VZCZCXYZ0001
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHDM #0417 1231449
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 031449Z MAY 07
FM AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3412
INFO RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN 6774
RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD 0420
RUEHLB/AMEMBASSY BEIRUT 4503
RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV 1721
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 5057
RUEHML/AMEMBASSY MANILA 0089
RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO 0136
RUEHJA/AMEMBASSY JAKARTA 0060
RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM 1264

UNCLAS DAMASCUS 000417 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
G/TIP FOR SHEREEN FARAJ AND JANE SIGNON, NEA/ELA FOR SITA 
SONTY 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM KWMN KCRM ASEC ELAB SMIG
SUBJECT: SYRIA: ANTI-TRAFFICKING PROJECT PROPOSAL 
 
REF: SECSTATE 28151 
 
¶1. (U) Post is submitting one project for the ESF 
Anti-Trafficking in Persons Projects from the International 
Office for Migration (IOM). 
 
¶2.  (SBU) The project is as follows: 
 
¶A.  Title:  Capacity Building on Identifying and Assessing 
Human Trafficking and Providing Protection to Victims of 
Trafficking (VOT) in Syria 
 
¶B.  Recipient Organization:  IOM. 
 
¶C.  Cost:  USD 250,000 
 
¶D.  Duration:  One year. 
 
¶E.  Description:  The project aims to increase the capacity 
of the Syrian authorities to identify and assess human 
trafficking to identify VOTs and provide protection, in 
addition to running an awareness raising campaign on human 
trafficking among Syrian decision-makers and law enforcement 
agents/officials.  Activities would include: 
 
-- Training courses for law enforcement and border officials 
or any newly established counter-trafficking specialized 
units; 
-- Police academy counter-trafficking curriculum development; 
and 
-- An information campaign among the key decision-makers and 
law enforcement. 
 
¶F.  Justification:  The Syrian Ministry of Interior 
co-sponsored with the IOM in 2005 and 2007 two 
counter-trafficking workshops, including one on drafting 
comprehensive counter-trafficking legislation.  In addition, 
the Syrian government set up in late 2005 a multi-ministry 
counter-trafficking commission, which took a lead role in the 
2007 workshop on drafting counter-trafficking legislation. 
Syria, nevertheless, remains on the USG's Tier 3 TIP 
watchlist because of the country's failure to take concrete 
steps to staunch what is seen as a growing trafficking 
problem from the Middle East, East Europe and Asian countries 
through and to Syria  for domestic work and prostitution. 
The IOM has a professional relationship with the Ministry of 
Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Interior, which is key to 
conducting discussions in Syria about sensitive issues such 
as trafficking in persons.  More specifically, in November 
2006, the IOM signed an agreement with the Syrian government 
in which IOM agrees to provide support to the government to 
create the most effective legal grounds to strengthen the 
capacity of law enforcement officials in Syria. 
 
¶G.  Project performance Indicators include: 
 
-- Number of Syrian law enforcement and border officials 
trained on detection and investigation of TIP; 
-- Number of Police Academy trainers trained to train the 
Police Academy students on the newly introduced CT section; 
-- Number of Syrian policy and law makers attending a 
workshop; 
-- Number of law enforcement and border officials covered by 
the awareness-raising campaign; 
-- Number of VOTs identified, counseled and protected; and 
-- Number of traffickers arrested/prosecuted. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Comment:  While this appear to be a costly project, 
the supporting documentation details a range of projects that 
directly address TIP issues in Syria and Iraq.  Post strongly 
supports IOM Damascus because it has a proven record of being 
the sole entity capable of organizing TIP events and has the 
organization and relative freedom to operate here. 
 
¶4.  (U) Post will pouch a copy of the proposal to Shereen 
Faraj in G/TIP for further consideration. 
CORBIN