VZCZCXRO5867
RR RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHJO RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHAN #0557/01 1561328
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 051328Z JUN 07
FM AMEMBASSY ANTANANARIVO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4927
INFO RUCNSAD/SADC COLLECTIVE
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 0918
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANTANANARIVO 000557 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR G/TIP - RYOUSEY, ALEMAR 
DEPT FOR INL - EFLOOD 
DEPT FOR AF/E - MBEYZEROV 
DEPT FOR AF/RSA 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O.  12958:  N/A 
TAGS: PHUM KCRM SMIG ELAB MA
SUBJECT: LABOR TRAFFICKING VICTIMS RESCUED IN DIEGO SUAREZ 
 
REF: ANTANANARIVO 161 
 
¶1. SUMMARY:  Embassy Antananarivo's reporting on trafficking in 
persons (TIP) has tended to focus on the conspicuous sex trafficking 
of minors in tourism hotspots along Madagascar's coast, namely on 
the island of Nosy Be (reftel).  While the same kind of sexual 
exploitation exists in the northern coastal city of Diego Suarez, 
its location on the mainland also facilitates labor trafficking -- 
perhaps a more ubiquitous problem in poverty-ridden Madagascar. 
PolOff and G/TIP visitor Amy LeMar recently visited a G/TIP-funded 
multi-sector child protection network put in place by UNICEF in 
Diego Suarez.  The program is achieving small victories in handling 
the cases of local trafficking victims from the initial complaint 
through prosecution, including medical assistance and psychosocial 
services for victims.  This cable tells the stories of Hortense and 
Lydia, two labor trafficking victims assisted by the network in 
Diego Suarez.  END SUMMARY. 
 
HOW THE NETWORK WORKS 
- - - - - - - - - - - 
 
¶2. Established in 2003, the multi-sector child protection network 
(CMDPE) of Diego Suarez brings together over 30 local entities to 
address child exploitation issues, including government 
representatives, medical providers, police, judges, public 
prosecutors, child leaders, labor inspectors, social workers, NGO 
leaders, ILO representatives, teachers and animators.  In addition 
to conducting numerous awareness-raising activities, once a case is 
brought to the network's attention the relevant members mobilize to 
conduct a local investigation, provide the victim with medical and 
psychosocial care, present the case before a judge, and locate the 
victim's family.  In 2006, the network received 203 complaints of 
severe physical abuse, abandonment, rape, corruption of a minor, and 
psycho/physical abuse and exploitation.  Fifty-three cases were 
treated and 50 of those are currently being followed up. 
 
HORTENSE: TRAFFICKED TO TRAVELLING VENDORS 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
 
¶3. Accompanied by CMDPE leaders and social workers, PolOff and LeMar 
met with 11-year-old Hortense, a labor trafficking victim rescued by 
the network.  Her story started one year ago in a village in 
northeastern Madagascar.  A traveling vendor befriended Hortense's 
older brother and, feigning sympathy for the girl, offered to take 
her to a local town and put her in school.  For months Hortense 
moved from village to village helping the vendor sell used clothing, 
sleeping on the floor, barely eating, and hiding on the floors of 
vehicles to avoid being spotted by police at checkpoints -- but not 
once stepping foot inside a school.  Despite her family's efforts to 
follow the vendor from village to village and demand that Hortense 
be sent to school, they soon lost track and gave her up for dead. 
Once the traveling market had moved to Diego Suarez, Hortense 
managed to contact a neighbor, who helped her get in touch with 
Patricia, a local CMPDE member.  When asked how she knew about 
Patricia, Hortense responded, "All the kids with problems around 
here know Patricia takes care of children."  Patricia raised the 
case with the CMPDE, who alerted local leaders, judges, and police. 
The vendor had fled by this point, but the network was able to have 
Patricia granted temporary custody, locate Hortense's relatives in 
the area and make plans to send Hortense back to her family in a 
matter of weeks. 
 
LYDIA: THE CHALLENGE FOR RURAL COMMUNITIES 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
 
¶4. PolOff and LeMar also attended a wide-ranging awareness-raising 
session in Ambondromifehy, a village in the bush several hours 
outside of Diego Suarez, where one of the main themes was, "Don't 
sell your children."  While the majority of the 300 parents 
assembled in the village square nodded their heads in agreement, 
several expressed quite frankly one cannot condemn parents for 
trying to sell their children into a better life if they are 
suffering at home.  In a village where money and jobs are scarce and 
most of the 2,000 children cannot afford to attend school, what 
other choice do parents have?  PolOff and LeMar subsequently met 
with Lydia, a 14-year-old girl whose parents had sold her to a 
distant relative believing she would have a better life working as a 
domestic servant in Diego Suarez.  Network members managed to rescue 
Lydia from the family that was physically abusing her, have the head 
of the family imprisoned for several days, and return Lydia to her 
village. 
 
¶5. COMMENT:  This program visit was extremely helpful in assessing 
the progress of Department-funded anti-trafficking programs and 
encouraging implementing partners.  The multi-sector child 
 
ANTANANARI 00000557  002 OF 002 
 
 
protection network in Diego Suarez is clearly starting to fill the 
gaps in victim protection and prosecution and serves as a model for 
the 14-plus networks UNICEF is setting up around the country.  While 
Hortense and Lydia are success stories, the network clearly faces an 
uphill battle in a place where people have few economic 
alternatives.  Post appreciates G/TIP's support in combating 
trafficking in Madagascar and hopes for continued Department support 
for other TIP programs in the future.  END COMMENT. 
 
SIBLEY