the capacity to 
provide temporary shelter to large numbers of trafficking 
victims.  After the first Ugandan women arrived to Camp 
Victory, Poloff raised with the Minister of Human Rights the 
possibility of the GOI assuming responsibility for the room 
and board of the victims as the initial judicial 
investigations were ongoing.  The Minister was candid about 
the fact that the GOI generally and the Ministry of Human 
Rights specifically did not have such a capacity.  Poloff 
suggested inclusion of the creation and resourcing of a 
trafficking victims shelter in the anti-trafficking 
legislation that the GOI is currently drafting.  The Minister 
expressed support for this idea, but cautioned that it did 
not have support throughout the GOI. 
 
¶7. COMMENT: (SBU) The GOI's productive engagement with the 
Embassy on this case represents a positive step in addressing 
the trafficking issue in Iraq.  We will continue to monitor 
the investigation into the Iraqi company SOS and encourage 
the GOI to examine the possibility that additional Ugandan 
women may be in Iraq and in need of assistance as trafficking 
victims.  We will also encourage the GOI to pass 
comprehensive anti-trafficking legislation and establish a 
facility that can be used to assist trafficking victims in 
the future.  END COMMENT. 
HILL