VZCZCXRO6749
PP RUEHQU
DE RUEHPU #1930/01 3412010
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 072010Z DEC 07
FM AMEMBASSY PORT AU PRINCE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7337
INFO RUEHZH/HAITI COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA PRIORITY 1720
RUEHSA/AMEMBASSY PRETORIA PRIORITY 1534
RUEHQU/AMCONSUL QUEBEC PRIORITY 0957
RUMIAAA/HQ USSOUTHCOM J2 MIAMI FL PRIORITY
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 1367

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PORT AU PRINCE 001930 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR WHA/EX AND WHA/CAR 
G/TIP 
S/CRS 
SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD 
STATE PASS AID FOR LAC/CAR 
INR/IAA 
WHA/EX PLEASE PASS USOAS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM HA
SUBJECT: CORRECTED COPY:  HUMAN TRAFFICKING/SMUGGLING ON 
THE HAITIAN BORDER 
 
PORT AU PR 00001930  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1.  SUMMARY.  Kenel Senatus of Solidarite Fwontalye (SF), a 
Haitian-based human rights/anti-human trafficking 
organization in Ouanaminthe, reported that human trafficking 
and alien smuggling are widespread and openly conducted at 
Haiti's northeastern border with the Dominican Republic. 
Traffickers regularly transport both adults and children 
across the border, where they are destined to serve as cheap 
manual labor, domestic servants, or prostitutes.  Weak GoH 
institutions remain ineffective in combating the 
well-organized human trafficking trade.  A recent 
G/TIP-sponsored anti-trafficking initiative implemented by 
the Pan-American Foundation (PADF) aims to augment grassroots 
efforts by SF, which at present is the only organization 
conducting anti-trafficking activity along the border. 
Without policies and efforts coordinated between the GOH and 
the Dominican Republic, however, little will stand in the way 
of traffickers' continuing their criminal activities with 
impunity.  End summary. 
 
¶2.  Poloff, accompanied by G/TIP staffers Barbara Fleck and 
Kathleen Bresnahan, met on October 29 with members of 
Solidarite Fwontalye (SF) in the town of Ouanaminthe, located 
on Haiti's northeastern border with the Dominican Republic 
(DR).  SF is a NGO dedicated to the promotion of human rights 
for Haitians living in the northeastern border areas and to 
the prevention of human trafficking across the Haiti/DR 
border.  The meeting focused on trafficking in persons, 
particularly children. 
 
¶3.  Kenel Senatus, SF's coordinator for human rights, noted 
that the trafficking of persons across the Haiti/DR border is 
widespread and openly conducted.  Senatus claimed that most 
trafficking occurs on market days, when Haitians most 
frequently cross the border to the DR market-town Dajabon to 
buy goods to bring back to Haiti.  Haitians who are 
trafficked to the DR are generally used for three functions: 
cheap manual labor, domestic service, and prostitution. 
 
¶4.  Senatus told Poloff that children are trafficked across 
the border for the same reasons, but are also used as 
full-time beggars.  (Note: He added that he heard unconfirmed 
reports that children are trafficked for their organs as 
well.  He was unable to provide evidence, however, to 
substantiate the claim.  End note.)  Senatus claimed that 
traffickers on both sides of the border sometimes buy 
children from internal traffickers who acquire the children 
from other parts of Haiti and transport them to the border 
for sale.  Senatus also claimed that in other cases, 
traffickers acquire unsupervised children simply by abducting 
them.  He said furthermore that the average age of trafficked 
children is 12-15 years and that traffickers in the DR often 
meet their counterparts at the Dominican border to assume 
custody and escort the children away. 
 
¶5.  Senatus claimed that human traffickers employ a 
well-organized network of individuals who directly 
participate in and profit from trafficking by renting rooms 
and providing food to victims.  On the one hand, he 
reiterated, officials on both sides of the border are well 
aware of what is going on, but Dominican immigration 
authorities are selective in enforcement against traffickers 
and in repatriating victims.  Haitian authorities lack the 
capacity and presence on the ground to respond to the 
problem.  The Haitian government institutions responsible for 
protecting the well-being of children, the Institute for 
Social Well-Being and Research (IBESR) and the Brigade for 
the Protection of Minors (BPM), do not have a presence in 
Ouanaminthe.  In fact, Senatus claimed that due to the 
absence of IBESR and BPM, local authorities routinely refer 
cases to SF for follow-up investigations.  SF typically does 
not intervene when adults are trafficked to the DR because 
Haiti lacks anti-trafficking laws, and SF believes that many 
of the adults are in fact economic migrants who consent to 
the smuggled across the border.  SF regularly intervenes, 
however, in cases where children are involved, and 
consequently, SF members are sometimes threatened and/or 
assaulted. 
 
 
PORT AU PR 00001930  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶6.  Comment:  G/TIP recently awarded the Pan-American 
Foundation (PADF) $250,850 to begin work on a Haiti/Dominican 
Republic Cross-Border anti-trafficking project.  PADF will 
implement the project in Ouanaminthe and will seek to engage 
SF, the Office of the Mayor of Ouanaminthe, and the local 
Office of National Migration in the project.  SF's 
involvement is instrumental, as they possess the local 
knowledge and experience necessary to augment the government 
capacity on the border.  During the visit, Ouanaminthe 
migration officials demonstrated a willingness to learn 
anti-trafficking measures from SF.  G/TIP hopes that the 
project will result in increased victim assistance and 
strengthened capacity and coordination among border officials 
and civil society actors. 
TIGHE