VZCZCXYZ0013
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHEG #3560/01 3651454
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 311454Z DEC 07
FM AMEMBASSY CAIRO
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 7816

UNCLAS CAIRO 003560 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/ELA, NEA/RA AND G/TIP 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KCRM KWMN PREL PGOV PHUM SMIG AEMR EG
SUBJECT: EGYPT: MIXED MESSAGES ON TIP 
 
REF: A. CAIRO 3031 
 ¶B. CAIRO 2536 
 ¶C. CAIRO 2030 
 
Sensitive but unclassified, not for Internet distribution. 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: During G/TIP Reports and Political Affairs Officer 
Gayatri Patel's December 11 - 17 visit to Cairo, Egyptian officials 
at the Ministries of Interior (MOI), Justice (MOJ), and Social 
Solidarity (MOSS) asserted that Trafficking-in-Persons (TIP) is not 
an internal Egyptian problem, in contrast to Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs (MFA) assurances that that Egypt's inter-ministerial 
anti-TIP committee is taking a comprehensive approach to combating 
TIP.  We emphasized the importance of taking concrete action to 
address TIP, and offered USG assistance to help Egypt arrest and 
prosecute traffickers under current laws, keep records of those 
actions, conduct research to better understand the extent of the TIP 
problem in Egypt, and train police on victim identification and 
protection procedures.  The quasi-governmental National Center for 
Criminological and Social Research (NCCSR) and the UN Office of 
Drugs and Crime (UNODC) are undertaking studies of the trafficking 
problem in Egypt, the MOJ is studying strengthening Egypt's anti-TIP 
legislation, and legislation strengthening anti-TIP provisions 
regarding children is on the agenda in parliament.  However, our 
contacts at international organizations focused on TIP say that both 
governmental and non-governmental action will be limited until MOI 
officials accept that TIP is an internal Egyptian issue.  End 
summary. 
 
GOE Officials: TIP is "Not a Big Problem" 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) Discussing TIP during G/TIP Reports and Political Affairs 
Officer Gayatri Patel's December 11 - 13 visit to Cairo, MOI 
Assistant Minister for Legal Affairs General Ahmed Diaa Eldin, MOJ 
Assistant Minister Osama El Ataweya, and MOSS Special Advisor Ahmed 
Abul Kheir all asserted that TIP is "not a big problem" in Egypt, 
and consists mostly of third-country victims being trafficked 
through the Sinai Peninsula to Israel.  All conceded, however, that 
young girls are sold into marriages with wealthy Gulf residents, 
street children face sexual exploitation, and that children are 
heavily involved in the informal work force such as cotton farming 
and domestic work, though the extent of trafficking in these cases 
was uncertain.  MFA Assistant Minister for Multilateral Affairs 
Naela Gabr, who chairs the inter-ministerial "National Committee to 
Combat and Prevent Trafficking in Persons," repeated previous MFA 
assurances that the committee is taking a comprehensive approach to 
studying and combating TIP in Egypt (reftel).  She noted that 
raising awareness among Egyptian officials and citizens is the most 
important next step, saying that the Ministry of Information is 
currently developing a plan for a broader public awareness campaign. 
 State-owned Egyptian television began airing UN-produced public 
service announcements on labor trafficking in early July (reftels). 
 
¶3. (SBU) We emphasized to all GOE interlocutors the importance of 
making tangible progress on the stated aims of the inter-ministerial 
committee, namely arresting and prosecuting traffickers under 
current laws, quantifying those actions, and comprehensively 
studying the extent of the TIP problem in Egypt.  We also noted, 
particularly with the MOI and MOSS, the importance of training 
police on victim identification and protection procedures and 
offered USG assistance to those efforts. 
 
Street Children: GOE Acting, Though TIP Problem "Small" 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶4. (SBU) Abul Kheir noted that the issue of street children is 
widely acknowledged as a problem in Egypt and, with the backing of 
First Lady Suzanne Mubarak and in conjunction with the 
quasi-governmental National Center for Childhood and Motherhood, the 
MOSS is increasing its efforts to provide services for these 
children.  NCCM Spokeswoman Ramona Canaan told us that the 
amendments to Egypt's Child Law that broaden and strengthen its 
anti-TIP provisions regarding children (reftel) are on the agenda in 
the lower house of parliament, and she expected they will be passed 
by the full parliament by the end of the 2007-2008 parliamentary 
session.  Once passed, each governorate will be mandated to 
establish a committee to implement child protection procedures, 
headed by a judge and with NCCM representation, reporting directly 
to the prime minister's office, she said.  Abul Kheir noted that the 
MOSS already runs 28 shelters for street children. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Nevertheless, the consensus among GOE officials and 
representatives from international organizations was that 
trafficking, for either sex or forced labor, is not a primary issue 
facing street children.  UNICEF Child Protection Officer Nadra Zaki 
said that, although cases exist of street children being sold for 
sex, they are unusual and organized trafficking rings do not exist. 
Regarding forced labor, she said, street children are able to earn 
enough money via begging that they do not need to be sold for work. 
 
Quantifying the Potential Problem 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) IOM Regional Representative Shahid Abdul Haque told us that 
Egypt may face a large trafficking problem, giving extensive 
poverty, discrimination, and demand for work both internally and 
from regional countries, but that no data exists to quantify the 
extent of the potential problem.  However, Dr. Melegy from the NCCSR 
said that the NCCSR, in coordination with the inter-ministerial 
committee, is undertaking a comprehensive survey of TIP in Egypt. 
The study, he said, will focus on forced marriages of young girls to 
primarily Gulf residents, abuse of street children, and child 
domestic workers.  UNODC Regional Representative Dr. Nihal Fahmy 
told us that the UNODC is also conducting a research and data 
collection project under the UN Global Initiative to Fight Human 
Trafficking (GIFT). 
 
¶7. (SBU) MFA TIP staffer Amira Fahmy noted that the 
inter-ministerial committee plans to develop a centralized data 
unit, to better organize information on the extent of TIP in Egypt 
and statistics on arrests and prosecutions etc.  Additionally, Diaa 
Eldin provided us with general statistics on anti-prostitution and 
anti-child labor arrest, and agreed to provide records of arrests 
and prosecutions for forced prostitution, in order to determine what 
anti-TIP law enforcement actions are already being taken. 
 
Studying Comprehensive Legislation 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶8. (SBU) El Ataweya said that the MOJ is reviewing current law to 
see how best to strengthen Egypt's anti-TIP legal provisions, and 
will use the Arab League's model law on TIP as a non-binding guide. 
Ataweya noted that, as Egypt's largest problem regarding TIP is 
trafficking of third-country nationals to Israel, the MOJ is 
particularly focused on legislation aimed at limiting the entrance 
and employment of foreigners.  Ataweya said that the study will also 
focus on how better to criminalize traffickers, rather than victims, 
but emphasized that some prostitutes are not victims and should be 
prosecuted for their crimes.  Diaa Eldin also opined that some 
prostitutes under age 18 have the capability to consent and should 
be arrested; we noted that, under international standards, the age 
of consent is 18. 
 
The Way Forward: MOI Must Buy-In 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶9. (SBU) Under the nascent direction of the inter-ministerial 
committee, GOE bodies are moving, albeit in fits and starts, to 
better understand and combat TIP in Egypt.  However, In Abdul 
Haque's words, no governmental or non-governmental body will be 
willing to take strong action on TIP without explicit MOI support, 
and MOI officials have not yet acknowledged that TIP is potentially 
a problem internally in Egypt, rather than only one of transit. 
Increased public discourse on TIP could eventually help push MOI 
officials toward action, and we, along with international 
organizations here, will continue to encourage action and offer 
technical and capacity-building assistance.