VZCZCXYZ0002
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHSG #0439/01 0612230
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 022230Z MAR 06
FM AMEMBASSY SANTIAGO
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8585

UNCLAS SANTIAGO 000439 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR G/TIP LBROWN, WHA/PPC MPUCCETTI, WHA/BSC ISHERIDAN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KCRM PHUM KWMN ELAB GTIP CI
SUBJECT: CHILE: SUBMISSION FOR SIXTH ANNUAL TIP REPORT 
(PART 2 OF 2) 
 
REF: A. STATE 3836 
     ¶B. 05 SANTIAG0 465 
     ¶C. 05 SANTIAGO 466 
 
(U) Following text continues Chile's Trafficking in Persons 
report submission for 2006. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) INVESTIGATION AND PROSECUTION OF TRAFFICKERS: 
Information provided below is keyed to questions from ref A 
paragraph 23. 
 
-- A. In Chile, trafficking is defined as a cross-border 
activity under Penal Code Law 19.927, Article 367.  Other 
provisions of the Penal Code target TIP-related crimes within 
Chile.  The laws currently in place that could be used to 
prosecute traffickers are those governing sexual crimes 
(rape, sexual abuse, and child pornography), criminal 
association and kidnapping.  There are legal protections for 
potential victims that are focused on children, regardless of 
national origin.  In addition, Chile joined international 
efforts to ban slavery when it ratified the International 
Convention on Civil and Political Rights in May 1972.  Chile 
has also signed the Organization of American States' San Jose 
Pact.  Article 6 of this agreement prohibits slavery and 
forced labor.  Chilean laws, taken together, are adequate to 
cover the full scope of trafficking in persons.  Chile 
ratified the Palermo Protocols in February 2005, and is 
drafting legislation which explicitly recognizes TIP as a 
crime. 
 
-- B. Persons suspected of trafficking for sexual 
exploitation would be tried under one of the sexual crimes 
laws noted above, or another law,  e.g., criminal 
association.  Penalties for sexual crimes range from 5 to 20 
years, as defined under Penal Code Law 19.927, Article 361. 
Under Chilean law, labor code violations are subject to civil 
penalties only.  However, if victims were held in bondage or 
slavery-like conditions, traffickers could be prosecuted 
criminally for kidnapping with penalties ranging from one to 
20 years as defined under Section Three of the Penal Code, or 
for 15 years to life if the crime included serious physical 
harm, sexual assault, or the death of the victim.  Violation 
of a person's constitutional rights, specifically including 
the right to personal liberty, can be punished by 15-20 years 
in prison.  Section Ten of the Criminal Code sets penalties 
for criminal association, which includes offenses defined in 
the Palermo Protocols, at five to 20 years imprisonment. 
 
-- C. The penalties for rape and forcible sexual assault are 
five to 20 years as defined under Penal Code Law 19.927, 
Article 361.  These penalties are comparable to those for sex 
trafficking. 
 
-- D. Prostitution is legal in Chile.  Prostitutes must be at 
least 18 years old, registered with the national health 
service, and undergo monthly medical examinations.  It is 
illegal to operate a brothel, to pander or procure.  Inducing 
a minor to have sex in exchange for money or other favors is 
illegal.  Punishment ranges from three to 20 years in prison 
and a USD 1,000 fine depending on the age of the minor. 
Procurement, pandering and operating brothels are prosecuted 
under the criminal association provisions of the Criminal 
Code, providing for penalties from five to 15 years.  While 
enforcement and prosecution of CSEM is generally vigorous, 
Post has not been able to obtain information on prosecutions 
in adult prostitution cases. 
 
-- E. Chile actively investigates cases of trafficking (see 
paragraph 3 subsection A above).  Consolidated statistics on 
trafficking investigations, prosecutions, convictions and 
sentences are not available because neither the GOC nor the 
MP has identified TIP as a separate category of crime and 
systematically gathered information on it.  This should not 
be taken as an indication the GOC does not effectively 
investigate, prosecute, and sanction trafficking cases.  As 
noted above, Chilean authorities are aggressively pursuing a 
number of cross-border trafficking and child sexual 
exploitation cases.  The National Prosecutor's Office (MP, 
Ministerio Publico) is attempting to compile interim 
statistics for release to Post, but this may take some time. 
 
-- F. According to law enforcement officials, those involved 
in TIP in Chile are mostly individuals, and are not 
affiliated with organized criminal groups (child pornography 
rings) or members of local or international criminal 
organizations.  Most of the known cases of commercial sexual 
exploitation of minors have involved small local groups or 
individuals acting alone.  There have been isolated cases of 
illicit groups posing as employment brokers, but these also 
appear to be small operations.  However, GOC officials are 
 
concerned about the potential for organized criminal 
involvement in trafficking and are actively looking for those 
links in their investigations.  There are no reports that 
profits from human trafficking in Chile are being funneled to 
terrorist organizations or other armed groups. 
 
-- G. Chile actively investigates cases of trafficking (see 
paragraph 3 subsection A and paragraph 5 subsection E above). 
 Under current law, the police may use electronic 
surveillance and undercover operations in investigations with 
permission from a judge.  Mitigated punishment and immunity 
for cooperating suspects is available under the new judicial 
system implemented throughout Chile as of June 2005. 
 
Recently enacted judicial reforms were partially designed to 
assist Chilean authorities in the prosecution of sexual 
offenders or traffickers.  Previously, reports of abuse were 
handled by SENAME, which did not have the expertise or 
manpower to conduct efficient and professional 
investigations.  The new reforms require regional and 
national prosecutors to investigate these cases and conduct 
criminal prosecutions. 
 
In May 2005, the GOC sealed an accord with Save the Children 
to develop a missing persons database, which will interface 
with 21 other countries in the region.  The database will 
track missing persons of all ages, and be useful for tracking 
reports of trafficking and child prostitution.  The Interior 
Ministry, MP, SENAME, Carabineros (Chilean national police), 
and PICH are cooperating in this effort. 
 
-- H. In response to heightened awareness of pedophilia 
cases, the GOC reorganized the Cybercrime and Sex Crimes 
Units within the PICH in 2003 and placed more officers in 
these units.  They receive specialized training in 
investigating trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation 
cases.  The National Police Academy plans to integrate TIP 
training in its curricula for all recruit classes from 2006 
onward. 
 
The MP has an International Cooperation Unit and a Sexual 
Crimes Unit, both focusing on TIP as well as other crimes. 
The MP sponsored an international seminar on "Fighting Child 
Pornography and the Trafficking of Persons for the Sex Trade" 
in May 2005, which was the basis for the anti-TIP module to 
be taught at the National Police Academy.  The MP has 
expressed interest in specific training for prosecutors to 
handle trafficking cases.  To this end, the MP sent 20 
regional prosecutors to a Post-sponsored seminar on TIP in 
¶2004. 
 
Directorate of Labor inspectors do not receive any training 
in detecting trafficking cases. 
 
-- I.  The 2005 arrest of two women involved in the "La 
Preferida" employment agency trafficking scheme was the 
result of a joint investigation by Peruvian and Chilean 
authorities.  The GOC has worked with the Government of Japan 
to facilitate the return of Chilean women who had been 
trafficked there to work as prostitutes.  The GOC also worked 
with the Government of Bolivia in 2005 to return four 
Bolivian minors brought to Chile to work as domestic 
servants. 
 
-- J. Chile has bilateral extradition treaties with many 
countries, and does extradite individuals for criminal 
offenses on a case-by-case basis.  The U.S.-Chilean 
extradition law is over 100 years old and extremely limited. 
Since 2001, several U.S. citizens wanted in the U.S. on 
pedophilia charges have been discovered in Chile.  The lack 
of a functional extradition treaty had made returning them to 
the U.S. difficult.  However, improved law enforcement agency 
cooperation and GOC flexibility in 2005 led to the 
extradition or expulsion from Chile to the U.S. of three 
individuals wanted by U.S. law enforcement on commercial 
sexual exploitation of minors (CSEM) charges.  The U.S. and 
Chile are discussing the drafting of a new extradition treaty 
to facilitate law-enforcement cooperation and extraditions. 
 
Post is not aware of any cases in which third countries have 
requested the extradition of individuals, whether Chilean or 
other, for trafficking offenses. 
 
Chilean laws on CSEM apply extraterritorially -- Chilean 
nationals engaging in CSEM abroad can face criminal in Chile. 
 
-- K. There is no evidence that the GOC tolerates 
trafficking.  The GOC is increasingly focusing on TIP as a 
domestic problem and is active in regional anti-TIP efforts. 
 
-- L. There are no GOC officials known to be involved in 
trafficking. 
 
-- M. Chile does not have an identified child sex tourism 
problem.  The GOC has prosecuted both domestic and foreign 
pedophiles in the past.  Enhanced sanctions for pedophilia, 
child prostitution and solicitation, and pornography should 
make Chile a less attractive destination for these activities. 
 
-- N. The GOC has ratified all relevant international 
instruments referring to trafficking in persons. 
 
-- Chile signed and ratified ILO Convention 182 on July 17, 
¶2000. 
 
-- Chile signed and ratified ILO Conventions 29 and 105 on 
Forced or Compulsory Labor on May 31, 1993 and February 1, 
1999, respectively. 
 
-- Chile signed the Optional Protocol to the Convention on 
the Rights of the Child on June 28, 2000 and ratified it on 
November 6, 2002. 
 
-- Chile signed the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish 
Trafficking in Persons on August 8, 2002 and ratified it on 
February 16, 2005. 
 
According to officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 
the GOC is reviewing Chile's legal framework to ensure that 
it is consistent with Chile's international commitments. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) PROTECTION AND ASSISTANCE TO VICTIMS: Information 
provided below is keyed to questions from ref A, paragraph 24. 
 
-- A. The GOC provides assistance to trafficking victims and 
other victims of violent crime.  The MP provides 
psychological and medical assistance to trafficking victims 
through SERNAM and its own staff, and through hospitals. 
Post does not have information on the number of victims 
currently being assisted. 
 
The GOC provides relief from deportation to victims during 
legal proceedings against their traffickers.  However, once a 
case is concluded, the victim must apply for legal migratory 
status (residency) and could face deportation or expulsion to 
their country of origin. 
 
-- B.  The GOC provides funding to NGOs for victim assistance 
programs.  For example, nearly 80 percent of SENAME's budget 
goes to NGOs that operate shelters or other programs for 
at-risk children. 
 
-- C.  In the case of adult victims, the MP's victim 
assistance program manages the care of trafficking victims. 
This program employs professional psychologists and medical 
personnel to ensure victims receive appropriate support. 
Juvenile victims are assisted by SENAME and often referred to 
NGO programs that provide rehabilitation and other services. 
Juvenile courts can also direct the placement of a victim in 
a particular program. 
 
-- D. Trafficking victims are generally not treated as 
criminals or prosecuted for crimes they committed as part of 
their trafficked condition (i.e. prostitution or 
immigration/work permit violations).  Victims' names are 
generally not released, although they are recorded in public 
records.  Victims, particularly juveniles, can be placed in 
protective custody.  Adult victims are generally referred to 
a regional MP victim assistance program and provided shelter, 
food, and other services. 
 
-- E. The MP encourages victims to assist in the 
investigation and prosecution of their traffickers.  Many 
assistance programs for juvenile victims attempt to elicit 
information from victims for use in prosecutions.  Under 
judicial reforms instituted in 2005, victims may file civil 
suits against traffickers for damages, and are not impeded 
from doing so.  Cross-border trafficking victims are not 
allowed to work while the investigation and prosecution of 
their trafficker(s) is underway.  Trafficking victims may be 
allowed to leave the country if not facing other charges. 
 
-- F. The GOC has mechanisms to assist victims of trafficking 
and sexual exploitation.  In recent cases of child 
prostitution and pedophilia, the victims were placed in 
protective custody with SENAME and given counseling.  Where 
possible without placing the child at risk, SENAME tries to 
place juvenile victims in rehabilitation with family or in 
foster care.  Juvenile victims are kept segregated from 
juvenile criminal offenders.  The Centro de Transito y 
 
Diagnostico (CTD -- Diagnostic and Transit Center) is a 
halfway house for minors with substance abuse problems and 
for those living on the streets.  The minors are evaluated 
and then transferred to appropriate programs.  SENAME 
supports 16 centers for physically and sexually abused 
children. 
 
The MP has referred victims in its recent trafficking cases 
to its regional victim assistance units, where trained 
attorneys and psychologists work with victims.  Independent 
lawyers (generally working in practices specializing in human 
rights or women's cases) are also assigned to protect the 
victim's interests.  In the ongoing case of the Chinese 
victims, the MP also provided neutral interpreters to assist 
assigned attorneys.  The PICH has a Centro de Atencion a 
Victimas de Atentados Sexuales (CAVAS; Center for Attention 
to the Victims of Sexual Abuse), which, along with 17 other 
government centers, provides counseling and psychological 
assistance. 
 
-- G.  See paragraph 5 subsection H above.  SENAME and SERNAM 
have permanent staff for assisting victims of sexual abuse 
and trafficking.  In January 2006, nearly 100 local 
government officials in northern Chile attended G/TIP-funded 
seminars on recognizing TIP, prosecuting it using existing 
laws, and protecting victims.  The MP sponsored a May 2005 
"Fighting Child Pornography and the Trafficking of Persons 
for the Sex Trade" seminar and 20 regional prosecutors took 
part in an Embassy-sponsored program in 2004. 
 
The members of the Victims Assistance unit in the Ministerio 
Publico (which has offices in all 12 of Chile's regions and 
the Santiago metropolitan area) are trained to work with 
victims of crime, as are officers within the PICH and 
Interpol who work with victims of sexual crime.  Juvenile 
victims are referred to SENAME for psychological evaluation 
and assistance.  JUNJI (the National Board of Child Care 
Centers) published a manual for all child care centers on how 
to recognize victims of sexual abuse.  SERNAM provides 
training to law enforcement, health care and social service 
personnel on dealing with victims of domestic violence. 
 
-- H. There is no information available about whether any 
government assistance was requested by, or provided to, 
repatriated Chilean trafficking victims. 
 
-- I. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) 
started a project in 2004 for victims of juvenile commercial 
sexual exploitation in the port city of San Antonio, funded 
by a State Department PRM grant.  The project provides 
counseling and rehabilitation to victims and at-risk youth. 
That project is currently being funded and operated through 
SENAME.  IOM's office in Chile has also been working with the 
GOC on a review of Chile's legal framework and trafficking 
laws, and has proposed a baseline study of trafficking in 
Chile.  ILO has a program in Chile to combat the worst forms 
of child labor.  The following local NGOs work on women's 
issues, if not specifically on trafficking: 
 
--(1) Raices (Roots - the premiere NGO working in trafficking 
issues - works with the GOC, UNICEF and UNESCO). 
--(2) Solidaridad y Organizacion Social (Solidarity and 
Social Organization). 
--(3) Servicio de Paz y Justicia (Service for Peace and 
Justice). 
--(4) Red de Salud de las Mujeres Latinoamericanas y del 
Caribe (Latin American and Caribbean Women's Health Network). 
--(5) Red Chilena Contra la Violencia Domestica y Sexual 
(Chilean Network against Domestic and Sexual Violence). 
--(6) Movimiento Pro Emancipacion de la Mujer Chilena 
(Chilean Women's Pro-Emancipation Movement). 
--(7) ISIS Internacional. 
--(8) Instituto Chileno para Medicina Reproductiva (Chilean 
Institute for Reproductive Medicine). 
--(9) Grupo Iniciativa Mujeres (Women's Intiative Group). 
--(10) Foro Abierto de Salud y Derechos Sexuales y 
Reproductivos (Open Forum on Health, Reproductive and Sexual 
Rights). 
--(11) Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencas Sociales (Latin 
American Faculty of Social Sciences). 
--(12) Educacion Popular en Salud (Popular Health Education). 
--(13) Corporacion de la Salud y Politicas Sociales (Social 
Politics and Health Corporation). 
--(14) Comite Latinoamericano y del Caribe para la Defensa de 
los Derechos de la Mujer (Latin American and Caribbean 
Committee for the Defense of Women's Rights). 
--(15) Centro por la Justicia y el Derecho Internacional 
(Center for Justice and International Rights). 
--(16) Centro de Salud Mental y Derechos Humanos (Center for 
Mental Health and Human Rights). 
 
--(17) Centro de Estudios para el Desarrollo de la Mujer 
(Center for Women's Development Studies). 
--(18) Centro de Accion y Estudios de Genero (Center for 
Action and Gender Studies). 
--(19) Casa de la Mujer de Valparaiso (Valparaiso Women's 
Shelter). 
--(20) Asociacion Nacional de Mujeres Rurales e Indigenas 
(National Association of Rural and Indigenous Women). 
--(21) Asociacion de Proteccion de la Familia (Family 
Protection Association). 
--(22) Asociacion Cristiana Femenina de Chile (Christian 
Women's Association of Chile). 
--(23) Asociacion de Abogadas Matilde Troup (Matilde Troup 
Lawyers' Association). 
--(24) Asociacion Nacional de Centros Femeninos (National 
Association of Women's Centers). 
--(25) Casa de la Mujer Mapuche (Mapuche Women's Shelter). 
--(26) Centro de Estudios, Asesoria y Capacitacion, Mujer y 
Trabajo (Center for Studies, Consulting and Training, Women 
and Work). 
--(27) Colectivo Conspirando (Conspiracy Collective). 
--(28) Federacion Mujeres de Negocios y Profesionales de 
Chile (Chilean Women's Professional and Business Federation). 
--(29) B.P.W. International. 
--(30) Asociacion Chilena para Naciones Unidas (Chilena 
United Nations Association). 
--(31) Fundacion Margen (Margin Foundation) 
--(32) Instituto Interamericano del Nino (Interamerican 
Institute of the Child). 
--(33) Casa Alianza (Costa Rican-based NGO that works with 
ACHNU). 
--(34) La Liga Chilena contra la Pedofilia (Chilean League 
against Pedophilia). 
--(35) Fundacion Chile 21 (Chile Foundation 21). 
 
 
KELLY