This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 09 SANAA 000576 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
PELASE PASS TO G, G/TIP, INL, DRL, PRM, IWI, NEA/ARPI 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV KCRM PHUM KWMN SMIG KFRD ASEC ELAB YM TRAFFICKING PERSONS
SUBJECT: FIFTH ANNUAL TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS REPORT: YEMEN 
 
REF: A. STATE 273089 
     ¶B. SANAA 04 611 
 
¶1. This message is posts response to ref A. 
 
------------------------ 
Overview of TIP in Yemen 
------------------------ 
 
¶2. (SBU) Overview: 
 
¶A.  Yemen is a country of origin for internationally 
trafficked children and may be a country of destination for 
sex trafficking of foreign women.  In the past, the issue of 
trafficking in persons (TIP) has not been well known or 
understood in Yemen.  Now that there are indications that 
trafficking exists, particularly in the case of children, 
ROYG officials are beginning to learn about and seek ways to 
combat TIP. 
 
Trafficked Yemeni children are smuggled over the northern 
border into Saudi Arabia to work primarily as beggars. 
Yemeni and foreign women, most recently Iraqi women, may be 
the victims of sex trafficking for the purpose of 
prostitution.  No reliable estimates on the scope of either 
problem exists.  More information is available, however, on 
child than on sex trafficking. 
 
Trafficked Yemeni children are usually transported across the 
border to Saudi Arabia by smugglers known or related to their 
families, and usually with their parent,s consent.  UNICEF 
estimates that 97 percent of trafficked children are boys. 
Trafficked children range in age from 7-16, with the majority 
being between 12-14 years old. 
 
It is possible that Yemeni women, including under age girls, 
are at risk for sex trafficking within the country.  Post has 
no credible reports of such internal trafficking and cannot 
confirm that the problem exists in Yemen. 
 
In the past two years, there have been reports of increasing 
numbers of foreign female prostitutes in Yemen, particularly 
Iraqis.  Unreliable and unconfirmed estimates from several 
sources place the number of foreign prostitutes in Yemen at 
anywhere from 1,000 to 5,000.  The presence of these women in 
Yemen may indicate an emerging sex trafficking problem.  Some 
women may become trafficked after arriving in Yemen, or be 
subject to debt-bondage situations, but there is no credible 
evidence to support this.  The alleged trafficking of Iraqi 
women for the purpose of prostitution covered in last year,s 
report, appears to have been organized, although by whom or 
to what extent is unknown (ref B).  Unconfirmed reports 
indicate that the number of Prostitutes may have 
substantially decreased following a 2004 security forces 
sweep, and the initiation of an entry visa requirement for 
Iraqis traveling to Yemen. 
 
Smuggling of migrants from the Horn of Africa (HOA) is a 
problem, although there is no evidence of trafficking.  Some 
of these women find employment as prostitutes.  It is 
possible there are cases where female HOA migrants are forced 
into prostitution or exploitative labor conditions. 
 
The key line ministries dealing with TIP, Interior, Human 
Rights, and Labor and Social Welfare, are aware of the issue 
and took steps during the year to better understand the scope 
of, and combat, trafficking of persons in Yemen. 
 
The number of possible TIP victims in Yemen currently cannot 
be estimated with any accuracy.  Yemen has poor government 
infrastructure and little ability to collect and maintain 
reliable statistics.   According to the UNICEF representative 
in Yemen, it is &impossible at this time8 to account for 
the number of Yemen child victims of trafficking, or to 
distinguish them from children migrating to Saudi Arabia with 
the families for economic reasons. 
 
Available sources on trafficking in persons in Yemen are: 
UNICEF, the Attorney General,s (AG) Office, The Ministry of 
Interior (MOI), the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs 
(MLSA), NGOs, local journalists and members of Parliament. 
 
¶B.  Yemen is a country of origin for children trafficked to 
Saudi Arabia.  The sources of child trafficking in Yemen are 
the poor, northern regions of the country, particularly in 
the governorates of Hajja and al-Mahaweet, close to the Saudi 
border.  Yemeni children are trafficked to Saudi Arabia 
primarily for the purpose of unskilled labor, begging or 
street vending.  The traffickers are almost always well known 
by, if not related to, the family; children are usually 
trafficked with parental consent.  Parents are either paid or 
promised money in exchange for allowing their children to be 
trafficked, and there has never been a case reported where a 
trafficked child was not returned to the family. 
 
There are foreign prostitutes in Yemen, particularly Iraqis, 
who may be the victims of sex trafficking.  They are located 
primarily in the southern port city of Aden and in Sanaa. 
Other prostitutes come to Yemen as economic migrants from 
Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia.  There is no evidence that 
women from the Horn of Africa are trafficked to Yemen or 
become trafficked once they arrive. 
 
¶C.  Post is not aware of an increase in the numbers of Iraqi 
prostitutes since last year.  It is unknown how many Iraqis 
or other non-Yemeni women working as prostitute are victims 
of TIP, and no additional information on this subject has 
been made available. 
 
According to the Arab Foundation for Supporting Women and 
Juveniles (AFSWJ), it is possible that Yemeni women are 
trafficked from their homes to other regions within the 
country for the purposes of prostitution, including those 
under the age of legal consent.  AFSWJ believes that such 
prostitution may be organized and speculates that low-level 
government and security officials operate or are complicit in 
sex trafficking within the country.  Post has no other 
information or evidence that this form of sex trafficking 
exists within Yemen. 
 
¶D.  UNICEF, in conjunction with the MLSA, released a new 
report in January 2005 entitled &Child Trafficking in 
Yemen."  No reports exist on Prostitution.  Members of the 
Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights and Freedom have 
submitted a trip report on Child Smuggling to their 
committee.  The report is due to be released to the ROYG and 
Parliament in 2005 (see overviewm section G. 
 
ROYG ministerial officials claimed to be unaware of any 
problems involving sex trafficking in Yemen until Post began 
raising the issue of Iraqi women who said they were forced to 
travel to Yemen to work as prostitutes during the Iraq War 
crisis (ref B).  In February 2004, the Minister of Human 
Rights informed Ambassador that an investigation by relevant 
ROYG ministries into possible sex trafficking in Yemen had 
begun.  There has been no additional information on this 
investigation. 
 
¶E.  Foreign prostitutes, who may be the victims of sex 
trafficking, are for the most part from other Arab countries. 
 It is possible that there are small numbers of women from 
countries of the Former Soviet Union working in Yemen as 
prostitutes, but this cannot be confirmed.  These women 
reportedly live and work either in the southern port city of 
Aden or the northern capital Sanaa.  In Aden, they provide 
their services through hotels and clubs.  In Sanaa, brothels 
are normally found in houses, although some services may be 
obtained at major hotels.  It is not known under what 
conditions these women may work and live. 
 
¶F.  MOI forces caught persons smuggling children across the 
Yemen border to Saudi Arabia for the purpose of begging (see 
Section X).  UNICEF, local journalists covering the issue of 
child smuggling, and MOI and MLSA officials describe the 
child trafficking network as loosely organized.  UNICEF notes 
in its 2005 report that the organization is ¬ on the 
scale of an international crime syndicate.8  Smugglers are 
usually well known in the community to which the child 
belongs.  Some children start the journey on their own and 
are picked up along the routes by taxi drivers or smugglers. 
Families that allow their children to go to Saudi Arabia live 
in extreme poverty, have large families and are either given 
or promised money.  In some cases, families of victims 
approach the traffickers.  There is usually no deception. 
The children and families know what conditions in Saudi 
Arabia will be.  There is no evidence of child abduction and 
there are no reported cases of children who were not returned 
to their families following a period of illegal work in Saudi 
Arabia. 
 
Families usually pay a fee to have their children taken to 
Saudi Arabia.  Children hand over their salaries to the 
traffickers, who take a percentage and send the remainder to 
the child,s family in Yemen.  Children are transported by 
foot, car or donkey.  There are several reports of children 
leading other children across the border.  False documents 
are sometimes used, and the border is also unmonitored in 
several areas. 
 
While there are some reports that women and children may be 
trafficked from other areas of the country to Aden for 
prostitution, post cannot confirm this. 
 
¶G.  Trafficking in persons is gaining recognition as an issue 
of concern in Yemen; however, it is still not considered a 
high priority.  The key line ministries dealing with TIP, 
Interior, Human Rights, and Labor and Social Welfare, are 
aware of the issue and took steps during the year to better 
understand the scope of, and combat, trafficking of persons 
in Yemen. 
 
The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (MLSA) partnered 
with UNICEF to conduct the 2005 "Child Trafficking in Yemen" 
study.  The use of the word "trafficking vice "smuggling" in 
the report went a long way to educate key ministries and the 
public about the difference between these two phenomena.  The 
ROYG co-hosted a high profile, two-day conference to 
highlight the report's findings in Sanaa in January 2005. 
The Conference, attended by several ministers and other ROYG 
officials, provided an opportunity for senior officials, 
parliamentarians, and NGOs to discuss the problem of child 
trafficking and ways to combat it.  The conference was well 
covered in the local media. 
 
The Ministry of Interior arrested at least two child 
traffickers in 2004 and referred these cases to the Attorney 
General for Prosecution.  Some child trafficking operations 
were interdicted at the border by MOI forces.  Police and 
border guards are under MOI instructions to investigate 
possible cases of TIP, and the MOI held training courses for 
its officers on how to recognize and deal with trafficking. 
Three more training courses are planned for the coming year. 
 
In 2004, Parliament for the first time took up the issue of 
child trafficking.  A delegation of MPs on the Human Rights 
and Freedoms Committee traveled to the northern regions of 
Yemen on a fact-finding mission to investigate child 
trafficking.  The MPs' interest in the issue increased public 
awareness and led to several media reports on the dangers of 
child smuggling in Yemen.  According to one of the MPs who 
participated in the trip, committee members will report their 
findings to the ROYG later this year and Parliament is 
expected to debate the TIP issue. 
 
Senior officials recognize the need to address the problem, 
although there is no government-wide understanding of the 
issue.  Interior Minister al-Alimi has shared his personal 
concern and MOI officials cite his focus on TIP as the 
driving force behind new efforts to combat trafficking in 
children.  The recent UNICEF study was conducted with the 
cooperation of several ministries, including the MHR and 
MLSA.  The Ministers of Labor and Social Affairs and Human 
Rights have publicly called for greater efforts to combat the 
problem.  In February, some members of Parliament openly 
called for a review of the Child Trafficking problem. 
 
It is premature to assess whether or not there is sufficient 
ROYG political will to effectively combat trafficking.  The 
government has taken some practical steps, but some confusion 
still remains as to the difference between migrant smuggling 
and trafficking.  MOI officials note that trafficking exists, 
but can only offer a handful of cases as evidence. 
 
ROYG willingness to seriously combat sex trafficking is 
untested and there is no credible evidence that ROYG 
officials are themselves involved or complicit (see section 
H.). 
¶H.  It is unknown whether individual members of government 
forces facilitate or condone trafficking.  There are 
unconfirmed reports that some Yemeni border officials 
accepted bribes from traffickers to allow trafficked children 
to pass through checkpoints to enter Saudi Arabia. 
It is unclear if the ROYG would be willing to take action 
against government officials if they were proven to be 
involved in sex trafficking.  Should evidence become 
available that prostitution in Yemen involves sex 
trafficking, it is possible some officials might be found 
involved, or at lease aware, of the practice, including 
customs, border and law enforcement officials.  For example, 
hotels in Aden where Yemeni and foreign prostitutes 
reportedly ply their trade are always monitored by officers 
of the MOI and Political Security Organization (PSO). 
 
Post cannot confirm that prostitution in Yemen involves sex 
trafficking. 
 
Corruption is a serious problem in Yemen.  The ROYG has 
formed a high-level committee to tackle corruption issues but 
it is considered generally ineffective.  Anti-corruption 
efforts are handled on a case-by-case basis.  Under the 
Millenium Challenge Account Threshold Program, the ROYG is 
expected in 2005 be developing specific proposals to tackle 
corruption and transparency. 
 
¶I.  The ROYG has limited resources to devote to TIP. 
Although the ROYG continues to step up its TIP assessment 
efforts and has implemented some training of security forces, 
its ability to prevent TIP, prosecute traffickers, and 
protect victims is extremely limited due to extreme poverty, 
low literacy, weak institutions, and a 1400 kilometer porous 
border with Saudi Arabia.  Although key ministries involved 
with TIP are beginning to better understand the issue, there 
is a lack of education on TIP among ROYG official as a whole, 
as well as among the population.  Officials at MOI, MLSA, and 
HRM have expressed a willingness to partner with the U.S. in 
programs to raise TIP awareness and educate and train 
security officers and law enforcement and officers of the 
court.  The ROYG does not have sufficient resources to 
effectively protect TIP victims. 
 
¶J.  In July 2004 the Minister of Interior ordered border 
police to systematically monitor all incidents of illegal 
immigration to Saudi Arabia so that it could more effectively 
determine the scope of the child trafficking problem.  The 
MOI notes, however, that their primary border concern is not 
child trafficking alone, but all economically motivated, 
illegal immigration to the KSA.  The UNICEF-MLSA study was 
the first effective study of child trafficking in Yemen. 
Post understands that the Minister of Interior receives 
internal reports on illegal movement of children across the 
border; however, the ROYG does not systematically monitor or 
report on TIP or on the results of their anti-trafficking 
efforts. 
 
¶K.  All aspects of prostitution are illegal and criminalized, 
including the activities of brothel owners and operators. 
 
---------- 
Prevention 
---------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) TIP Prevention: 
 
¶A.  The issue of TIP is still relatively new in Yemen. 
Ministers and officials at the MOI, MSLA, MHR recognize that 
child trafficking is a problem in Yemen, although the term 
"trafficking8 causes sensitivities and many officials 
habitually refer to child trafficking as &smuggling.8  One 
official explained the difficulties in educating families 
about child trafficking by noting that poor families are 
ashamed to admit that they are sending their children into a 
difficult, and potentially abusive, situation.  Not all ROYG 
officials recognize trafficking as a distinct problem, 
however, considering it instead a side effect of poverty and 
illiteracy. 
 
When specific TIP related problems are raised with the ROYG, 
officials will usually acknowledge the situation to a limited 
degree, and often look for practical solutions.  When Post 
raised the issue of possible trafficking of Iraqi prostitutes 
and noted the difficulty of tracking numbers and cases 
because Iraqis were not required to have a visa, the ROYG 
responded within weeks by issuing a ruling to require entry 
visas for Iraqis (ref B). 
 
¶B.  ROYG agencies involved with anti-trafficking efforts 
include:  Ministries of Human Rights, Interior (including 
immigration and border control), Labor and Social Affairs, 
Foreign Affairs, Justice and the Attorney General,s office. 
The MHR has named an official who is in charge of the TIP 
portfolio. 
¶C.  The MLSA reports that since the February release of the 
UNICEF report, it began to sponsor a limited TIP awareness 
campaign in targeted northern areas to education families on 
the dangers of child trafficking, including a regional 
workshop on TIP in the governorate of Hajja.  The MLSA now 
sends representatives to the north to monitor the situation 
and speak regularly with families, Local Councils, and 
schools.  It is too soon to evaluate the effectiveness of 
this effort. 
 
The government has not yet conducted any comprehensive 
anti-trafficking campaigns. 
 
¶D.  The ROYG supports many programs that do not specifically 
target TIP but aid in TIP prevention, such as government-wide 
efforts to increase literacy among women, combat violence 
against women, expand women,s awareness of their legal 
rights and increase the role of women in political life.  The 
ROYG has an active program for combating child labor. 
 
¶E.  Yemen is a least developed country (LDC) and its ability 
to support prevention programs is extremely limited. 
 
¶F.  The MLSA actively cooperated with UNICEF,s child 
trafficking study and several ministries participated in the 
two-day UNICEF conference.  There are few NGOs in Yemen 
focused primarily on TIP issues.  However, Post has every 
reason to believe the ROYG would cooperate with NGOs to 
combat TIP in Yemen because it has a record of working well 
with NGOs on women,s and children,s issues to includ: 
combating violence against women, promoting women rights, and 
improving child labor regulations. 
 
Post is not aware of any NGOs in Yemen dealing specifically 
with TIP issues.  There is a network of 8 organizations that 
work with women victims of violence and prostitution. 
 
¶G.  Yemen is surrounded by ocean, rugged mountains and 
desert, making its borders difficult to control.  Smuggling 
and illicit trade are common problems.  The U.S. is assisting 
the ROYG with border security control through the Terrorist 
Interdiction Program and by providing equipment and training 
assistance to the Yemen Coast Guard.  Effective border 
control remains nascent and the capacity of the ROYG to 
monitor emigration and immigration patterns for trafficking 
in person is limited.  MOI complains that a lack of a 
specialized Border Guard department hinders many of its 
efforts in this regard. 
 
¶H.  There is no formal inter-agency working group or task 
force on TIP. Several government agencies cite regular 
contact with other concerned agencies when discussing 
trafficking in children.  The key ministries on this issue 
are MHR, MLSA, MOI, MOJ, and the Attorney General,s Office. 
UNICEF is the major NGO player on TIP in Yemen.  According to 
an MLSA official, these ministries work together to address 
child trafficking issues on an ad-hoc basis, and in 
conjunction with individual governorates and security forces. 
 The ROYG worked closely with UNICEF on its investigation and 
subsequent report on the child trafficking problem in Yemen. 
 
¶I.  Yemen and Saudi Arabia recently agreed to establish a 
bilateral committee to cooperate in combating the trafficking 
of Yemeni children to the Kingdom.  As of yet, the committee 
has not met. 
¶J.  Because trafficking has not been a recognized problem in 
Yemen, the ROYG does not have a national plan of action to 
address the TIP.  Since the UNICEF Trafficking in Children 
conference in January, MLSA reports that it has launched a 
TIP Awareness Campaign in the northern regions that is part 
of its &General Plan8 to fight poverty in the northern 
regions (see overview, section G).  MLSA has announced that 
it intends to expand its programs to use schools, social 
infrastructure and surveys to raise awareness in the northern 
regions of the country. 
 
¶K.  The ROYG has not named a specific person or entity to be 
responsible for developing anti-trafficking.  One official at 
MHR is charged with the ministry,s child trafficking 
portfolio, but does not have sole or interagency 
responsibility for developing anti-Trafficking programs. 
Several agencies address the TIP situation in Yemen. 
Currently MHR, MLSA and MOI appear to be the most TIP-engaged 
institutions. 
 
----------------------------- 
Investigation and Prosecution 
----------------------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) TIP investigation and prosecution: 
 
¶A.  There are no laws that specifically outlaw TIP.  In 
January 2005, Minister of Human Rights as-Soswa and Minister 
of Labor and Social Affairs al-Arhabi jointly announced that 
they were working with the Ministry of Justice and the 
Ministry of Legal Affairs to criminalize child trafficking. 
 
There are laws that can be applied to trafficking in persons. 
 Article 248 of the Yemeni Penal Code stipulates a prison 
sentence of 10 years for "anyone who buys, sells, or gives as 
a present, or deals in human beings; and anyone who brings 
into the country or exports from it a human being with the 
intent of taking advantage of him."  Article 249 carries a 
penalty of seven years in prison for kidnapping and the death 
penalty in kidnapping cases that include sexual assault or 
murder.  Persons accused of trafficking, especially cases 
involving coerced labor or prostitution, would presumably be 
in violation of Article 47 of the Yemeni Constitution, which 
stipulates that "the State shall guarantee to its citizens 
their personal freedom, preserve their dignity and their 
security.8 
 
Articles 146, 147 and 161 of the Child,s Rights Law protect 
a child from sexual molestation, economic exploitation, 
prostitution and other illegal activities.  The Constitution 
prohibits forced or compulsory labor. 
 
While only Article 248 appears to explicitly punish 
trafficking, the other articles outlined above could 
presumably be used to prosecute traffickers as well. 
 
¶B.  The penalty for traffickers under Article 248 is up to 
ten years in prison.  If the offense prosecuted under Article 
248 is committed against a child, the prison term can be 
extended to 15 years. 
 
¶C.  The penalty for rape is up to seven years in prison. If 
two or more persons jointly commit the rape, the punishment 
is a maximum of ten years. If the victim of the rape is less 
than 14 years, the penalty carries a maximum of 15 years. 
 
¶D.  In 2004 the ROYG arrested 12 persons for attempting to 
smuggle an unknown number of children to Saudi Arabia for the 
purpose of begging.  The children were returned to their 
families, who had given their consent to the trafficking, and 
MOI officials held discussions with the families to explain 
that trafficking is against the law.  MOI also issued a 
circular to the governorates that border Saudi Arabia, 
instructing MOI offices to be alert to the problem of child 
trafficking and to arrest perpetrators. 
 
The Attorney General,s Office reported that it investigated 
12 trafficking in children cases and referred two for 
prosecution in 2004.  The AG,s office was unable to confirm 
the outcome of the cases.  MOI confirmed the arrest of two 
traffickers and the referral of their cases to the judicial 
authorities.  According to the MLSA, however, one of these 
child traffickers was successfully convicted and given a 
three-year prison sentence.  An MLSA official referred to 
this individual as the &prince8 of child smuggling.  There 
are sporadic reports of aborted child trafficking operations 
intercepted by the security forces.  In February 2005 UPI 
reported that Yemeni security forces stopped an attempt to 
smuggle seven children into Saudi Arabia.  In December 2004 
there was another report of an aborted attempt to smuggle 15 
children across the border.  MOI reports that they regularly 
halt efforts to smuggle children into Saudi Arabia. 
 
The inability of Yemeni authorities to provide detailed case 
information is not unusual.  The Yemeni judicial and law 
enforcement system is fragmented and disorganized, with court 
decisions still hand-written and court records decentralized. 
 
¶E.  Most child smugglers are free-lance operators who are 
often related to their child victims, or at a minimum known 
to their families.  Child smuggling to Saudi Arabia appears 
to be due to dire economic conditions and there are no 
indications of international organizations or large crime 
syndicates being involved. 
 
It is still unknown whether or not Yemen has a sex 
trafficking problem or who might be behind one, should it 
exist. 
 
¶F.  The ROYG has actively investigated instances of child 
smuggling under the laws against illegal migration.  The 
MOI's investigation and surveillance skills and capabilities 
remain limited and rudimentary.  MOI believes actual 
trafficking cases in 2004 were in the single digits in 
contrast to illegal migration cases. In January 2005 
authorities announced massive arrests to disrupt prostitution 
rings in Aden.  This effort, however, was not targeted at sex 
trafficking. 
 
¶G.   In February 2005, the MOI conducted a training course 
for security officers on child smuggling. In September 2004 
MOI provided training to 30 officers on children's issues in 
general, including a module on trafficking.  MOI has planned 
three additional courses for their security officers in the 
coming year.  MLSA now holds regular briefings for border 
control authorities on child smuggling.  MOI has also issued 
orders to border guards to be aware of the situation.  The 
ROYG has yet to identify ways to combat prostitution. 
 
¶H.  Saudi authorities routinely repatriate smuggled children 
to Yemen.  The ROYG has announced the establishment of a 
joint committee on child trafficking with Saudi Arabia.  At 
the time of writing, the new committee had not yet met. 
 
¶I.  The Yemen Constitution prohibits the extradition of its 
citizen to another country.  Post is unaware of any 
extradition of persons charged with trafficking. 
 
¶J.  Post cannot confirm any government involvement in, or 
tolerance of, trafficking.  However, should the prostitution 
problem be identified as sex trafficking, it is likely that 
low-level ROYG officials would be at minimum aware of the 
practice (see overview, section C). 
 
¶K.  The ROYG has not taken any action again officials for 
involvement in trafficking in persons. 
 
¶L. Although there are reports that some prostitutes are under 
the age of 18, Yemen is not identified as a child sex tourism 
destination.  There are no confirmed reports on the number of 
child prostitutes. 
 
¶M. Yemen ratified the Slavery Convention of 1926 in 1987.  In 
1989 the government ratified the Convention for the 
Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and Exploitation of the 
Prostitution of Others.  The Rights of the Child Convention 
was ratified by Yemen in 1991, along with the Optional 
Protocol on the Rights of the Child in Armed Conflict.  ILO 
Convention 182 Concerning Prohibition and Immediate Action 
for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labor was 
signed and ratified in 1999 
In July 2004 the ROYG ratified the Optional Protocol to the 
Convention on the Rights of the child on the Sale of Children. 
 
------------------------------------ 
Protection and Assistance to Victims 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Protection and Assistance to Victims: 
 
A-I.  Because TIP is a relatively new issue in Yemen, many 
questions in this section do not yet apply.  Children 
recovered from child trafficking are returned to their 
families.  The traditional nature of Yemeni society and 
sexual taboos make it difficult to assess sex trafficking or 
to investigate what aid, if any, may be given to potential 
victims.  If there is government or NGO assistance to victims 
of sex trafficking, it is likely limited and sporadic and 
closely guarded by the women and their families.  There are 
reports that a recent sweep of Aden resulted in the quiet 
repatriation of an unspecified number of prostitutes to their 
home countries.  The ROYG also faces severe funding, 
resources and capacity and skills limitations. 
 
For repatriated trafficked children, there is one fully 
operational reception center in the Harath region established 
in May 2004.  The ROYG and UNICEF run this center jointly. 
UNICEF, which currently staffs the center, reports that the 
ROYG must assume full responsibility for the center by June 
¶2005.  The MLSA reports that it runs four additional 
reception centers in the northern regions.  These centers are 
likely small operations operated on an ad hoc basis.  The MOI 
reports that it runs 10 specialized &rooms8 in northern 
areas to house repatriated children, who are moved quickly to 
locations for social services or returned immediately to 
their families.  Social services provided to repatriated 
children are sparse if not non-existent. 
 
The UNICEF study indicates that few repatriated children 
receive any kind of institutional help following their return 
to Yemen.  Of the 59 children surveyed, only 3 received any 
care.  Many are arrested and kept in poor, crowded conditions 
for up to a month before reunification with their families or 
relatives.  Some children report being beaten while in Yemeni 
custody. 
 
There is no evidence of government care for trafficked 
prostitutes. 
 
¶B.  The Government does not provide funding or support to 
NGOs to help victims of trafficking. 
 
¶C.  There are currently no organized ROYG TIP victims 
assistance programs that Post is aware of. 
 
¶D.  There are credible reports that several returned children 
were initially held in custody for up to a month before being 
returned to their families.  Post has unconfirmed reports 
that a massive sweep in Aden by Yemeni Security Forces 
resulted in the deportation of many third country national 
prostitutes, likely among them trafficked women from Iraq. 
Several other prostitutes were arrested and criminally 
charged for prostitution and loitering.  The results of the 
cases are unknown, although there are indications that all 
the women arrested were eventually released. 
 
¶E.  There are no systematic judicial programs to aid victims 
of trafficking to understand their rights or seek legal 
redress. 
 
¶F.  Yemen does not provide any significant assistance to 
victims of trafficking. 
 
¶G.  There are no reports of the ROYG cooperating with foreign 
countries or embassies to provide training on protection or 
urge those embassies to develop on-going relationships with 
NGOs that serve trafficked victims. 
 
¶H.  Post in not aware of any ROYG cooperation with other 
governments in the investigation or prosecution of 
trafficking cases. 
¶I.  UNICEF is the sole international NGO that focuses on 
trafficking in persons in Yemen.  The Arab Foundation for 
Supporting Women and Juveniles (AFSWJ) works with 
prostitutes, but does not focus specifically on sex 
trafficking.  AFSWJ provides legal and rehabilitative 
services to women.  They also plan to open the &Social Care 
House Project8 that will operate as a house for prostitutes; 
however, it will not specifically target trafficked women. 
There is also a newly formed network of women NGOs called 
Shema.  It is likely that in the future they will work with 
prostitutes.  The two NGOs might provide good partners for 
TIP assistance programs that focus on the protection of 
victims. 
 
--------------- 
Recommendations 
--------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) Senior ROYG officials in key line ministries are 
motivated to combat TIP in Yemen, particularly child 
smuggling cases.  Senior officials close to the TIP issue do 
not deny that trafficking exists in Yemen, but they must 
balance TIO with other pressing problems including poverty, 
illiteracy, and unemployment.  The ROYG should be afforded an 
opportunity to prove that it is willing to tackle trafficking 
as an issue. 
 
¶7. (SBU) The ROYG actively participated with UNICEF on the 
child trafficking report, and Post believes the ROYG would be 
an active partner with the USG should TIP assistance programs 
be offered.  The ROYG is likely more willing and more able at 
this time to take on child trafficking than the taboo subject 
of sex trafficking.  More work needs to be done to determine 
whether or not there is a sex trafficking problem. 
 
¶8. (SBU) The MOI, MHR, and MSLA are the institutions to step 
up ROYG efforts to combat TIP.  Assistance programs the USG 
might want to consider include: working with MSLA and MHR on 
public awareness TIP prevention efforts; partnering with MOI, 
MOJ, and the AG to provide TIP training to security forces 
and law enforcement, as well as legal training to promote 
prosecution of traffickers; Working with ASFWJ or other local 
women's NGOs to further investigate sex trafficking and 
explore ways to provide protection to victims; joining UNICEF 
and the ROYG in a follow-on effort to develop a plan of 
action based on the 2005 child trafficking report finding. 
Krajeski