VZCZCXYZ0015
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHDK #0869 1101200
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 201200Z APR 07
FM AMEMBASSY DAKAR
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8122
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 0240
RUEHLI/AMEMBASSY LISBON 0791

UNCLAS DAKAR 000869 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR G/TIP, INL, AF/RSA AND AF/W 
ACCRA FOR USAID/WA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM ASEC ELAB KCRM PREL SMIG PU
SUBJECT: GUINEA BISSAU: TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS PROPOSAL 
 
REF: STATE 028157 
 
¶1.  Embassy,s trafficking in persons (TIP) project proposal 
for Guinea-Bissau follows.  This year, G/TIP proposed to 
downgrade Guinea-Bissau to Tier Two Watch List in the annual 
Trafficking in Person,s Report.  Guinea-Bissau has 
demonstrated improvement in its anti-trafficking efforts 
since it appeared on the report for the first time last year, 
but much more needs to be done.  Guinea-Bissau is already 
devoting funds to TIP.  Without outside assistance like this 
proposal from UNICEF, Guinea-Bissau will not be able to make 
any significant improvements. 
 
¶2.  Now is a particularly urgent time to support trafficking 
projects because Guinea-Bissau had to cancel the entire 
academic year due to prolonged school closures.  When school 
is not in session, children are at their most vulnerable to 
be recruited for Koranic schools in Senegal, which are often 
a front for traffickers who force children to beg.  Teachers 
did not show up to work most of the year because the 
Government did not have enough money to pay their salaries. 
This is typical in Guinea-Bissau where even the military gets 
paid many months late. 
 
¶3.  Project summary.  Full proposal will be sent via e-mail. 
(NOTE: Because there is a potentially long delay between the 
time the project was submitted and the time it may be funded, 
some components may be revised.  The situation on the ground 
can change from year to year.  END NOTE.) 
¶A.  Name of applicant: UNICEF 
¶B.  Requested funding amount: USD 135,000 for one year.  A 
second year is proposed at USD 165,000 
¶C.  Project title: Child Protection 
¶D.  Project duration: One year with a second phase for year 
two. 
¶E.  Abstract: Guinea-Bissau is a country that does not offer 
regular schooling to children because teachers are often not 
paid salaries.  Schools are often closed for several months 
per academic year.  This coupled with the fact that 
Guinea-Bissau is an impoverished war-torn nation that has 
little to offer in the way of public services, traffickers 
from Senegal and other countries prey on parents who want to 
send their children away for a good Muslim education. 
Children are forced to beg on the streets of Dakar, subjected 
to abuse unless they can earn about a dollar per day. 
 
The project will assess the magnitude of the problem and 
better detail the methods, routes, and means of traffickers. 
Working with affected communities, UNICEF and local NGOs will 
educate parents about the realities and risks of sending 
their children away for schooling.  A public awareness 
campaign will be launched. 
 
In terms of protection, the project will establish transit 
centers for repatriated victims, provide psychosocial 
support, and reintegrate victims into families and schools. 
 
On the law enforcement side, police and border officials will 
be recruited to recognize and stop trafficking at the 
borders, and detain and arrest traffickers.  A policy and 
legal review will also be included to help the Government 
shore up its laws pertaining to trafficking. 
 
Expected results include strengthened child protection 
networks; two new transit accommodation centers; 80 percent 
of border guards trained on trafficking; and support for 
victims. 
JACKSON