VZCZCXRO2493
PP RUEHAO RUEHCD RUEHGA RUEHGD RUEHGR RUEHHA RUEHHO RUEHMC RUEHNG
RUEHNL RUEHQU RUEHRD RUEHRG RUEHRS RUEHTM RUEHVC
DE RUEHCV #0787 1102112
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 202112Z APR 07
FM AMEMBASSY CARACAS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8442
INFO RUEHWH/WESTERN HEMISPHERIC AFFAIRS DIPL POSTS PRIORITY

UNCLAS CARACAS 000787 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT PASS TO G/TIP KBRESNAHAN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM ELAB KCRM ASEC PREL SMIG VE
SUBJECT: VENEZUELA: PROPOSAL SUBMISSION FOR G/TIP FUNDING 
 
REF: SECSTATE 028159 
 
¶1. (U) Per reftel, Post submits the following executive 
summary of an anti-trafficking in persons project proposal 
for G/TIP funding. 
 
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Project Information 
-------------------- 
 
¶2. (U) Please find the requested project information below: 
-- Name of the applicant: International Organization for 
Migration, Venezuela (IOM). 
-- Requested funding amount: USD 242,334. 
-- Project title: Prevention of Trafficking in Persons in the 
Adolescent Population in Zulia State, Venezuela. 
-- Project duration: Eighteen months. 
 
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Project Proposal 
----------------- 
 
¶3. (U) Since 2004, Venezuela has been listed as a Tier 3 
country in the State Department's Annual Trafficking in 
Persons (TIP) Report.  The number of trafficking victims and 
the type of trafficking that occurs in Venezuela is largely 
unknown due to a lack of systematic data collection and 
analysis.  Without this information, it has become 
increasingly difficult for the national government and 
international organizations to formulate and implement 
adequate prevention and victim's assistance programs. 
Venezuela is only beginning to develop a national plan of 
action to combat TIP, although some government officials have 
begun to recognize the extent of the problem, particularly in 
the border regions.  Zulia state, in the northwestern part of 
the country, shares a long and porous border with Colombia 
and has a population of over three million people.  The 
continuous influx of Colombian citizens into Venezuelan 
territory, lax immigration controls, and the presence of 
illegal Colombian armed groups increases the potential for 
TIP-related problems such as forced labor and sexual 
exploitation. 
 
¶4. (U) This project proposes to generate national and local 
policies to combat TIP by developing the first qualitative 
and quantitative analysis on TIP in Zulia state, followed by 
a public awareness campaign geared at adolescents, considered 
the most vulnerable population to trafficking.  The 
assessment will better permit IOM and the Venezuelan 
government to gauge the number of TIP victims and identify 
the most prevalent types of trafficking that occur in the 
border region.  Potential victims (high school students), 
border and immigration officials, and public officials will 
participate in the survey.  The results of the survey will 
help define policies to prevent TIP.  The results will also 
spur discussion on the need to draft and implement a national 
plan of action to combat TIP.  Using the results of the 
survey, IOM will develop an information campaign geared at 
the adolescent population.  The public awareness campaign 
will be developed in close coordination with high schools 
students and rely on traditional public awareness promotion 
methods such as posters, brochures, workshops, and roundtable 
discussions, as well as unconventional methods, including 
theater and music.  IOM will seek the support of well-known 
artists and athletes to participate in the awareness 
campaign.  The campaign will benefit an estimated 6,000 
at-risk adolescents in Zulia state. 
 
BROWNFIELD