VZCZCXYZ0001
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHAN #0402/01 1141321
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 241321Z APR 07
FM AMEMBASSY ANTANANARIVO
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 4688

UNCLAS ANTANANARIVO 000402 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/E MBEYZEROV 
DEPT FOR AF/RSA HARPOLE 
DEPT FOR G/TIP 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ASEC ELAB KCRM PHUM PREL SMIG MA
SUBJECT:  MADAGASCAR TIP PROPOSALS FOR 2007 ESF AND INCLE FUNDS 
 
REF: STATE 28157 
 
¶1. (U) Per reftel, Embassy Antananarivo is providing the following 
four proposals for 2007 ESF and INCLE funds for Trafficking in 
Persons (TIP) projects.  The full text of the proposals, budgets and 
resumes are being forwarded via email to the appropriate G/TIP POC 
as requested.  Post POC for all proposals is Political Officer 
Silvana Rodriguez (RodriguezSD@state.gov). 
 
¶2.  In 2006, Madagascar was upgraded to Tier Two from the Tier Two 
Watch List due to strong political will and concrete initiatives on 
the Government of Madagascar's (GOM) part to address its widespread 
internal trafficking issues.  However, lack of resources and 
capacity continue to hamper the efforts of the GOM and 
nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to address the protection and 
prosecution aspects of the trafficking problem.  G/TIP has 
identified the need to pass and enact a comprehensive 
anti-trafficking law and enhanced support services for victims as 
two future priorities to enhance Madagascar's anti-trafficking 
initiatives to date.  The four project proposals below complement 
and expand current US-funded programs in Madagascar by assisting the 
GOM in drafting an anti-trafficking law to facilitate prosecution 
and victim protection, as well as by providing trafficking victims 
with social services and vocational training to prevent them from 
falling back into the trafficking trap.  There is strong potential 
for the proposed projects to create strong synergies with existing 
U.S.-funded Welcome Centers for victims and the upcoming U.S. 
Department of Justice International Criminal Investigative 
Assistance Program (ICITAP) in Madagascar by co-locating in the same 
regional hotspots and building links between them.  Post appreciates 
the Department's consideration of our request for financial 
assistance to maintain the momentum of GOM efforts. 
 
- - - - - - - 
INCLE PROJECT 
- - - - - - - 
 
a)  Name of the Applicant:  United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime 
(UNODC) 
 
b)  Requested Funding Amount:  USD 432,225 
 
c)  Project Title:  Building Madagascar's Capacity to Implement the 
Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, 
especially Women and Children 
 
d)  Project Duration:  Two years 
 
e)  Proposal Abstract:  Trafficking in persons has become of major 
concern in many parts of the world, including in Southern Africa. 
Effective responses to the problem of human trafficking call for 
collaborative, multi-disciplinary, long-term, coordinated, strategic 
and well-planned action.  Although little information is currently 
available on trafficking in persons in Madagascar, there have been 
reports of both international (cross-border) and internal (within 
national borders) trafficking in recent years.  Traffickers mainly 
target vulnerable groups, such as women and children.  More 
importantly, the GOM has acknowledged the problem of trafficking. 
There is growing awareness of the need for well coordinated joint 
initiatives.  In this context, it is particularly important to 
strengthen and elaborate the crime prevention and criminal justice 
responses.  More legislation is necessary and institutional 
structures need strengthening. 
 
This project focuses on five objectives.  First of all, because of 
the lack of available data on human trafficking in Madagascar, 
research will be conducted in order to deepen the knowledge and 
understanding on trafficking, review the nature and extent of the 
problem and identify agencies and groups involved in victim 
protection and assistance.  This research will also result in policy 
recommendations for combating human trafficking.  Furthermore, data 
collection should not be a one-time event.  Instead, the project 
foresees the establishment of an effective, accessible database on 
human trafficking, leading up to constant data collection.  This is 
an essential element of the project, because of the changing nature 
of the trafficking crime; new trafficking routes will be discovered 
and new methods used, which make it necessary to keep up to date. 
 
Combating human trafficking cannot be done without complementary 
anti-trafficking legislation, implementation, enforcement, and 
training of relevant stakeholders.  The project includes assessing 
the legislative reforms necessary to bring national legislation into 
compliance with international standards.  Also, the technical 
capacity of law enforcement and prosecution officials will be 
strengthened through training.  Given the often transnational nature 
of the issue of trafficking in persons, it is unlikely that any 
sustainable success will be achieved at the national level without 
some international collaboration.  This is why the project also 
plans to identify international contacts for the exchange of 
information and best practices.  To conclude, this project is based 
on the premise that the problem of trafficking in persons can only 
be addressed effectively on the basis of a comprehensive strategy. 
 
- - - - - - - 
ESF PROJECT 1 
- - - - - - - 
 
a)  Name of the Applicant: PACT Madagascar 
 
b)  Requested Funding Amount:  USD 363,434 
 
c)  Project Title:  SELF-WORTH: Empowerment for Reduced Trafficking 
 
d)  Project Duration:  Two years 
 
e)  Proposal Abstract:  Trafficking linked to the sexual 
exploitation of women and girls is increasing in Madagascar. 
Poverty and social norms affecting gender equity are key 
determinants that contribute to trafficking.  In response, Pact will 
implement the proven WORTH women's empowerment model to prevent 
continual trafficking of women/girls already in prostitution and to 
prevent "at risk" Malagasy women from being trafficked into sexual 
enslavement.  The WORTH model links the long-term approach of 
women's empowerment with practical skills building and access to 
finances.  The WORTH Madagascar program will offer women and girls, 
primarily victims but also a limited number vulnerable to 
trafficking, access to literacy skills, to financial resources 
through community savings and to opportunities for generating income 
through micro-enterprises.  WORTH differs from a traditional 
microfinance approach: it is innovatively designed to empower women 
and girls, challenge gender roles and mobilize for social action and 
change.  Given these tools, the women/girls will have the 
opportunity of reintegration into their communities with a solid 
basis of knowledge and financial standing.  WORTH improves durably 
the economic and social status of women and girls. 
 
Pact will implement the program in two geographic hot spots for 
trafficking: Antananarivo and Toamasina (also known as Tamatave). 
In Toamasina, Pact will build synergies with existing USAID 
anti-trafficking programs, and in Antananarivo with the government's 
and other anti-trafficking programs in order to offer a complete 
package of services to targeted women and effectively reduce the 
trafficking of these women and girls.  Pact will collaborate with 
local non-governmental organization NGO partners and local 
authorities to ensure that empowerment groups have the capabilities 
to sustain their economic and social activities.  Results achieved 
and lessons learned in these two provinces in the two-year program 
period will provide a basis for expanding the WORTH model as an 
anti-trafficking protection and prevention approach in other areas 
of Madagascar. 
Pact's proposed budget for the two-year program is US$363,434. These 
funds will allow Pact to reach a total of 2000 women and girls.  An 
important part of the resources will be allocated to the manuals 
adaptation to the local context and printings. 
 
- - - - - - - 
ESF PROJECT 2 
- - - - - - - 
 
a)  Name of the Applicant: The Ministry of Labor 
 
b)  Requested Funding Amount: USD 98,190 
 
c)  Project Title: Protection and Rehabilitation of Trafficking 
Victims in Nosy Be, Tulear and Fort Dauphin 
 
d)  Project Duration: One year 
 
e)  Proposal Abstract:  The project seeks to implement an action 
program directly affecting trafficked children or potential 
trafficking victims in three intervention sites: Nosy Be, Toliara 
(also known as Tulear) and Fort Dauphin.  It focuses on improving 
the living conditions of sex trafficking victims, both children and 
adults, through vocational training.  This kind of training requires 
qualified personnel such as teachers and Ministry of Labor 
officials, members of the local communities, and various technical 
and educational materials and equipment.   Given the importance of 
providing protection for trafficking victims, the project aims to 
provide medical care, subsistence, and psychological counseling 
during the training.  At the end of the project, the beneficiaries' 
living standards will be improved, enabling them to get out of their 
present situation. 
 
- - - - - - - 
ESF PROJECT 3 
- - - - - - - 
 
a)  Name of the Applicant:  Catholic Relief Services 
 
b)  Requested Funding Amount:  USD 408,226 
 
c)  Project Title:  Tsinjo Aina Project 
 
d)  Project Duration:  Two years, January 2008 - January 2010 
 
e)  Project Abstract: While the GOM has taken significant steps in 
fighting trafficking in persons, the number of people rescued from 
trafficking situations remains very limited.  Connected to this, 
perpetrators of trafficking are almost never prosecuted for their 
crimes.  In high risk zones, such as Antsiranana (also known as 
Diego Suarez) and Mahajanga (also known as Majunga), the 
psycho-social and protective services available to trafficking 
victims are very limited, while coordination between local actors to 
assist victims to prosecute their traffickers is almost inexistent. 
To address these issues, substantial efforts are needed to support 
and connect the rescue, rehabilitation, and prosecution phases of 
the fight in trafficking in these vulnerable zones. 
 
The proposed project entitled Tsinjo Aina, meaning "Protecting 
Life," will intervene in both Antsiranana and Mahajanga, creating 
effective psycho-social and protective services for trafficking 
victims.  In addition, the project proposes to work with national 
and regional government structures to create an effective mechanism 
for rescuing trafficking victims.  Through these activities, the 
project expects to increase the number of trafficking victims who 
are rescued and who receive appropriate psycho-social and protective 
services, while at the same time increasing the number of 
traffickers prosecuted. 
 
MCGEE