VZCZCXRO3709
RR RUEHAST
DE RUEHTC #1448/01 1791841
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 281841Z JUN 06
FM AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6183
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEAHLC/HOMELAND SECURITY CENTER WASHINGTON DC
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHDC
RUEHAT/AMCONSUL AMSTERDAM 1042

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 THE HAGUE 001448 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR G/TIP, G, INL, DRL, PRM, IWI, EUR/PGI, EUR/UBI 
JUSTICE FOR CRD - T. MARCH BELL 
JUSTICE ALSO FOR OIA - JFREIDMAN 
DHS FOR OIA, 
DHS ALSO FOR ICE/OIA - NASHSCAVAZZON 
HHS FOR PEDRO MORENO 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM ELAB SMIG KCRM KWMN PREL NL
SUBJECT: DUTCH TIP POLICY OFFICIALS TO VISIT UNITED STATES, 
JULY 4-7, 2006 
 
THE HAGUE 00001448  001.3 OF 003 
 
 
¶1. Summary.  Eleven senior officials responsible for the 
development and enforcement of Dutch policy on combating 
trafficking in persons (TIP) will visit the United States 
July 4-7 to learn about U.S. approaches to TIP policy 
development, law enforcement, and victim assistance.  The 
visit advances the 2005 U.S.-Dutch "Next Steps" bilateral 
law enforcement dialogue agreement to exchange information 
on TIP law enforcement issues.  The delegation's primary 
objective is to learn more about TIP law enforcement 
coordination at the Federal and local levels and about 
investigative techniques used in the U.S. to identify and 
prosecute traffickers.  Post strongly supports this visit. 
End Summary. 
 
Background: TIP in the Netherlands 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶2. The Netherlands is a destination and transit country for 
the trafficking of women and girls for the purpose of sexual 
exploitation; some trafficking for labor exploitation also 
occurs.  The Dutch government has a comprehensive program to 
combat trafficking in persons; the National TIP Action Plan, 
adopted in 2004 and updated in 2006, includes components 
related to prevention, investigation and prosecution of 
traffickers, and assistance to TIP victims.  An autonomous 
National Rapporteur for Trafficking in Human Beings monitors 
government efforts against trafficking and makes policy 
recommendations.  The Government of the Netherlands was 
ranked on Tier One in the State Department's 2006 annual TIP 
report (www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/tiprpt/2006). 
 
¶3.  Prostitution for individuals 18 years of age and older 
is legal and regulated in the Netherlands; the Dutch 
maintain that legalization of prostitution helps them fight 
trafficking.  Specially trained police conduct regular 
inspections of licensed brothels to ensure compliance with 
license conditions; in particular, police check for the 
presence of TIP victims and minors, and check that all 
workers have valid residence and work permits.  According to 
NGOs, the police, and the National Rapporteur for 
Trafficking in Persons (NRM), nearly all trafficked women 
work in unregulated sectors of prostitution, such as escorts 
or streetwalkers. 
 
¶4. Dutch TIP law is in accordance with the Trafficking 
Protocol of the UN Convention Against Transnational 
Organized Crime and the EU Framework Decision on Trafficking 
in Persons.  Dutch TIP law covers both internal and external 
(transnational) forms of trafficking. Trafficking is 
punishable by up to 12 years imprisonment in case of serious 
physical injury and 15 years in case of death, and/or a fine 
of up to 45,000 euros.  These penalties are commensurate 
with penalties for other grave crimes.  There is a 
designated National TIP prosecutor; each of the 19 regional 
prosecutor's offices also has a specialized TIP prosecutor. 
The interagency National Police Expertise Center on Human 
Trafficking and Smuggling, established in mid-2005, uses a 
multidisciplinary approach to investigate and prosecute 
complex trafficking crimes, and serves as a resource center 
for regional TIP investigators and prosecutors.  253 
traffickers were prosecuted, and 136 convicted, in the 
Netherlands during 2004. 
 
¶5. The Dutch Foundation against Trafficking in Women (STV), 
the national center for registration of TIP victims, 
provides social support, legal advice, medical aid, safe 
shelters and counseling to TIP victims.  STV registered 424 
TIP victims in 2005; the top five countries of origin were 
the Netherlands, Bulgaria, Nigeria, Romania and Poland.  122 
TIP victims, including 15 male victims, have been registered 
by STV in the first four months of 2006.  The government 
provides a temporary residence mechanism (known as a B-9 
visa) to allow TIP victims who assist in the investigation 
and prosecution of traffickers to remain in the Netherlands 
legally until legal proceedings are completed.  TIP victims 
in B-9 status are permitted to work or attend training; they 
also receive legal, financial and psychological assistance, 
including safe shelter, medical check-ups and social 
security benefits. 
 
THE HAGUE 00001448  002.3 OF 003 
 
 
 
TIP Delegation Objectives 
------------------------- 
 
¶6. The delegation members sit on an interagency steering 
committee responsible for developing and implementing anti- 
TIP policy in the Netherlands.  The committee is currently 
developing a new pilot project to improve coordination 
between local and national police and prosecution efforts to 
combat TIP.  They would welcome candid discussion of the 
U.S. experience with inter-governmental policy coordination 
and implementation -- what works, and what doesn't -- to 
inform their own policy discussions.  They are also 
interested in case studies of investigative techniques used 
by U.S. law enforcement in human trafficking and smuggling 
cases. 
 
¶7. The delegation will meet with the Task Force on 
Trafficking in Persons and Immigration and Customs 
Enforcement (ICE) in Houston July 5; the State Department 
Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (G/TIP), 
the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, Criminal 
Section, ICE Office of International Affairs and the 
director of the NGO umbrella group Break the Chain Campaign 
in Washington July 6 and 7.  Delegation members have 
indicated specific interest in exchanging information on the 
following themes: 
 
a. Coordinating policy, investigations and prosecutions, 
especially between local, state and national agencies. 
 
b. U.S. analysis related to the identification of 
traffickers and trafficking organizations.  Are the 
traffickers primarily U.S.- or foreign-based?  Are organized 
crime groups involved in TIP generally specialized in human 
trafficking or poly-crime groups?  Have formal or informal 
links been identified between trafficking organizations in 
different regions? Is there a division of labor among 
traffickers (i.e., does one group recruit, another provide 
transportation across the border, etc.)? 
 
c. Effective investigative tools, especially experiences 
with financial investigations and undercover operations. 
 
d. Investigation and prosecution of forced labor and labor 
exploitation cases.  Dutch TIP law was expanded last year to 
include forced labor in the definition of trafficking; the 
Dutch are in the process of prosecuting their first forced 
labor cases. 
 
¶8. The delegation is comprised of senior officials from the 
Ministry of Justice and the quasi-independent Public 
Prosecution Service, as well as senior police officials 
responsible for TIP investigations: 
 
-- Procurador-General Herman Bolhaar.  The five-member 
Council of Procuradors-General is a supervisory body that 
sets policy and priorities for the Public Prosecution 
Service.  Bolhaar oversees policy implementation for TIP and 
human smuggling cases; 
-- National TIP Prosecutor Warner Ten Kate; 
-- Justice Ministry Director of Law Enforcement Arie 
   Ijzerman; 
-- Justice Ministry Senior Policy Advisor for Law 
   Enforcement Gert Bogers; 
-- Den Bosch Chief prosecutor Gerrit Van der Burg; 
-- National Rapporteur for Trafficking in Persons Anna 
   Korvinus; 
-- National Rapporteur Senior Staff Attorney Dagmar Koster; 
-- Ministry of Interior Director of Police & Public Safety 
   Policy Catharina Smithshuysen; 
-- Chief of Police Gerrit Veldhuis; 
-- Police Coordinator for TIP & TIP Expertise Center 
   Director Rene Nuijten; 
-- Chief Constable Ted Peer, coordinator for police 
 
 training on TIP. 
 
Richard Gerding, Justice Counselor at the Royal Netherlands 
 
THE HAGUE 00001448  003.3 OF 003 
 
 
Embassy will accompany the group. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶9. Post strongly supports this visit.  We anticipate it will 
advance both our bilateral dialogue on trafficking in 
persons and our extensive bilateral law enforcement 
cooperation agenda.  While they are sensitive to criticism 
on TIP based primarily on legalized prostitution, the Dutch 
are very interested in expanding cooperative exchanges with 
us on TIP prevention, law enforcement and victim assistance. 
The visit provides an opportunity to build on the positive 
discussions, focused on TIP victim assistance, between HHS 
A/S Wade Horn and Dutch government and NGO officials during 
Horn's recent visit to the Netherlands. End Comment. 
 
ARNALL