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Diana T Fritz  03/21/2007 05:34:50 PM  From  DB/Inbox:  Search Results

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Text:                                                                      
                                                                           
      
UNCLASSIFIED

SIPDIS
TELEGRAM                                            June 18, 2003


To:       No Action Addressee                                    

Action:   Unknown                                                

From:     AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI (ABU DHABI 2943 - PRIORITY)        

TAGS:     PHUM, PREF, ELAB, ASEC, KCRM, KFRD                     

Captions: None                                                   

Subject:  ELATED BY TIER 1 RANKING, UAEG PROMISES TO REDOUBLE    
          ANTI-TRAFFICKING EFFORTS                               

Ref:      None                                                   
_________________________________________________________________
UNCLAS        ABU DHABI 02943

SIPDIS
CXABU:
    ACTION: POL 
    INFO:   RSO AMB DCM P/M ECON 

DISSEMINATION: POL
CHARGE: PROG

APPROVED: AMB: MMWAHBA
DRAFTED: POL: MMMENARD
CLEARED: A/DCM: TEWILLIAMS; POL: STWILLIAMS

VZCZCADI951
PP RUEHC RUEHZM RUEAWJA RUEHC RUEAWJC
DE RUEHAD #2943/01 1691139
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 181139Z JUN 03
FM AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0511
INFO RUEHZM/GCC COLLECTIVE
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC
RUEAWJC/USINS WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 ABU DHABI 002943 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR NEA/ARP, NEA/RA, G/TIP, INL, DRL, AND PRM 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KCRM PHUM KWMN SMIG KFRD PREF ELAB ASEC
TC 
SUBJECT: ELATED BY TIER 1 RANKING, UAEG PROMISES TO 
REDOUBLE ANTI-TRAFFICKING EFFORTS 
 
¶1.  (U) Classified by Ambassador Marcelle M. Wahba for 
Reasons 1.5(B) and (D). 
 
¶2.  (SBU) SUMMARY AND COMMENT: On 11 June, the 
Ambassador congratulated MFA Minstate Hamdan bin Zayid 
Al-Nahyan on the UAE's Tier 1 ranking in the 2003 TIP 
Report, noting that the UAE is the only country to 
jump two tiers in this year's Report.  An extremely 
grateful Hamdan characterized the news as a welcome 
responsibility and reiterated his commitment to 
continue pushing forward on this issue.  We are using 
the Tier 1 "good news" to reemphasize the importance 
of this issue and encourage continued and increased 
UAEG action -- starting with the Ambassador's 
presentation to Hamdan of a "Next Steps Strategy." 
The Department's recognition of the UAEG's efforts in 
this area has motivated the UAEG to do even more and 
will make our job easier in this regard.  We 
appreciate G/TIP's past assistance and look forward to 
continuing to work together as we move forward with 
the UAEG on TIP over the coming year.  END SUMMARY AND 
COMMENT. 
 
Tier 1 -- A Welcome Responsibility 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶3.  (U) The Ambassador began a June 11 meeting with 
MFA Minstate Hamdan Bin Zayid (other topics covered 
septel) by congratulating MFA Minstate and 
Presidential son Shaykh Hamdan bin Zayid Al-Nahyan on 
the UAE's Tier 1 ranking in the 2003 Trafficking in 
Persons Report.  She commended his personal commitment 
and that of the UAEG as a whole to ending this 
deplorable trade.  Noting that the UAE was the only 
country to jump from Tier 3 to Tier 1 in this year's 
Report, the Ambassador informed Hamdan that Secretary 
Powell would be highlighting the UAE's efforts, among 
others, when he formally unveiled the report later 
that day in Washington. 
 
¶4.  (U) The Ambassador remarked that the UAE's Tier 1 
ranking will likely increase focus on the UAE's 
efforts to fight trafficking in persons and advised 
that we should redouble our efforts to ensure that the 
UAE maintains its Tier 1 status in the 2004 Report. 
In that spirit, she presented Hamdan with an embargoed 
copy of the Report and an Embassy-crafted "Next Steps 
Strategy," which lays out recommended UAEG actions in 
the areas of prevention, prosecution and victim 
protection.  The Ambassador hoped that Hamdan would 
give careful consideration to the Next Steps Strategy 
and looked forward to working together over the next 
year.  She advised him that she would be presenting 
the Report to the Crown Prince of Dubai and to the 
Dubai Deputy Ruler, Hamdan bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, as 
well as the Ministers of Information, Justice and 
Interior. 
 
¶5.  (U) Hamdan thanked the Ambassador and the U.S. 
Mission for its assistance in making the Tier One jump 
possible.  In line with the adage that it's easier to 
get to the top than stay there, he agreed that the 
UAEG would need to work even harder now to maintain 
its good record, noting that this achievement was "a 
big responsibility."  He looked forward to working 
together and welcomed the mission's input of 
recommended next steps. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Later that day, Hamdan's Office Director, 
Sultan Al-Romaithi, advised Poloff that Hamdan is 
determined to increase UAEG efforts to monitor and 
combat TIP.  He stated that this week Hamdan will send 
letters to the other six emirates' rulers, formally 
notifying them of the UAE's Tier 1 placement and the 
necessity to continue UAEG efforts against TIP. 
 
Mission's Engagement Plan for 2003-2004 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶7.  (U) UAEG reaction to our ongoing engagement on TIP 
has been very positive, as evidenced by Hamdan's 
personal commitment to this issue and its placement on 
the U.S.-UAE Strategic Dialogue agenda in November 
¶2002.  The news of the UAE's Tier 1 ranking gives us 
an excellent opportunity to redouble our efforts with 
various ministries and emirates to ensure that we 
continue to move forward in combating this 
transnational crime. 
¶8.  (U) In rolling out the 2003 Report, we are 
emphasizing the importance of this issue in our 
bilateral relationship by forwarding copies of the 
Report and Next Steps Strategy under cover of letter 
signed by the Ambassador to the Ministers of 
Information, Interior, Justice, Labor and Health.  We 
are also forwarding similar packages to the Dubai 
Crown Prince, Dubai Deputy Ruler, Dubai Police 
Commander, Dubai Prosecutor General, Abu Dhabi General 
Health Authority Chairman, and the Interior Ministry 
Undersecretary (who also serves as Head of the Abu 
Dhabi Police Directorate).  We will follow-up the 
delivery of the Report and Next Steps Strategy with 
working-level meetings to maintain the momentum 
created by the release of the 2003 Report and 
encourage the UAEG to sustain and, where possible, 
increase its efforts on TIP. 
 
Next Steps Strategy for the UAEG 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶9.  (SBU) In the Next Steps Strategy, we included an 
exhaustive list of recommended UAEG actions in the 
areas of prevention, prosecution and victim protection 
that will follow-up and build on the UAEG's already 
existing accomplishments: 
 
Prevention 
 
--Sign and enforce legislation codifying the child 
camel jockey ban.  (MFA, Justice, Interior, Camel 
Racing Federation) 
 
--Sign and ratify relevant international instruments, 
including (1) The Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and 
Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and 
Children, Supplementing the UN Convention Against 
Transnational Organized Crime; (2) The Optional 
Protocol on the Sale of Children, Supplementing the 
Convention on the Rights of the Child; and (3) The 
Optional Protocol on Use of Children in Armed 
Conflict, Supplementing the Convention on the Rights 
of the Child.  (MFA, Justice) 
 
--Review Model Law to Combat Trafficking in Persons 
and consider drafting comprehensive legislation on 
trafficking in persons or supplementing currently 
existing law on trafficking in persons.  (MFA, 
Justice) 
 
--Establish working-level group/committee to follow-up 
and monitor success of government actions and 
initiatives to fight trafficking in persons.  (MFA) 
 
--Conduct research to determine parameters of 
trafficking in persons problem in the UAE.  (Interior, 
Labor) 
 
--Initiate discussions with the International 
Organization for Migration regarding benefits of 
membership and the opening of an IOM field office in 
the UAE. (MFA, Interior, Labor) 
 
--Conduct public awareness campaigns to educate the 
community on trafficking in persons and its causes and 
the need for prevention, enforcement and the 
protection of victims.  (Information, Health) 
 
--Publicize the laws against trafficking, the 
penalties for trafficking, and cases in which 
traffickers are prosecuted.  (Information, Justice, 
Interior) 
 
--Provide training to the media on reporting the 
causes, prevention and prosecution of trafficking in 
persons.  (Information) 
 
--Review guidelines for granting visas to citizens and 
residents of countries known to be source countries 
for trafficking victims.  Review procedures at 
airports that receive a high number of visitors from 
countries known to be source countries.  (Interior, 
Labor, Civil Aviation) 
 
--Continue to provide to source countries humanitarian 
and reconstruction assistance designed to protect 
women and children from becoming trafficking victims. 
(MFA, Red Crescent Authority, Abu Dhabi Fund for 
Development) 
 
--Require standard labor contracts for those not 
covered by UAE labor laws (including domestic and 
agricultural workers) and create an office to receive 
complaints for contract violations so that a formal 
mechanism exists outside of the court system to 
address grievances.  (Interior, Labor) 
 
--Provide training to UAE diplomats on trafficking in 
persons, the scope of the problem in the UAE, and what 
the UAEG is doing to fight it.  (MFA) 
 
--Ask UAE embassies in source countries to engage with 
those governments on trafficking in persons and 
offer/request cooperation on law enforcement efforts. 
(MFA) 
 
Prosecution of Traffickers 
 
--Create Anti-Trafficking in Persons Units in police 
departments and public prosecution offices.  Assign 
specially trained female police officers to Anti- 
Trafficking in Persons Units and hot lines. 
(Interior, Justice) 
 
--Provide training to police, immigration and border 
officials, judges and prosecutors, health officials 
and professionals, social workers, and labor 
inspectors on: (1) detecting traffickers and patterns 
of trafficking in persons; (2) detecting trafficking 
victims; (3) interview and prosecution techniques; (4) 
proper treatment of victims; (5) document fraud 
detection; and (6) visa sponsorship abuse.  (MFA, 
Interior, Justice, Health, Labor, Civil Aviation) 
 
--Add training classes specifically addressing 
trafficking in persons to police academies and 
judicial/prosecutor institutes.  (Interior, Justice) 
 
--Review procedures for questioning women arrested for 
prostitution and related offenses to determine whether 
the women are possible trafficking victims. 
(Interior) 
 
--Identify points of contact in the UAEG for receiving 
information on suspected trafficking cases and victims 
and communicate that contact information to foreign 
embassies and consulates in the UAE, law enforcement 
officials in source countries, and NGOs in source 
countries.  (MFA, Interior) 
 
--Meet with officials from foreign embassies and 
consulates in the UAE for source countries to create a 
Standard Operating Procedure for embassy and consulate 
officials to report suspected cases of trafficking in 
persons to specified UAEG points of contact.  (MFA, 
Interior) 
 
--Maintain statistics on the UAEG's efforts to enforce 
trafficking in persons, including (1) number and 
outcome of arrests and prosecutions; (2) number and 
outcome of labor inspections; (3) number of victims 
repatriated to their home countries; (4) number and 
outcome of DNA tests conducted in connection with 
registration of camel jockeys; (5) number of camel 
jockey registration cards applied for and issued. 
(Interior, Labor, Health, Camel Racing Federation) 
 
Protection of Victims 
 
--Establish a Victims' Assistance Program in all 
police departments, ensuring that safe shelter, 
medical assistance and counseling are provided to 
victims.   (Interior, Health) 
 
--Provide adequate safety and privacy to trafficking 
victims who serve as witnesses.  (Interior) 
 
--Publicize hotline for trafficking victims. 
(Interior) 
 
--Train health professionals to look for signs of 
sexual abuse during annual medical exams conducted to 
receive and renew health cards.  Ensure that women 
receive gynecological services, including testing for 
sexually transmitted diseases, during these annual 
medical exams.  (Interior, Labor, Health) 
 
--Distribute information on trafficking in persons at 
airports, police stations and hospitals, with details 
on who to call and where to go for help. (Civil 
Aviation, Interior, Health, Labor) 
 
WAHBA