VZCZCXRO9917
RR RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHJO RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHAN #0161/01 0471000
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 161000Z FEB 07
FM AMEMBASSY ANTANANARIVO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4313
INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 0807
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 ANTANANARIVO 000161 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR G/TIP RYOUSEY 
DEPT FOR INL EFLOOD 
DEPT FOR AF/E MBEYZEROV 
DEPT FOR AF/RSA 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: PHUM KCRM SMIG ELAB MA
SUBJECT: TACKLING SEX TOURISM IN NOSY BE, ROUND TWO 
 
REFTEL:  ( A ) 06 ANTANANARIVO 091 
  ( B ) 06 ANTANANARIVO 088 
      ( C ) 05 ANTANANARIVO 680 
 
¶1. (U) SUMMARY:  Embassy staff traveled to Nosy Be, an island off 
Madagascar's northwest coast notorious for its growing sex tourism, 
and Diego Suarez, a nearby port on the mainland, to follow up on 
Embassy Antananarivo's 2005 report on the nature of sex tourism and 
trafficking in persons (TIP) along the northern coast of Madagascar 
(refs A and B).  This is the first of two cables that will report 
their findings.  This report provides a more in-depth look at the 
root of the problem in Nosy Be, as well as Post's recommendation for 
future TIP programs.  The second cable outlines Post's initial 
assessment of the same issues in Diego Suarez.  END SUMMARY. 
 
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NOT MUCH HAS CHANGED 
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¶2. (SBU) Little has changed in the overall landscape of sex tourism 
in Nosy Be over the course of a year.  While the average cruise boat 
tourist can take his pick of professional prostitutes complete with 
business cards and a clean bill of health, it is more common to see 
foreigners upwards of 50 years old openly fraternizing in the 
streets, beaches, and dance clubs of Nosy Be with girls as young as 
13 years old.  The euro is king, which places most pleasures Nosy Be 
has to offer, whether benign or illicit, easily within the grasp of 
European retirees and tourists.  Their options range from one-night 
trysts with minors picked up in nightclubs to having a live-in 
"concubine" during a several-month stay on the islands. 
Compensation ranges from jewelry and nice dinners to cash, all of 
which blurs the distinction between dating and prostitution.  In a 
place with few economic alternatives, almost every sector of society 
is involved with the tourism industry and touched by the sex tourism 
problem. 
 
¶3. (U) Some young girls travel to Nosy Be of their own volition from 
the neighboring region of Sophia after hearing their friends' 
stories of opportunities for a better life.  There is no known 
organized trafficking network to or in Nosy Be itself. Contacts 
categorically denied that anyone in Nosy Be, adult or child, is 
being physically forced to work or denied the liberty to leave their 
situation.  Most of those involved in prostitution do so -- 
independently -- for economic or status reasons.  However, it is not 
uncommon for parents, taxi drivers, tour guides, and hotel workers 
to act as third parties in linking prostitutes to their tourist 
clients.  And with a significant number of these workers being 
underage, they qualify as sex trafficking victims. 
 
¶4. (U) In a new development, Embassy representatives noticed a 
growing number of male victims of sex tourism.  Several contacts 
facetiously mentioned the phenomenon of "djombile" (Malagasy 
gigolos, both adults and minors) posing as the "chauffeurs" or 
"cooks" of expatriate women.  Interlocutors seemed more disturbed by 
the growing problem of adolescent Malagasy boys prostituting 
themselves to older male tourists.  Their case differs from that of 
girls in two main areas.  Whereas young girls usually start 
prostituting themselves as young as 10 years old, boys start around 
the age of 15.  Also, parents do not encourage this behavior in 
their sons due to societal discomfort with homosexuality -- "it's a 
family scandal."  Tour operators and taxi drivers occasionally link 
male prostitutes to their clients, but interlocutors believe the 
adolescent boys generally act on their own. 
 
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TESTING THE WATERS IN AMBATOLOAKA 
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¶5. (U) To better understand the problem, we visited nightclubs in 
the beach town of Ambatoloaka, known to be the epicenter of Nosy 
Be's sex tourism.  In the low season for tourists, bars boasted up 
to ten Malagasy girls for every foreigner.  In every nightclub 
visited, a few gray heads bobbed in a sea of young girls.  Scantily 
clad Malagasy as young as 14 years old competed on the dance floor 
for the attention of potential "boyfriends."  A number of 
15-year-olds clad in high heels and purses flitted between the dance 
floor and prospective male clients hovering at the bar.  Assuming 
Political Specialist was PolOff's mother, an elderly Italian tourist 
approached her to negotiate a price for her "daughter" for the 
night.  His blatant proposition was sad confirmation that 
negotiating publicly with parents for their children is not uncommon 
in this part of Nosy Be. 
 
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ANTANANARI 00000161  002 OF 004 
 
 
THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM 
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¶6. (U) Government officials, NGO representatives, and educators 
differed on the root of the problem, offering the following 
explanations: 
 
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KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES? 
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¶7. (U) In a society where snagging a foreign boyfriend or husband 
has become synonymous with "making it," many young girls seek out 
sexual relationships with foreigners to improve their social status. 
 They see the material goods their older peers have gained from 
dating and wedding foreigners and aspire for the same lifestyle. 
Noting that relaxed sexual mores are part of the general culture in 
Nosy Be, a local teacher pointed out that some women and girls 
relish the level of economic independence prostitution provides. 
 
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PARENTAL ENCOURAGEMENT? 
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¶8. (U) Almost every contact mentioned the role of parents in 
"encouraging" their children to seek out foreigners, whether for 
dating, marriage, or prostitution.  Interlocutors disagreed on the 
extent of parental pressure, ranging from passive involvement (not 
saying anything when their daughter comes home wearing expensive 
jewelry) to active involvement (entering a night club with their 
daughter to scope out potential "boyfriends").  Local church leaders 
related anecdotes of girls whose mothers threatened to kick them out 
of the house for wanting to marry a Malagasy and not a foreigner. 
In the bleakest cases, some of which made it to court, parents 
negotiated a price with foreigners to live with their daughters for 
up to several months.  Much of this pressure is thought to stem from 
the cultural belief that children must take care of their parents. 
The money a girl brings in helps ensure the family's financial 
security. 
 
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FOR LOVE OF "QUICK MONEY?" 
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¶9. (U) A number of interlocutors attributed the sex tourism problem 
to a cultural laziness and preference for "quick money."  Church 
leaders elaborated that the spirit of "donia" -- "I will do whatever 
I feel like doing" -- dictates life in Nosy Be to a great extent, 
especially among the poorly educated.  The mayor and French Consul 
pointed out this mentality is why people choose income-generating 
activities with a quick turn-around, such as selling embroidery on 
the street and prostitution, to jobs with a monthly salary.  With 
many schoolchildren lacking textbooks and electricity, and having to 
walk up to 13 kilometers to school, it is no wonder many opt out for 
an easier solution in the short term. 
 
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CORRUPTION? 
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- 
¶10. (U) Claiming that "money talks here," the mayor asserted that 
the sex tourism problem will be around as long as low-level 
corruption continues to plague local institutions, from the police 
and gendarmes up to the "chef de district" (the local representative 
of the president-appointed head of the region).  The French Consul 
explained how foreigners can easily pay the chef de district's 
office to arrange visas, the police to avoid being arrested, or 
magistrates to avoid going to court. 
 
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LACK OF ECONOMIC ALTERNATIVES 
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¶11. (U) Our conclusion is that Nosy Be suffers from a "hub and 
spokes" problem.  While every one of the aforementioned issues 
certainly plays a role in the rampant sex tourism problem, each 
originates in the fundamental poverty in Nosy Be.  With the closure 
of the SIRAMA sugar factory in 2006 and a slow-down in hiring by the 
one active fishing company, economic alternatives are scarce in what 
is one of the most expensive areas of Madagascar.  The French Consul 
affirmed that no companies want to invest in a place with poor road 
systems, inconsistent energy supplies and a poorly trained labor 
force.  Local authorities hope the government and international 
financial institutions will agree to fund large-scale development 
 
ANTANANARI 00000161  003 OF 004 
 
 
projects to attract investors, but they have seen little movement on 
their proposals over the last few years.  Options for post-secondary 
education are nonexistent, and though we met with a number of 
highschoolers dreaming of careers in medicine and biology, they 
quickly pointed out that their parents cannot afford to send them to 
university on the mainland.  Many cannot even afford the cost of 
schoolbooks and uniforms for primary education on the island. 
 
¶12. (U) In this context, it is no wonder that parents and their 
children latch on to the hope of finding a foreigner who can provide 
a more comfortable life.  Similarly, with the average civil 
servant's monthly salary of 60 USD per month consumed entirely by 
rent and the cost of rice, it is no wonder local officials show 
leniency to foreigners in order to pad their pockets.  The newly 
appointed Police Commissioner expressed to us that after trying to 
survive on his meager salary in Nosy Be for just a few months, he is 
starting to understand why civil servants must seek "activities on 
the side" just to get by. 
 
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ENFORCEMENT AND PROSECUTION EFFORTS 
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¶13. (U) Despite a law barring minors from night clubs, the owners of 
such establishments rarely turn away underage Malagasy for fear of 
losing their foreign clientele.  Short-staffed and under-funded, the 
police can only inspect nightclubs for minors once per month 
depending on the availability of the sole vehicle shared between 50 
officers.  Similarly, judges and police lack the funds and resources 
to inspect hotels for minors.  Night club inspections usually result 
in a warning to the owner, but police hesitate to close 
establishments for fear of the economic impact on the town. 
Regardless, people are finding ways around such enforcement efforts. 
 Children as young as 12 years old have been caught with false 
identity cards, and the closure of a local nightclub has instead 
seen the rise of a weekly beach party known as "Boom Beach" popular 
with underage Malagasy and foreigners alike. 
 
¶14. (SBU) A local judge explained the obstacles making it rare for 
even one or two cases of pedophilia by foreigners to make it to 
court every year.  Most parents -- some of whom negotiated the 
original contract with the foreigner for their child and only filed 
a complaint after being cut off financially -- prefer to settle 
cases of child prostitution and even rape privately for as little as 
USD 300.  Foreigners can often "arrange" with the police or 
magistrates to be released for a small fee.  The judge admitted 
these cases are especially delicate, as a five- year prison sentence 
in Madagascar's deplorable prison conditions could cause a death 
that would lead to a diplomatic incident.  The judge also recounted 
numerous cases where parents of minors challenged police and judges 
following the arrest of a foreign pedophile or the closure of a 
local nightclub, saying, "Now that you have taken away our source of 
income, it is your job to feed my children."  In the rare instances 
where mothers were arrested for pimping their daughters, they 
expressed confusion at being punished for taking care of their 
family.  The chronic lack of resources to take proactive prosecution 
measures against foreigners, such as pursuing those who take minors 
out on their boats, have rendered the authorities somewhat passive: 
"We have learned these complaints will arrive at our office."  He 
concluded, "Nosy Be is a desperate case." 
 
¶15. (U) Despite such obstacles, 2006 was an above average year in 
Nosy Be with the arrest of three European pedophiles.  Two French 
men were convicted and expelled from the country, while a Swiss man 
is currently serving a five-year prison sentence. 
 
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ADDRESSING THE PROBLEM 
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¶16. (U) There are a number of efforts in place to address different 
aspects of the sex trafficking problem in Nosy Be. UNICEF is 
conducting awareness-raising campaigns at schools through 2015.  A 
state-managed social services center conducts door-to-door and radio 
awareness-raising campaigns to convince parents and children of the 
importance of staying in school.  A private Italian citizen 
established 90 free educational establishments for children.  Police 
from the Minors Protection Brigade are posted around local schools 
at closing time to discourage taxi drivers from recruiting students 
for their clients.  The government's independent anti-corruption 
bureau (BIANCO) has established a confidential drop-box to register 
complaints of local corruption. 
 
¶17. (U) In an effort to coordinate such efforts, UNICEF convened a 
 
ANTANANARI 00000161  004 OF 004 
 
 
stakeholder meeting in early 2006 to bring together government 
officials, law enforcement authorities, local NGOs, the private 
sector, and parents to draft a Nosy Be Action Plan; however, 
participants have seen no money or implementation since.  A 
government official jokingly referred to Nosy Be as a "cemetery for 
projects -- we have lots of action plans but never any money to 
implement them."  Our group meeting with many of the same 
stakeholders confirmed there is no lack of passion about the need to 
address the situation, but there is a fundamental lack of capacity, 
communication and resources that frustrates even their smallest 
efforts to organize educational workshops for parents.  Participants 
also expressed the frustration that there is a tendency in Nosy Be 
to avoid taking responsibility for project implementation, so "at 
the end of the day, it's no one's fault" if something does not get 
done. 
 
- - - - 
COMMENT 
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¶18. (SBU) Given the complex nature of sex tourism in Nosy Be, 
assistance programs could choose to target any one of a number of 
"pressure points."  Embassy representatives noticed the tendency of 
government and international TIP programs to focus on 
awareness-raising initiatives.  While these have made incremental 
progress to date, Post believes they will not be effective in the 
medium-term without parallel efforts to address the root of Nosy 
Be's problem -- the lack of economic alternatives.  Local 
interlocutors, including senators, NGO leaders, and magistrates, 
argued, "Everyone has had awareness-raising.  Plenty of NGOs have 
been doing that.  At this point, we need economic alternatives even 
more."  Campaigns to raise awareness among parents and children, 
increased efforts to prosecute tourists, and even initiatives to 
root out corruption will go nowhere if the residents of Nosy Be 
continue to struggle to make ends meet every day. 
 
¶19. (SBU) COMMENT CONTINUED:  While the large-scale infrastructure 
development needed for private sector investment and job creation is 
admittedly the job of the government and international 
organizations, other initiatives to facilitate income-generation 
such as vocational training, the creation of hotel study institutes, 
and small business grants would also go a long way in generating 
employment and income alternatives.  In a place where educational 
options are few and costly, scholarships are also sorely needed to 
encourage children to continue their education.  As Madagascar 
continues to await TIP funding promised in 2005 (REF C), Post 
recommends future TIP projects consider the need for programs to 
provide economic and educational alternatives alongside traditional 
awareness-raising activities.  END COMMENT. 
 
SIBLEY