VZCZCXYZ0006
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHLB #1235 3221018
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 181018Z NOV 09
FM AMEMBASSY BEIRUT
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 6075

UNCLAS BEIRUT 001235 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR NEA/RA AND G/TIP 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KCRM KTIP KWMN PGOV PHUM SMIG LE
SUBJECT: 2009 TIP INTERIM ASSESSMENT: LEBANON 
 
REF: STATE 112489 
 
¶1. (U) Summary: This 2009 TIP Interim Assessment for Lebanon 
is submitted in response to action request in reftel.  The 
Government of Lebanon (GOL) made limited progress in 
addressing trafficking in persons (TIP) issues, partially 
because of parliamentary inaction before the June 2009 
elections and the lack of a government from June until 
November.  An anti-TIP law and a labor law amendment are 
awaiting action by the new cabinet, which has not yet 
received a vote of confidence.  End Summary. 
 
LEGISLATIVE REFORMS 
------------------- 
 
¶2. (U) Two significant legal initiatives are pending 
implementation.  First, an interministerial review of the 
proposed national anti-TIP law was completed, and the law is 
with the ministry of justice (MOJ) pending the cabinet's 
approval.  Second, an amendment to the Labor Law that will 
extend the same legal protections that Lebanese workers enjoy 
to all foreign workers was successfully reviewed by the 
National Steering Committee and sent to the ministry of labor 
for submission to the cabinet.  A separate March 2009 Labor 
Code revision providing a unified contract for migrant 
workers was implemented in Arabic.  However, the notarized 
translations of the contract into workers' native languages, 
as required by the law, have not yet been completed by the 
International Labor Organization. 
 
ADDITIONAL ANTI-TIP INITIATIVES 
------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (U) The GOL investigated and prosecuted four new 
trafficking cases in the last nine months.  It also 
established a working committee on October 14 to draft a 
standard operating procedure (SOP) to guide the Surete 
Generale (SG) in identifying victims of trafficking among 
immigration detainees, referring them for assistance, and 
managing detainee cases at the SG detention center.  This 
working committee includes representatives from the SG and 
other GOL agencies, as well as NGOs. 
 
¶4. (U) To prevent abuse of artist work visas for 
prostitution, SG is cooperating with the UN Office on Drugs 
and Crime (UNODC) on the pilot Moldova Project, which 
provides Moldovan artists training and information on their 
rights and resources in Lebanon, including hotline and 
emergency telephone numbers, in both Russian and Moldovan. 
The final implementation phase is scheduled to occur in late 
November under the uspices of the ministries of justice and 
interior  UNODC is also working with the MOJ and SG to 
prmit sex workers who are victims of trafficking to remain 
in Lebanon for at least one year to allow the courts and SG 
time to investigate and prosecute their cases.  The SG has 
undertaken to create similar resources for women from 
Belarus, Morocco, and Tunisia based on the Moldovan pilot 
project.  This second phase of the UNODC TIP program is 
scheduled to conclude in 2010. 
 
¶5. (U) In July, NGOs convinced the general prosecutor for the 
Mount Lebanon region to refer victims of trafficking to NGOs 
to receive services rather than prosecuting them for crimes 
that resulted from their being trafficked (e.g., immigration 
violations).  NGO interlocutors also report improvements in 
identifying and handling victims at the SG due to officer 
training programs.  In June, the SG detention center also 
began installing upgrades -- including cable televisions for 
each detainee area, air conditioning and better air 
circulation, and new automatic doors with emergency 
safety-release locks -- to improve detainees' living 
conditions during processing.  The detention center is also 
now using computerized spreadsheets to track the admission 
date, status, and legal or civil charges for each detainee. 
 
¶6. (U) COMMENT:  A new cabinet was named in early November 
after a five-month hiatus, but it remains in caretaker status 
until ratified by parliament, which is expected to occur by 
early December.  To achieve significant progress, the new 
cabinet must pass and implement the pending anti-TIP law and 
the Labor Law amendment. 
DAUGHTON