VZCZCXYZ0002
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHVN #0325/01 1100956
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 200956Z APR 07
FM AMEMBASSY VIENTIANE
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1140

UNCLAS VIENTIANE 000325 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EAP/MLS 
DEPT FOR G/TIP 
DEPT FOR DRL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ASEC ELAB KCRM PHUM PREL SMIG LA
SUBJECT:  Anti-Trafficking in Persons Proposals for Laos 
 
Ref: A) 07 STATE 28143, B) April 12 Terry Mobley, Amy LeMar, and 
 
Rebecca Billings Email, C) April 9 Jane Sigmon and Ambassador 
Haslach Email, D) April 19 Jane Sigmon and Terry Mobley Email 
 
¶1.  Following are the anti-trafficking in persons proposals received 
by Embassy Vientiane.  In total, eleven completed proposals were 
submitted by four non-governmental organizations, two international 
organizations, and one for-profit Lao enterprise.  The following 
organizations submitted proposals:  The International Office for 
Migration (1); The Asia Foundation (1); Village Focus International 
(1); Save the Children Australia (2); the United Nations Office on 
Drugs and Crime (2); Assistance for Women in Distressing Situations 
(2); and SML Legal Consultants (2).  Embassy Vientiane recommends 
funding of the five ESF and INCLE proposals summarized in paragraph 
three, all of which address serious deficiencies identified in the 
Annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report for Laos and the Interim 
Assessment.  The remaining six proposals are listed briefly at the 
end of the cable.  Additionally, the U.S. Department of Justice 
submitted a draft proposal on April 19.  The Embassy asked that DOJ 
scale back the proposal and email the final version directly to 
G/TIP (see Comment Section).  The other eleven completed proposals 
with budgets and resumes will be sent by email to G/TIP Rebecca 
Billings per reftel and ref email. 
 
¶2.  Embassy points of contact are Political Officers Terry Mobley, 
MobleyTD@state.gov, and Harvey Somers, SomersHA@state.gov.  (Note: 
Beginning June 1, 2007, Public Diplomacy Officer Amy Archibald, 
ArchibaldAE@state.gov, will replace Terry Mobley as the primary 
Embassy point of contact for TIP-related activities.  End Note.) 
 
¶3.  Proposal summaries follow in order of priority, as determined by 
the Embassy. 
 
Proposal One 
------------ 
 
¶A.  NAME OF APPLICANT ORGANIZATION 
 
International Office for Migration (IOM) 
 
¶B.  REQUESTED FUNDING AMOUNT 
 
USD 398,719 
 
¶C.  PROJECT TITLE 
 
Project for Building a Comprehensive Reception, Recovery, and 
Reintegration Support Process for Victims of Trafficking in Lao PDR 
 
¶D.  PROJECT DURATION 
 
Two Years 
 
¶E.  PROPOSAL ABSTRACT 
 
Reception and reintegration services in the Lao PDR, though 
improved, lag far behind similar systems and structures established 
in Thailand and Cambodia.  Given the sharp increase in the number of 
Lao victims of trafficking returned through IOM's Regional Return 
and Reintegration Program since initiated in 2000, the lack of Lao 
Government capacity represents a serious need.  Lao TIP victims who 
require return and reintegration assistance account for more than 
half of the total number of returned TIP victims within the region 
who have been assisted under IOM's existing Return and Reintegration 
Program. 
 
Through the efforts of this project, the ability of the Lao 
Government to successfully reintegrate returning victims of 
trafficking through an institutionalized case management and 
referral process will be greatly improved leading to a reduction in 
both time delays for returning victims home and subsequent prospects 
for re-trafficking.  The project will also put in place an 
established framework for providing assistance services for cases of 
internal trafficking as well as cases referred to the Lao Ministry 
of Labor and Social Welfare (MLSW) outside of the formal return 
process.  Extending reception services beyond Vientiane to 
Savannakhet and other border provinces with high prevalence of 
trafficking will also be assessed as part of this project. 
 
The project will also contribute to the Lao Government's ability to 
contribute to regional collaboration efforts outlined in the 
Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation Against Trafficking in 
Persons in the Greater Mekong Region (COMMIT) signed in 2004 as well 
as to fulfill its responsibilities under the bilateral MOU on 
trafficking signed with Thailand in 2005. 
 
Proposal Two 
------------ 
 
¶A.  NAME OF APPLICANT ORGANIZATION 
 
Village Focus International (VFI) 
 
¶B.  REQUESTED FUNDING AMOUNT 
 
USD 139,150 
 
¶C.  PROJECT TITLE 
 
Legal Advocacy and Victim Support 
 
¶D.  PROJECT DURATION 
 
Year One of a Planned Five Year Project 
 
¶E.  PROPOSAL ABSTRACT 
 
One of the major problems facing citizens in the Lao PDR - in all 
sectors and at all levels - is the lack of access to legal rights 
information, in a language or format that the recipient can 
understand and use in daily life.  Typically, local officials and 
local people alike are not aware of the existing body of laws and do 
not know how these laws are relevant to their lives.  In regard to 
 
trafficking and related issues, there is no comprehensive document 
that organizes all trafficking-related laws and decrees together and 
interprets them in a reader-friendly way.  Furthermore, most 
vulnerable peoples - those that are most likely to be trafficked - 
are often illiterate and/or ethnic minority peoples who do not 
speak, read or write Lao and do not understand complex written 
materials; therefore, they remain ignorant of both their rights and 
responsibilities under the law.  This project addresses the need to 
create a comprehensive legal advocacy program on trafficking that 
focuses on information delivery to diverse and semi-literate or 
illiterate people as well as a parallel trainer curriculum for 
government staff and NGO workers. 
 
This project will develop legal advocacy materials and guidebooks 
for national use in the Lao language (including radio programs, 
theatre productions, posters, etc.) and at least one minority 
language.  The project will also link legal advocacy to village 
education and to victims of trafficking and will create a system for 
victim referrals to proper agencies for reintegration, protection, 
and training. 
 
 
Expected Results of the project include:  a Legal Guidebook on 
Rights/Responsibilities regarding trafficking, labor migration, and 
child rights; Lao language and Katang language radio serials on 
trafficking and labor migration; a trainer guidebook in the Lao 
language to guide listener groups in the above materials; a youth 
theater troupe trained to deliver shows on trafficking and labor 
migration issues; an expanded and improved database of trafficking 
victims coordinated through the Asia Against Child Trafficking 
network of NGOs; a system for referring victims to government and/or 
NGO shelters & education programs; and a provincial Campaign Against 
Child Trafficking in Salavan Province. 
 
Proposal Three 
-------------- 
 
¶A.  NAME OF APPLICANT ORGANIZATION 
 
The Asia Foundation (TAF) 
 
¶B.  REQUESTED FUNDING AMOUNT 
 
USD 205,692 
 
¶C.  PROJECT TITLE 
 
Strengthening Protection for Victims of Trafficking and Prosecution 
of Traffickers in Laos 
 
¶D.  PROJECT DURATION 
 
Two Years 
 
¶E.  PROPOSAL ABSTRACT 
 
Laos faces a serious human trafficking problem without the necessary 
capacity to counter it.  The Law on Development and Protection of 
Women, passed in 2004, is generally recognized as providing an 
adequate legal framework for the protection of victims and the 
prosecution of traffickers.  Yet the Law is not widely understood by 
those charged with its enforcement, rendering it largely 
ineffectual.  Furthermore, at present there is no coordinated effort 
among government agencies, service providers, and anti-trafficking 
professionals to implement the Law, resulting in poor protection of 
victims and weak efforts toward prosecuting traffickers. 
The Asia Foundation will draw on its extensive experience in 
combating trafficking in the Mekong Region and the technical 
expertise of its local staff based in Bangkok to strengthen 
services, systems, and coordination efforts in Laos to adequately 
protect victims and strengthen the prosecution of traffickers. 
Activities will fall under two objectives: 1) to increase 
enforcement of the Law on Development and Protection of Women; and 
2) to ensure that interventions to protect victims and prosecute 
traffickers are well coordinated and sustainable.  Expected results 
include: improved capacity of the legal sector to combat trafficking 
in persons; increased government commitment to countering 
trafficking; strengthened rule of law in regard to trafficking in 
persons; and improved protection of victims' rights. 
 
Proposal Four 
------------- 
 
¶A.  NAME OF APPLICANT ORGANIZATION 
 
Save the Children Australia (SCA) 
 
¶B.  REQUESTED FUNDING AMOUNT 
 
USD 144,400 
 
¶C.  PROJECT TITLE 
 
Strengthening Anti-Human Trafficking Responses in Northern Lao PDR 
 
¶D.  PROJECT DURATION 
 
Twenty Months 
 
¶E.  PROPOSAL ABSTRACT 
 
The Lao national response in dealing with human trafficking is 
improving.  However, Laos lacks the capacity to adequately and 
appropriately deal with issues and cases of trafficking and 
migration, particularly amongst its frontline police and immigration 
officials who work along the border areas.  Despite the 
establishment of the Lao Anti-People Trafficking Unit (LAPTU) in 
Vientiane Municipality (and a smaller unit in Bokeo Province), 
funding constraints have prevented the dissemination of specially 
designed anti-trafficking training to police in provincial areas. 
This has created a gap between the central-level anti-trafficking 
response and actual implementation within the border areas where it 
is most needed. 
 
As part of SCA's Cross-Border Anti-Human Trafficking efforts, this 
project will support the training of frontline police, immigration 
and other local officials within the northern provinces of Luang 
Namtha, Bokeo and Sayaboury.  The project will also raise awareness 
amongst key provincial and district-level staff members from the Lao 
Youth Union (LYU), Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare (MLSW), and 
the Lao Women's Union (LWU).  Additionally, the project will raise 
awareness among village authorities of the role that local 
authorities should play in identifying and dealing with cases of 
human trafficking. 
 
SCA will also support the dissemination of information and the 
practical application of the 2004 Law on Development and Protection 
of Women, the National Children's Law, as well as other relevant 
laws and regulations.  During project implementation and beyond, 
training participants and community stakeholders will be further 
supported by forging practical links and engaging with SCA's other 
projects in the northern provinces - namely, SCA's Cross-Border 
Project, Youth at Risk Project, Womens' Socio-Economic Empowerment 
Project, and Children's Justice Project.   A Monitoring and 
Evaluation Plan will be developed in the initial stages of this new 
project in line with SCA's Program Quality Framework. 
 
Proposal Five 
------------- 
 
¶A.  NAME OF APPLICANT ORGANIZATION 
 
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) 
 
¶B.  REQUESTED FUNDING AMOUNT 
 
USD 187,500 
 
¶C.  PROJECT TITLE 
 
Strengthening of the Legal and Law Enforcement Institutions to 
Prevent and Combat Human Trafficking in the Lao PDR 
 
¶D.  PROJECT DURATION 
 
This project was originally undertaken for two years in October 
¶2006.  The governments of Canada, Norway, and Sweden have provided 
all but USD 187,500 of the total USD 448,500 project costs.  UNODC 
plans to extend the project for one to two additional years 
contingent on further funding. 
 
¶E.  PROPOSAL ABSTRACT 
 
The project was initiated in October 2006 and aims at strengthening 
the capacity of criminal justice institutions in the Lao PDR, 
including the judiciary and the government law enforcement bodies, 
to prevent and combat human trafficking and related forms of 
organized crime.  The project assesses the implementation of the 
Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, 
particularly Women and Children (TIPP).  The project's main 
objective is to enhance Lao criminal justice mechanisms and law 
enforcement against trafficking in human beings.  This takes place 
through encouraging proposed amendments to Lao criminal law 
provisions, and training criminal justice practitioners and law 
enforcement officials in order to strengthen the country's capacity 
to investigate, prosecute, and convict traffickers as well as 
protect victims. 
 
¶4.  OTHER PROPOSALS 
 
Proposal Six:  Organization:  Assistance for Women in Distressing 
Situations; Project:  Repatriation, Rehabilitation, and 
Reintegration of Victims of Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation in 
the Lao PDR; Duration:  One Year; Budget:  USD 140,570. 
 
Proposal Seven: Organization:  SML Consultants; Project:  TIP 
Training for Prosecutors and Law Enforcement Officers; Duration: 
One Year; Budget:  USD 100,430. 
 
Proposal Eight:  Organization:  Assistance for Women in Distressing 
Situations; Project:  Social Enterprise Project for the 
Reintegration of Women Victims of Trafficking for Sexual 
Exploitation; Duration:  One Year; Budget: USD 94,220. 
 
Proposal Nine:  Organization:  SML Consultants; Project:  TIP 
Training for Judges; Duration:  One Year; Budget:  USD 48,908. 
 
Proposal Ten:  Organization: Save the Children Australia; Project: 
Research into Trafficking and Human Security of Selected Ethnic 
Communities in Northern Laos; Duration:  Two Years; Budget:  USD 
170,550. 
 
Proposal Eleven:  Organization:  United Nations Office on Drugs and 
Crime; Project:  Combating a Root Cause of Human Trafficking; 
Duration:  Two Years; Budget:  USD 370,640. 
 
Comments 
-------- 
 
¶5.  The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) submitted a draft proposal 
to the Embassy on April 19.  In the form it was submitted, the 
Embassy felt several aspects of the proposal are not feasible in 
Laos at this time, particularly the concept of posting a full-time 
contractor in Vientiane. According to DOJ, the contractor would not 
be under NSDD38 authority, which would not be acceptable to the 
Embassy.  Additionally, the posting of a full-time contractor in 
Laos would not be accepted by the Lao Government.  Working directly 
with Lao law enforcement is also a non-starter.  However, the 
elements of the proposal dealing with the training of trainers as 
well as translating and using some aspects of DOJ's model TIP 
program that was developed in Indonesia would potentially be very 
useful in Laos and might possibly be implemented via DOJ's Bangkok 
office.  The Embassy requested that DOJ consider scaling back its 
draft proposal, focusing on development of a law enforcement manual 
and periodic training seminars potentially organized in cooperation 
with DOJ staff members at Embassy Bangkok, who have regional 
responsibilities.  We have asked that DOJ send its final proposal by 
email to Rebecca Billings and Amy LeMar, copying the Embassy. 
 
¶6.  Based on the Embassy's communication with G/TIP, it appears 
World Vision's 2006 TIP project may be funded with FY 06 funds (Ref 
C).  In the event World Vision's 2006 proposal is not funded, 
however, World Vision has submitted a revised version of the same 
proposal (expanded somewhat) this year.  As per G/TIP's advice, the 
Embassy did not include that proposal among proposals received for 
FY 07 (Ref D).  The Embassy will, however, forward the revised World 
Vision proposal to G/TIP Rebecca Billings by email. 
 
HASLACH