VZCZCXRO8939
RR RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHJO RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHTO #0242/01 0581337
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 271337Z FEB 07
FM AMEMBASSY MAPUTO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6902
INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY
RUEHLMC/MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORP  0161

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MAPUTO 000242 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
AF/S FOR HTREGER 
AF/RSA FOR MHARPOLE 
USAID FOR AFR/SA 
G/TIP FOR RYOUSEY 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KCRM PHUM KWMN SMIG ELAB KFRD MZ
SUBJECT: MOZAMBIQUE: Update on Actions to Counter Trafficking in 
Persons 
 
 
MAPUTO 00000242  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. SUMMARY. The first few weeks of February were characterized by a 
flurry of government, NGO, and Embassy activity concerning 
trafficking in persons (TIP) in Mozambique. On February 6 the 
Norwegian Embassy hosted a TIP stakeholder forum for members of 
civil society, NGOs, media, donor representatives, and the 
diplomatic community. On February 7 poloff visited trafficking 
shelters in Malelane, South Africa and Moamba, Mozambique, as well 
as the Ressano Garcia border crossing to better understand the 
problem and help direct USG assistance. On February 8 the Mozambican 
government, in conjunction with local NGOs, hosted a public forum to 
present and debate a draft TIP law. The events of early February 
demonstrate a willingness by the government and civil society to 
move forward in the fight against trafficking in persons.  End 
Summary. 
 
------------------------------------ 
STAKEHOLDER FORUM TURNS ONE YEAR OLD 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶2. The TIP stakeholders forum began in March 2006 as a 
Post-organized effort to bring together principal players in 
Mozambique's anti-trafficking effort. After the initial meeting, the 
Norwegian Embassy has hosted several subsequent gatherings. While no 
members of the Mozambican government were present at the most recent 
meeting on February 6, the event was nevertheless well-attended by 
key NGOs and the diplomatic community. The main objective of the 
forum continues to be the sharing of ideas, initiatives, and 
concerns. 
 
-------------------- 
VISITING THE PLAYERS 
-------------------- 
 
¶3. On February 7 poloff and visiting G/TIP official Rachel Yousey 
called on several players in the fight against trafficking -- 
including people at two shelters, an NGO, and officials working on 
the Mozambican/South African border -- to obtain an overview of the 
current situation and ascertain areas where the USG may best provide 
assistance. The first visit was to Amazing Grace Children's Center 
for trafficking victims in Malelane, South Africa, near the border 
with Mozambique. Amazing Grace has been functioning in Malelane 
since the 1990s and is well-known and respected by police 
authorities, social workers, and the NGO community in the region, 
who regularly bring suspected trafficking victims to the center for 
care, training, and eventual reintegration. The center currently has 
40 children (all under age 18), of whom approximately half are 
Mozambican citizens. Despite the high percentage of Mozambicans, 
Amazing Grace representatives were unaware of the existence of the 
Moamba shelter, only 70 miles away in Mozambique. 
 
¶4. Poloff and G/TIP's Yousey next visited the border community of 
Ressano Garcia, on the Mozambican side of the South Africa border, 
to meet with senior immigration and border guard officers.  The 
officers lamented their lack of resources and training, but insisted 
they had good relations with their South African counterparts and 
had made several arrests of suspected traffickers in the previous 
year (Note: In the discussion it was apparent that there continues 
to be some official misunderstanding between trafficking and 
smuggling of persons.  End note.). Once again, neither of the two 
officials was aware that the Moamba shelter (approximately 30 miles 
from the border) had been functioning since June 2006. 
 
¶5. While at Ressano Garcia, a visit was also made to a group of 
Scalabrini nuns, who operate a welcome center for repatriated 
Mozambicans, as well as a school, orphanage, bakery, and skills 
center for hundreds of vulnerable children. The nuns have been 
working at the border for 12 years and are well known by the 
Mozambican border authorities in Ressano Garcia. The nuns work with 
vulnerable children. They have two activists on the border screening 
for trafficking victims and have, in the past, sent several 
trafficking victims to the Moamba shelter. While they have not had 
contact with the shelter in several months, they expressed a desire 
to renew their cooperation. Post will facilitate this renewed 
linkage. 
 
------------------ 
PROBLEMS AT MOAMBA 
------------------ 
 
¶6. The final visit was to the Moamba shelter, which is partially 
funded by the USG and the German NGO, Terre des Hommes. The shelter 
received small grants (a Democracy and Human Rights Fund grant and a 
Economic Support Fund grant) in 2005-06 for victims' assistance, 
psychological counseling, educational workshops, and reintegration. 
Operational since June 2006, the shelter has experienced significant 
growing pains. For example, while the shelter has space for up to 80 
 
MAPUTO 00000242  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
children, there are currently 15 children at the shelter, of whom 
only one could be identified as a victim of trafficking; the 
remainder are victims of abuse or are vulnerable orphans and 
runaways. 
 
¶7. Another challenge involves staffing issues. The shelter employs a 
project coordinator and psychologist (both of whom are based in 
Maputo, 30 miles distant), as well as a guard, a cook, and a social 
worker (all of whom work on the premises). The project coordinator 
resigned in November and has yet to be replaced. A psychologist 
based in Maputo visits the shelter only twice a month.  (Comment: 
Post and the Terre des Hommes representative agree that the shelter 
would be more functional if all staff lived on-site.  End Comment.) 
 
¶8. The Moamba shelter also suffers from a lack of resources and 
supplies. There is one completed building that houses a small 
office/kitchen and a large sleeping area. While there are plans to 
build a cafeteria, a second area for housing (to separate the 
children by gender), a bathroom, and a storage facility for food, 
the center has not been able to secure funding for this additional 
construction. Another crucial problem continues to be the lack of a 
reliable source of water. Currently water is brought in jugs from 
Ressano Garcia and Maputo, but this process is expensive and 
unreliable due to lack of transportation. An additional concern is 
the lack of activities for the children. The shelter sits on five 
hectares of land in an isolated setting. With few resources to 
purchase games, toys, books, and other educational materials, the 
children are often left with little to do. 
 
---------------------------- 
POSITIVE MOVEMENT ON TIP LAW 
---------------------------- 
 
¶9. There has been positive movement since November 2006, when the 
Charge and emboffs met with the Justice Minister to express concern 
regarding delays in the drafting of anti-TIP legislation. A third 
draft has been finished, consisting of 33 articles, which has been 
well-received by the NGO community. The process of becoming a law is 
potentially long and complicated, however - the draft must be 
presented to the Council of Ministers (scheduled for February 21), 
and upon approval will be submitted to the National Assembly for 
debate. 
 
¶10. In preparation for submission to the Council of Ministers, the 
NGO Rede Came has worked with the Justice Ministry to organize a 
series of public forums throughout the country to introduce the 
draft law to the public and solicit feedback. The first forum was 
held in Maputo on February 8. Despite limited publicity, 
approximately 100 people were in attendance, mostly from the NGO 
community and civil society. Aside from several mid-level officials 
from the Justice Ministry who presented the law, there were few 
government representatives and even fewer "common citizens." (Note: 
However, the forum took place on the same day as the highly 
publicized visit of Chinese Premier Hu Jintao.  End note). A debate 
followed the presentation of the law, but was limited to technical 
legal considerations more than a discussion of public perceptions of 
the law. Most daily newspapers and two television stations provided 
coverage of the forum and the importance of the law. Subsequent 
forums were held in the central province of Zambezia on February 12 
and the northern province of Nampula on February 14. 
 
------- 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶11. The visit by a US-based G/TIP officer not only provided a good 
opportunity to call on important government and civil society 
players involved in trafficking issues, but also to evaluate the 
difficult situation of the Moamba shelter. We will be meeting with 
the project implementer to encourage better communication between 
the shelter, Mozambican border authorities, and NGOs working on the 
border. The rather swift movement of the draft trafficking law in 
recent months is a positive development, but it is still a 
significant challenge to make the public aware of the trafficking 
issue. 
 
JOHNSON