VZCZCXRO2482
PP RUEHGR
DE RUEHWN #0262/01 0602239
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 012239Z MAR 07
FM AMEMBASSY BRIDGETOWN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4285
INFO RUCNCOM/EC CARICOM COLLECTIVE
RUEAHLC/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON DC
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 BRIDGETOWN 000262 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR G/TIP, G, INL, DRL, PRM, AND WHA/CAR 
STATE PASS TO USAID/LAC/CAR-RILEY 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KCRM PHUM KWMN ELAB SMIG ASEC KFRD PREF DO XL
SUBJECT: TIP SUBMISSION - DOMINICA 
 
REF: 06 STATE 202745 
 
¶1.  (U) As requested in reftel, below are Post's responses to 
questions regarding Dominica for the annual Trafficking in 
Persons Report. 
 
------------------ 
Para 27 - Overview 
------------------ 
 
¶2. (SBU) 
 
¶A.  Is the country a country of origin, transit, or 
destination for internationally trafficked men, women, or 
children? 
 
There have been no reports that Dominica is a country of 
origin, transit, or destination for trafficked men, women, or 
children.  However, no investigations, studies, or surveys 
have been done.  There is limited anecdotal evidence that 
trafficking may exist.  This evidence suggests that Dominica 
may be a country of transit and destination, primarily for 
nationals from Haiti and the Dominican Republic. 
 
¶B.  Please provide a general overview of the trafficking 
situation in the country and any changes since the last TIP 
Report (e.g., changes in direction). 
 
There were no reports of trafficking in persons in Dominica, 
and both government agencies and nongovernmental 
organizations generally do not believe it is a problem. 
There were reports of women from the Dominican Republic 
working as prostitutes and nationals from Haiti working on 
farms or in factories.  The government has documented a 
number of cases of Haitians entering Dominica legally and 
departing illegally for the French territories of Martinique 
and Guadeloupe.  There is little evidence that any of these 
people are trafficking victims.  There are no major changes 
in the situation since last year's report. 
 
¶C.  What are limitations on the government's ability to 
address this problem in practice? 
 
The government has limited resources to effectively monitor 
migration and enforce labor or prostitution laws.  Social 
services are also understaffed and under-funded.  There is 
also limited political will to counter trafficking as 
officials generally believe it does not exist in Dominica. 
 
¶D.  To what extent does the government monitor its 
anti-trafficking efforts? 
 
The government has no anti-trafficking efforts. 
 
-------------------- 
Para 28 - Prevention 
-------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) 
 
¶A.  Does the government acknowledge that trafficking is a 
problem in the country? 
 
No. 
 
¶B.  Which government agencies are involved in 
anti-trafficking efforts and which agency, if any, has the 
lead? 
 
Various agencies handle issues related to trafficking:  The 
Women's Bureau of the Ministry of Information, Community 
Development, Culture, and Gender Affairs assists victims of 
gender-based crimes; the Labour Division of the Ministry of 
Foreign Affairs, Trade, Labour, and the Public Service 
investigates cases involving labor violations; and the 
Immigration Department of the police force handles 
immigration violations.  However, no agency is specifically 
focused on trafficking in persons. 
 
¶C.  Are there, or have there been government-run 
anti-trafficking information or education campaigns? 
 
No. 
 
¶D.  Does the government support other programs to prevent 
 
BRIDGETOWN 00000262  002 OF 005 
 
 
trafficking? 
 
Through the Women's Bureau, the government has sponsored 
various outreach efforts and training sessions on educating 
and empowering women. 
 
¶E.  What is the relationship between government officials, 
NGOs, other relevant organizations and other elements of 
civil society on the trafficking issue? 
 
This is no relationship between government officials and NGOs 
as trafficking is not perceived as a problem. 
 
¶F.  Does the government monitor immigration and emigration 
patterns for evidence of trafficking?  Do law enforcement 
agencies screen for potential trafficking victims along 
borders? 
 
No. 
 
¶G.  Is there a mechanism for coordination and communication 
between various agencies, internal, international, and 
multilateral on trafficking-related matters, such as a 
multi-agency working group or a task force?  Does the 
government have a trafficking in persons working group or a 
single point of contact?  Does the government have a public 
corruption task force? 
 
No. 
 
¶H.  Does the government have a national plan of action to 
address trafficking in persons?  If so, which agencies were 
involved in developing it?  Were NGOs consulted in the 
process?  What steps has the government taken to disseminate 
the action plan? 
 
No. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
Para 29 - Investigations and Prosecutions of Traffickers 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) 
 
¶A.  Does the country have a law specifically prohibiting 
trafficking in person--both for sexual and non-sexual 
purposes (e.g., forced labor)?  If so, please specifically 
cite the name of the law and its date of enactment.  Does the 
law(s) cover both internal and external (transnational) forms 
of trafficking?  If not, under what other laws can 
traffickers be prosecuted? 
 
The Immigration and Passport (Amendment) Act of 2003 (No. 19 
of 2003) makes provision for offense of human trafficking. 
It was enacted November 28, 2003. 
 
¶B.  What are the penalties for trafficking people for sexual 
exploitation? 
 
Persons convicted of trafficking are subject to a fine of USD 
37,500 and/or up to seven years' imprisonment. 
 
¶C.  Punishment of Labor Trafficking Offenses:  What are the 
prescribed and imposed penalties for trafficking for labor 
exploitation, such as forced or bonded labor and involuntary 
servitude?  Do the government's laws provide for criminal 
punishment--i.e., jail time--for labor recruiters in labor 
source countries who engage in recruitment of laborers using 
knowingly fraudulent or deceptive offers that result in 
workers being exploited in the destination country?  For 
employers or labor agents in labor destination countries who 
confiscate workers' passports or travel documents, switch 
contracts without the worker's consent as a means to keep the 
worker in a state of service, or withhold payment of salaries 
as means of keeping the worker in a state of service?  If 
law(s) prescribe criminal punishments for these offenses, 
what are the actual punishments imposed on persons convicted 
of these offenses? 
 
Although labor trafficking cases could be prosecuted under 
the law, any cases of confiscated passports or other offenses 
were resolved through the Labour Division. 
 
¶D.  What are the prescribed penalties for rape or forcible 
sexual assault?  How do they compare to the prescribed and 
 
BRIDGETOWN 00000262  003 OF 005 
 
 
imposed penalties for crimes of trafficking for commercial 
sexual exploitation? 
 
The penalty for rape is a maximum sentence of 25 years' 
imprisonment.  The penalty for trafficking for commercial 
sexual exploitation is less severe in terms of imprisonment 
(7 years'), but carries a possible fine of up to USD 37,500. 
 
¶E.  Is prostitution legalized or decriminalized? 
Specifically, are the activities of the prostitute 
criminalized?  Are the activities of the brothel 
owner/operator, clients, pimps, and enforcers criminalized? 
Are these laws enforced? 
 
Prostitution, as well as pimping, running a brothel, or other 
related activities, is illegal.  The police forces do not 
have the resources to sufficiently enforce these laws. 
 
¶F.  Has the government prosecuted any cases against 
traffickers? 
 
The government has not prosecuted any cases against 
traffickers.  The Labour Division has investigated cases 
where an employee claimed the employer was holding his/her 
passport, but all these cases were resolved without legal 
action. 
 
¶G.  Is there any information or reports of who is behind the 
trafficking?  For example, are the traffickers freelance 
operators, small crime groups, and/or large international 
organized crime syndicates? 
 
N/A 
 
¶H.  Does the government actively investigate cases of 
trafficking?  (Again, the focus should be on trafficking 
cases versus migrant smuggling cases.) 
 
The government does not actively investigate cases of 
trafficking.  However, if cases needing investigation arose, 
the government would be able to utilize undercover or covert 
operations. 
 
¶I.  Does the government provide any specialized training for 
government officials in how to recognize, investigate, and 
prosecute instances of trafficking? 
 
No. 
 
¶J.  Does the government cooperate with other governments in 
the investigation and prosecution of trafficking cases?  If 
possible, can post provide the number of cooperative 
international investigations on trafficking? 
 
No. 
 
¶K.  Does the government extradite persons who are charged 
with trafficking in other countries?  If so, can post provide 
the number of traffickers extradited?  Does the government 
extradite its own nationals charged with such offenses? 
 
N/A 
 
¶L.  Is there evidence of government involvement in or 
tolerance of trafficking, on a local or institutional level? 
 
No. 
 
¶M.  If government officials are involved in trafficking, what 
steps has the government taken to end such participation? 
Have any government officials been prosecuted for involvement 
in trafficking or trafficking-related corruption?  Have any 
been convicted?  What sentence(s) was imposed?  Please 
provide specific numbers, if available. 
 
N/A 
 
¶N.  If the country has an identified child sex tourism 
problem (as source or destination), how many foreign 
pedophiles has the government prosecuted or 
deported/extradited to their country of origin? 
 
There are no reports of child sex tourism. 
 
¶O.  Has the government signed, ratified, and/or taken steps 
 
BRIDGETOWN 00000262  004 OF 005 
 
 
to implement the following international instruments? Please 
provide the date of signature/ratification if appropriate. 
 
a.  ILO Convention 182 concerning the Prohibition and 
Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of 
Child Labor: 
 
Ratified on February 28, 2005. 
 
b.  ILO Convention 29 and 105 on Forced or Compulsory Labor: 
 
Ratified on February 28, 1983. 
 
c.  The Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of 
the Child (CRC) on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution, 
and Child Pornography: 
 
Ratified the Convention on March 13, 1991 and accessioned to 
the Protocol on September 20, 2002. 
 
d.  The Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking 
in Persons, especially Women and Children, supplementing the 
UN Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime: 
 
Not a party to the Convention or the Protocol. 
 
--------------------------------------------- - 
Para 30 - Protection and Assistance to Victims 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶5. (SBU) 
 
¶A.  Does the government assist victims, for example, by 
providing temporary to permanent residency status, relief 
from deportation, shelter and access to legal, medical and 
psychological services? 
 
There have been no reports of any victims.  If there were 
victims, the Women's Bureau and the Dominican National 
Council of Women (DNCW), an NGO focused on women's issues, 
would provide counseling.  The DNCW provides shelter for 
victims of other gender-based crimes. 
 
¶B.  Does the government provide funding or other forms of 
support to foreign or domestic NGOs for services to victims? 
 
No. 
 
¶C.  Do the government's law enforcement and social services 
personnel have a formal system of identifying victims of 
trafficking among high-risk persons with whom they come in 
contact? 
 
No. 
 
¶D.  Are the rights of victims respected, or are victims 
treated as criminals?  Are victims detained, jailed, or 
deported?  If detained or jailed, for how long?  Are victims 
fined?  Are victims prosecuted for violations of other laws, 
such as those governing immigration or prostitution? 
 
It is likely that victims would be prosecuted for immigration 
violations or charges of prostitution. 
 
¶E.  Does the government encourage victims to assist in the 
investigation and prosecution of trafficking? 
 
N/A 
 
¶F.  What kind of protection is the government able to provide 
for victims and witnesses?  Does it provide these protections 
in practice?  What type of shelter or services does the 
government provide? 
 
If victims were not prosecuted for other crimes, the Women's 
Bureau or DNCW may be able to help a victim find shelter. 
 
¶G.  Does the government provide any specialized training for 
government officials in recognizing trafficking and in the 
provision of assistance to trafficked victims, including the 
special needs of trafficked children? 
 
No. 
 
¶H.  Does the government provide assistance, such as medical 
 
BRIDGETOWN 00000262  005 OF 005 
 
 
aid, shelter, or financial help, to its repatriated nationals 
who are victims of trafficking? 
 
N/A 
 
¶I.  Which international organizations or NGOs, if any, work 
with trafficking victims?  What type of services do they 
provide?  What sort of cooperation do they receive from local 
authorities?  NOTE:  If post reports that a government is 
incapable of assisting and protecting TIP victims, then post 
should explain thoroughly.  Funding, personnel, and training 
constraints should be noted, if applicable. Conversely, the 
lack of political will to address the problem should be noted 
as well. 
 
The Women's Bureau, as well as other involved government 
agencies, are understaffed and under-funded to research and 
combat trafficking in persons effectively.  As there are no 
documented cases at this time, there is little political will 
to invest in anti-trafficking measures. 
OURISMAN