VZCZCXYZ0000
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHLM #0424/01 1210629
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 300629Z APR 08
FM AMEMBASSY COLOMBO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8057
INFO RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 4371
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI PRIORITY 1993
RUEHCG/AMCONSUL CHENNAI PRIORITY 8460
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 2735
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI PRIORITY
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY

UNCLAS COLOMBO 000424 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/INS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL SMIG KCRM KFRD KWMN CE
SUBJECT: G/TIP FY06 PROGRAMS: MONITORING REPORT (SRI LANKA) 
 
REF: 07 STATE 168845 
 
¶A.  Poloff held discussions on April 2 with Head of IOM's 
Counter Trafficking Division Anuradhi Navaratnam and Project 
Coordinator for the G/TIP-funded program "Counter-Trafficking 
in Persons in Sri Lanka:  Strengthening Prosecution and 
Victim Protection" Roma Ranasinghe.  Navaratnam and 
Ranasinghe provided information on the status of the project 
and raised concerns about changing circumstances that might 
require amendments. 
 
¶B.  IOM reports the following progress: 
 
--KAP Surveys:  The Center for Women's Research in Sri Lankan 
(CENWOR) has been hired to conduct a Knowledge, Attitudes, 
and Practices (KAP) survey of 50 prosecuting attorneys from 
the Attorney General's office, 20 officers from the 
Department of Immigration and Emigration, 10 Foreign 
Employment Bureau staff members, and 50 police officers.  The 
GSL agreed to participate in the interview process and has 
identified the participants.  The questionnaire was finalized 
in March.  IOM expects the interviews to be completed by 
mid-May. 
 
--Legal Training:  Four training sessions on 
trafficking-related laws are planned for KAP survey 
participants in May 2008. 
 
--Legal Reference Publication:  The content of a multimedia 
legal reference publication was approved by IOM Geneva and 
has been given to a developer for production. IOM expects to 
review the final draft version by early May.  This 
publication includes information on international and local 
trafficking laws and will be provided to GSL officials to 
assist them in handling TIP cases.  The publication is 
scheduled for distribution to the Justice Ministry and other 
relevant stakeholders in June. A ceremony and press 
conference will be held to publicize these efforts. 
 
--Case management database:  A TIP case management database 
is being developed by IOM through a USAID-funded grant. 
Under the G/TIP-funded grant, IOM will train additional users 
and provide support to database administrators. 
 
--Workshops:  IOM conducted a TIP awareness workshop for 34 
NGO staff on February 21.  A separate awareness program for 
10 staff from the NGO Women in Need (WIN), IOM's project 
implementing partner, was held on March 13.  Two capacity 
building workshops are planned for WIN, including one on 
counseling for TIP victims.  The Sahanaya National Council 
for Mental Health has been hired to instruct WIN counselors. 
 
--Victim Assistance:  IOM has met with the Salvation Army to 
discuss victim assistance.  The two organizations plan to 
develop a strategy to provide trafficking victims with 
medical, vocational, and livelihood assistance.  IOM staff 
visited Puttalam District to discuss victim assistance 
strategies with a local NGOs. 
 
--Hotline:  IOM provided technical assistance to WIN to set 
up a 24-hour victim assistance hotline.  The hotline is 
receiving 10 to 30 calls per day. 
 
--Counselor Desk:  IOM assisted WIN in opening a permanent 
Counselor Desk at the Sri Lankan Police Headquarters in 
Colombo.  Victims may now meet a WIN counselor directly at 
the police station, rather than receiving a referral.  WIN 
reports that the desk receives a high volume of clients. 
 
¶C.  IOM noted that the ground situation has changed somewhat 
since the proposal for this project was written.  The 
original proposal included working with the Ministry of 
Justice (MOJ) to establish a Criminal Justice Advisory Board. 
 Since the proposal was written, however, the GSL has decided 
not to pursue establishment of the CJAB.  Instead, the MOJ 
plans to set up a research center for judges and lawyers. 
IOM has expressed interest in assisting this organization 
instead. 
 
¶D.  This project is being carried out in a country that is 
just beginning to acknowledge its trafficking problem and 
work to address it.   As a result, IOM must educate policy 
makers as it proceeds.  Post assesses that IOM has achieved 
adequate GSL "buy-in," making this project sustainable.  Its 
capacity building and training elements, aimed at the GSL and 
local NGOs, will have a lasting impact on Sri Lanka's ability 
to combat trafficking in persons and assist trafficking 
victims. 
 
¶E.  IOM has proven capacity and expertise in the area of 
counter-trafficking in persons.  Its Sri Lankan office has a 
dedicated counter-TIP division.  IOM provided adequate 
staffing for this project and has effective financial and 
personnel management systems in place.  The recent loss of 
IOM Sri Lanka's senior project manager, who had extensive 
experience on trafficking issues, has been difficult. 
However, TIP Division Head Navaratnam has been able to keep 
the project on track. 
 
¶F.  G/TIP may want to provide assistance to IOM in planning 
the study tour portions of this project.  IOM representatives 
noted uncertainty about how to identify the most appropriate 
GSL and NGO participants and how to set up a productive 
agenda for the tours.  Poloff encouraged IOM representatives 
to reach out to IOM headquarters for guidance. 
 
¶G.  The activities under this project directly address key 
deficiencies identified in the TIP report on Sri Lanka. 
Prosecutions and victim assistance and protection are two of 
the main areas for improvement highlighted in the TIP report 
on Sri Lanka.  Gaps in the overall TIP-focused assistance 
programming for Sri Lanka include funding for public 
awareness campaigns, media awareness initiatives, and 
coordination of trafficking policy between countries in the 
region. 
 
¶H.  IOM has made significant progress in executing this 
program, but may need to apply for a no-cost extension in 
order to complete the activities.  This project is a viable 
candidate for continued funding. 
BLAKE