VZCZCXYZ0001
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBU #0171/01 0441537
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 131537Z FEB 08
FM AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 0235

UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 000171 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
G/TIP FOR BRESNEHAN AND FLECK 
G/IWI FOR RECHKEMMER 
WHA/PPC FOR MILLER 
WHA/BSC FOR DRUCKER, FRIEDMAN, MOSS, AND SLATTERY 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ELAB KCRM KWMN PHUM PREL SNAR SMIG KJUS ASEC AR
SUBJECT: EMBASSY BUENOS AIRES PROPOSALS FOR G/TIP MANAGED FY 2008 
ESF AND INCLE FUNDS 
 
REF: A) ASUNCION 97 
 
     B) 07 STATE 161287 
 B) 05 STATE 21324 
 C) 03 STATE 34981 
 
¶1.  (SBU)  Summary and Background:  Among Embassy Buenos Aires's top 
priorities in strengthening Argentina's anti-trafficking efforts 
include strengthening law enforcement and judicial capacity to 
investigate and prosecute human trafficking cases.  The Argentine 
government, in conjunction with the International Organization for 
Migration, worked hard to raise public awareness of human 
trafficking, and has made basic anti-trafficking education a regular 
part of training for law enforcement and judicial officials through 
its Office of Assistance to Victims of Crime (OFAVI).  The proposals 
that we recommend for G/TIP consideration would build on this effort 
and strengthen institutional capacity to effectively identify 
victims, as well as investigate and prosecute human trafficking 
cases. 
 
¶2.  (SBU)  Post received six bilateral proposals and one regional 
proposal, of which we recommend two bilateral proposals and 
co-endorse one regional proposal for the Tri-Border Area which 
includes the border region of Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay.  The 
first proposal was submitted by 2007 International Woman of Courage 
Award Winner Susana Trimarco's NGO, the Maria de los Angeles 
Foundation.  It focuses on increasing law enforcement capacity to 
investigate trafficking in persons crimes by establishing in six 
high-risk provinces specialized police units to investigate TIP 
cases based on a similar unit in Tucuman province.  The second 
proposal was submitted by local NGO Unidos por la Justicia (United 
for Justice).  It focuses on providing advanced training to judges, 
prosecutors, and law enforcement officials in investigating and 
prosecuting cases.  In addition to these proposals, post endorses a 
regional proposal from the International Organization for Migration 
to combat TIP in the Tri-Border area as presented in ref A from 
Asuncion.  End Summary and Background. 
 
--------------------------- 
Proposals for INCLE Funding 
--------------------------- 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Argentina is on the Department's Tier-2 Watch List.  The 
Embassy has worked closely with two Argentine NGOs that have each 
submitted separate proposals for possible consideration of INCLE 
funding.  Both the Department in its 2007 TIP report and the Embassy 
in its FY08 Mission Strategic Plan have identified the need to 
increase Argentina's law enforcement and judicial capacity to 
investigate, prosecute, and convict human traffickers.  The separate 
proposals from the Maria de los Angeles Foundation and Unidos por la 
Justicia (Unidos) address this need.  The Unidos proposal addresses 
the additional need to provide greater assistance to trafficking 
victims - a need also identified in the 2007 TIP report. 
 
 
Maria de los Angeles Foundation Proposal 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶4.  (SBU) The first, submitted by the Maria de los Angeles 
Foundation ("The Foundation"), proposes to create special police 
units to investigate trafficking in persons crimes modeled after the 
Tucuman unit the Foundation assisted in setting up.  We selected 
this proposal for the following reasons: 
 
-- The project addresses the need to increase Argentina's 
   law enforcement and judicial capacity to investigate, 
   prosecute, and convict human traffickers. 
 
-- The project's cost is feasible, and Trimarco has a clear 
   understanding of Argentina's trafficking problem. 
 
-- Trimarco and her staff have experience in developing 
   these types of specialized police units given their 
   assistance to develop the Tucuman special police unit. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) The Foundation was established in October 2007 by TIP 
activist Susana Trimarco, whose daughter, Marita Veron, was 
kidnapped by a human trafficking ring on April 3, 2002 in San Miguel 
de Tucuman, Argentina when she was 23 years old.  In 2007, Trimarco 
was recognized by the U.S. Department of State twice: first as one 
of 12 International Women of Courage and later as a Hero in the 
global fight against human trafficking.  We have worked very closely 
with Ms. Trimarco, offering her guidance and material support in her 
continued efforts to fight TIP. 
 
i)  Maria de los Angeles Foundation 
 For the fight against human trafficking 
 
 
ii)  Budget Cost:  $   62,000.00 
 
iii) Project Title:  Increasing Law Enforcement Capacity to 
                     Investigate Human Trafficking Crimes 
 
iv)  Project Duration: 1 year 
 
v)  Proposal Abstract: 
 
Identified need: 
 
One of the biggest challenges in Argentine civil society's fight 
against trafficking in persons (TIP) is the weak law enforcement and 
judicial capacity to effectively investigate and prosecute human 
trafficking crimes.  Recognizing this problem, the Maria de los 
Angeles Foundation successfully lobbied the Tucuman provincial 
government to create a special police unit for the investigation of 
TIP crimes.  In the first six months since its establishment in June 
2007, the Foundation and the unit have worked together to rescue 78 
victims who were either trafficked or at risk of being trafficked. 
 
 
Proposed Activities: 
 
Building on this success, the foundation proposes to create similar 
units in six provinces where the incidence of TIP is highest: Salta, 
La Rioja, Misiones, Cordoba, Tierra de Fuego, and Buenos Aires City. 
To do this, the Foundation will negotiate agreements with provincial 
authorities to create, recruit, select, and train the special police 
units. Training will include techniques on: 
 
-- identifying a potential trafficking case when interviewing a 
victim's relatives or friends; 
 
-- working quickly with judicial authorities to obtain the necessary 
search warrants to conduct rescue operations; 
 
-- investigating the various components of trafficking rings 
including the recruitment, transportation, harboring, and actual 
exploitation of the victims; and 
 
-- developing leads and obtaining evidence that can be used in 
prosecuting the crime. 
 
The Foundation also intends to work with these units to develop a 
database to track and develop official statistics on missing persons 
and trafficking victims. 
 
Expected Outcomes: 
 
At the conclusion of the project, we expect the special police units 
to have the capacity to effectively investigate and dismantle human 
trafficking networks as well as train additional police officers. 
Once they are fully operational, we expect the units to resolve up 
to 150 human trafficking cases a year and report TIP crime 
statistics, recruiting patterns, and victim profiles to bolster the 
government's and NGO community's efforts to combat the crime. 
 
Unidos por la Justicia Proposal 
------------------------------- 
 
¶6.  (SBU) The second proposal, submitted by Unidos por la Justicia 
(Unidos), focuses on providing advanced training to judges, 
prosecutors, and law enforcement officials in investigating and 
prosecuting cases.  We selected this proposal for the following 
reasons: 
 
-- It addresses the need to increase Argentina's law enforcement and 
judicial capacity to investigate, prosecute, and convict human 
traffickers and provide greater assistance to trafficking victims; 
 
 
-- The project's cost is feasible; and 
 
-- Although Unidos does not have direct experience in human 
trafficking issues, it has a strong understanding of Argentina's 
judicial system.  It is a well-respected NGO in the judicial 
community that we believe would be able to attract large numbers of 
judges and prosecutors to its training workshops. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) The Embassy has worked closely with Unidos in the 
implementaion of our "Justice Undergoing Change" program, which is 
aimed at providing training to magistrates to help Argentina make 
its judicial system more efficient. 
 
 
i) Name of the Applicant: 
   Unidos por la Justicia Asociacion Civil 
 
ii) Requested Funding Amount:  $160,000 
 
iii) Project Title: Integrated Trafficking in Persons Training and 
Prevention Program 
 
iv) Project Duration: 2 years 
 
v)  Proposal Abstract: 
 
Identified Need: 
 
In Argentina, there is no coordinated strategy among judicial and 
law enforcement officials to carry forward integrated judicial 
investigations into trafficking in persons (TIP) cases. In addition, 
vulnerable populations are not aware of the methods traffickers use 
to lure their victims, nor of the legal resources available to 
denounce the crime.  There is a scarcity of civil institutions - 
particularly in high-risk areas - working to prevent the crime, 
assisting victims and/or their families to denounce the crime, or 
aiding in the social and labor reinsertion of victims in their home 
communities. 
 
Proposed Activities: 
 
The goal is to enhance the efficiency of the prosecution of crimes 
related to human trafficking through the integrated training of 
judges, prosecutors, and law enforcement officials and agents.  It 
also aims to train people involved in assisting trafficking victims 
and vulnerable populations, with the goal of strengthening the 
social reintegration process and avoiding the recruitment of new 
victims. 
 
Experts will direct intensive workshops for members of the 
judiciary, prosecutors, and law enforcement agents to train them in 
investigative techniques to combat trafficking in persons.  The 
workshops will develop specific investigative protocols, which will 
emphasize the planning and coordination of the different activities 
that investigations require among all those involved. 
 
Another team of experts will prepare workshops aimed at preventing 
the recruitment of victims in high-risk areas, and at training 
community leaders to aid and help reinsert victims. 
 
Expected Outcomes: 
 
The following outcomes are expected: 
 
a) Enhance prosecutorial effectiveness by improving coordination 
among people and resources; 
 
b) Improve planning of investigations; 
 
c) Strengthen the criminal system to combat trafficking in persons; 
 
 
d) Decrease levels of revictimization in smuggling and trafficking 
crimes; and 
 
e) Strengthen mechanisms of assistance and social reinsertion of 
victims. 
 
IOM Regional Proposal 
--------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU)  The third proposal submitted by IOM and outlined in ref A 
aims to prevent trafficking in persons, especially women and 
children, by strengthening counter-trafficking networks in the TBA. 
In addition, the project will provide medical, psychological, legal, 
and labor reinsertion assistance to victims of trafficking in 
persons (TIP) in the TBA.  We co-endorse the proposal with Asuncion 
for the following reasons: 
 
-- It addresses the need to provide greater assistance to 
trafficking victims and to strengthen NGO-government 
counter-trafficking networks to combat TIP. 
 
-- The Project's cost is feasible for a regional project. 
 
-- IOM did an excellent job in implementing a previous Department 
grant from the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration to 
combat TIP in the region.  As a part of that grant, IOM conducted a 
comprehensive study on trafficking patterns in the region, developed 
 
basic training programs to educate law enforcement and other 
government on Argentina's TIP problem, and conducted numerous TIP 
public awareness campaigns in Argentina.  In addition, it has 
created a tri-national network of government officials and NGOs in 
the tri-border area to increase coordination and improve cooperation 
to combat TIP in the TBA. 
 
WAYNE