VZCZCXRO3975
PP RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHCO #1212/01 3471209
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 131209Z DEC 06
FM AMEMBASSY COTONOU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9089
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHLMC/MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORP
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 1020

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 COTONOU 001212 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/W:DBANKS, G/TIP:VZEITLIN AND ALEMAR-MEREDITH, 
AF/RSA:MHARPOLE, AND INL/HSTC 
DEPT PASS TO USAID:CGARRETT 
PARIS FOR D'ELIA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL KCRM SMIG KWMN BN
SUBJECT: BENIN: GOB DIP NOTE ON GOB EFFORTS TO COMBAT CHILD 
TRAFFICKING 
 
COTONOU 00001212  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
¶1. On October 5 the Embassy received a diplomatic note from the 
Government of Benin, which presented the government's comments on 
the June, 2006 Trafficking in Persons Report.  Post views this note 
as a positive development, because it demonstrates that the GoB 
remains attentive to the issue, and is keenly aware of USG interest 
in it.  While in certain aspects (see para 4) the GoB's report puts 
a positive spin on the situation, it also provides a useful update 
on Benin's continuing efforts to address trafficking issues. 
 
¶2. Begin unofficial translation of diplomatic note. 
 
Diplomatic Note N:0651 
 
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Benin presents its compliments to 
the Embassy of the United States of America in Cotonou and, 
referring to its diplomatic note N:103 dated June 14, 2006, has the 
honor of bringing to its attention the following: 
 
Beninese authorities reviewed with great interest the sixth annual 
report on trafficking in persons made public by the Secretary of 
State of the United States of America on June 5, 2006. In the report 
Benin was ranked in tier (II) Category (2), whereas it was on the 
watch list last year. This progress may be attributed both to 
suppression efforts made by Benin to combat TIP and the passage of a 
bill outlawing child trafficking. Though U.S. authorities have 
recognized the continued efforts of Beninese authorities to curb 
this scourge, they have declared that Benin has not yet fully 
complied with the required minimum standards to stop the scourge. 
 
In response to various concerns expressed in the report by U.S. 
authorities, the Ministry would like to provide some elements of 
clarification in the attached document, which details actions 
implemented within the framework of fight against TIP. 
 
Therefore, the Ministry would like to request that the Embassy pass 
the comments and observations in the attached documents to the U.S. 
authorities so that they may be taken into account during work on 
the next annual report. 
 
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Benin thanks the U.S. Embassy in 
Cotonou for its kind cooperation and avails itself of this 
opportunity to renew the assurances of its highest consideration 
 
End unofficial translation of diplomatic note. 
 
¶3. Begin unofficial translation of diplomatic note attachment. 
 
Comments and remarks of Beninese officials on the 6th annual TIP 
report on Benin 
 
The comments and remarks made by the concerned GOB officials on the 
sixth TIP report aim to provide their American counterparts with 
information related to the current efforts of the GOB to combat 
Trafficking in Persons and those to be made in the near future. 
 
¶I.  Comments and remarks on the Report 
 
a.  The issue raised in the report about the promulgation of the 
anti-child trafficking legislation is incorrect since on April 5, 
long before the report was issued, the GOB promulgated Act No 
2006-04 relating to the transportation of minors and the suppression 
of child trafficking in the Republic of Benin following ruling 
DCC-06-040 of April 4, 2006 by the Constitutional Court that the new 
legislation was consistent with the constitution. 
 
b. With support from UNICEF, the Government of Benin provided 
training for law enforcement agents working in all the departments 
of Benin. It also provided training for local authorities. On the 
whole, 438 district chiefs ["Chefs d'Arrondissement] were trained 
and were given free copies of legislation related to the rights of 
children and child trafficking. 
 
In addition, with the support of UNICEF and through the Minors' 
Protection Brigade and the National Police Academy, the Government 
organized a training session for future Police Commissioners in the 
third class of the National Police Academy on the rights of the 
child, in general, and on the struggle against child trafficking, in 
particular. During the course of the same year, the Minors' 
Protection Brigade and the National Police Academy provided the same 
training for law enforcement officers in the departments of 
Atacora-Donga and Borgou-Alibori. 
 
So the assertion that "the government has not initiated trafficking 
training for law enforcement" is not accurate. 
 
 
COTONOU 00001212  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
c. The report states "a shelter built in Benin by a foreign donor 
over a year ago with the capacity to hold 160 victims remains 
unused." The Government is not aware of the existence of this 
center, unless this statement refers to the Minors' Protection 
Brigade shelter that the Government of Benin built through the 
Priority Investment Program without foreign donor support. This 
shelter will be operational soon. 
 
d. The report underlined that "victims... are interviewed... by law 
enforcement officials without the involvement of skilled 
counselors." In response to this assertion it is worth mentioning 
that the Minors' Protection Brigade is specialized in procedures for 
minors, especially their interviewing. They know the characteristics 
of this type of hearing and cooperate with social workers and 
experts in each field. 
 
 
II. Concerns raised in the report regarding how Benin can move into 
Tier I 
 
The U.S. Authorities have urged Benin to improve further its 
performance in the fields of protection, prevention and suppression, 
if Benin wants to reach Tier I next year and avoid a possible 
downgrade to the watch list (Tier III) [sic]. For this purpose, the 
following actions are required: 
 
1) Confirmation of the promulgation of the new law on child 
trafficking and its implementation; 
 
2) Updating the statistics on continued efforts to combat child 
trafficking (arrests, prosecution and imprisonment of traffickers); 
 
3) Elaboration and implementation of a new national child protection 
strategy. 
 
 
The following clarifications should be made. 
 
-- Law on child trafficking 
 
The National Assembly of the Republic of Benin passed the law on the 
transportation of minors and the suppression of child trafficking in 
the Republic of Benin. The Head of State promulgated the law on 
April 5, 2006. Its provisions may be used to curb the child 
trafficking phenomenon. 
 
In addition, the Ministry of Family, Woman and Child has established 
and presides over a technical committee to elaborate drafts of the 
implementation decrees of the above-mentioned law. These draft 
decrees will be sent to the Government's National Codification 
Commission as the next step in the process leading to their 
adoption. 
 
 
-- Updated statistics indicating continued efforts in combating 
child trafficking (arrests, prosecution and imprisonment of 
traffickers) 
 
To facilitate the assessment of actions taken to protect children 
vis-`-vis the judicial system, an office for judicial statistics has 
been created at the Ministry of Justice, Relations with 
Institutions, and Public Affairs. This office works closely with the 
department of programming and planning to train specialized agents 
throughout the judicial system (technical services, court officials, 
etc.) in data collection, including data related to combating child 
trafficking. 
 
Moreover, National Police agents intercepted 140 victims and 
repatriated 15 children to Togo and Nigeria. Based on information 
gathered and a number of trips to rural areas, the Minors' 
Protection Brigade was able to recover 198 trafficking victims, of 
which: 
 
- 82 were en route to Nigeria, of which 14 were Togolese and 68 
Beninese; 
- 29 to Cote d'Ivoire; 
- 16 to Niger; 
- 8 to Togo; 
- 4 to Nigeria; 
- 1 Nigerian on the way to Burkina Faso (transferred along with the 
trafficker to NAPTIP in compliance with the Cooperation Agreement 
between Nigeria and Benin on the Prevention and Suppression of 
Trafficking in Persons, and Women and Children in particular, signed 
on June 9, 2005); 
- 22 repatriated from Gabon; 
 
COTONOU 00001212  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
- 32 repatriated from Nigeria; 
- 3 repatriated from Ghana; 
- 1 repatriated from Cote d'Ivoire. 
 
These statistics do not take into consideration those of gendarme 
brigades and other police stations in some rural areas of the 
country. 
 
-- Development and implementation of the new national child 
protection strategy 
 
With the financial support of UNICEF, the appropriate Beninese 
authorities have drafted a children's code, which may further 
contribute to child protection. The principal stakeholders on 
children's protection issues have reviewed this document. 
 
At the same time a consultant has been hired, also with UNICEF 
support, to develop a policy strategy document concerning child 
protection. The elaboration of this document will commence in 
November 2006. 
 
Aside from that, with ILO support an action plan to curb child labor 
is being developed. 
 
Finally, to assure improved coordination between the various actors 
in the field of child protection, in a directive dated March 15, 
2006 (Order N:503/MFPSS/SGM/SPEA/SA) the Ministry of Family, Woman 
and Child put in place a National Monitoring and Child Protection 
Coordination Unit.  This unit, which is made up of representatives 
from government offices, national and international NGOs, and 
development partners is tasked with centralizing all information 
related to child protection activities, assuring the coordination 
and monitoring of activities of various actors, and proposing 
solutions to the problems these actors face. 
 
Since this unit was put in place, it has already organized two 
ordinary sessions and two extraordinary sessions.  Members debated a 
number of issues pertaining to the installation of technical 
committees.  As a result, three technical committees have been set 
up to study specific issues regarding child protection. These are 
"Child trafficking and protection", "Juvenile justice", and 
"Violence and harmful practices affecting children." Members of 
these committees meet on monthly basis to discuss specific issues 
pertaining to their areas of concern after elaborating the terms of 
reference and annual work plans of their activities. 
 
End unofficial translation of diplomatic note attachment. 
 
¶4. COMMENT: Concerning point I.a. above, the embassy was unable to 
confirm promulgation of the anti-child trafficking law until after 
the release of the 2006 TIP report. Obtaining precise and accurate 
information from officials responsible for TIP at various ministries 
(Justice, Family, and Interior) is difficult and time-consuming. 
Concerning point I.c. above, the embassy has confirmed that the GOB 
used its own resources (via the Priority Investment Program) to 
finance the construction of the shelter, however, the European 
Commission and UNICEF provided funds to build a parking lot, 
auxiliary structures, and properly furnish the shelter (including 
providing computer equipment). To date, the shelter is still vacant 
and will remain so until the Minister of Labor and Public Function 
authorizes the creation of new positions at the Ministry of 
Interior's Children's Protection Brigade to staff and operate the 
shelter. End comment. 
 
HOLTZAPPLE