VZCZCXRO2687
RR RUEHAST RUEHBI RUEHCI RUEHLH RUEHPW
DE RUEHCG #0214/01 1771101
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 251101Z JUN 08
FM AMCONSUL CHENNAI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1715
INFO RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 3154
RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 CHENNAI 000214 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR G/TIP GPATEL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KWMN KCRM ELAB PGOV PHUM PREF SOCI IN
 
SUBJECT: ANDHRA PRADESH: AN ANTI-TRAFFICKING MODEL FOR INDIA 
 
REFS:  A) 07 CHENNAI 445 B) 07 CHENNAI 103 C) 07 CHENNAI 77 
 
¶1.  Summary:  The South Indian state Andhra Pradesh has made great 
strides in combating trafficking in persons.  In what 
anti-trafficking NGOs describe as a "paradigm shift," the police, 
prosecutors, and the judiciary have all actively participated in 
training programs sponsored by the United Nations Office on Drugs 
and Crime (UNODC).  The results include a dramatic increase in 
arrests and prosecutions of traffickers, and, most significantly, 
the imposition of India's first lengthy sentences for convicted 
traffickers.  NGOs say that the UNODC-supported witness protection 
fund has been especially critical to obtaining convictions.  At the 
same time, NGOs are working with state government officials to 
create the livelihood opportunities necessary to rehabilitate 
victims of trafficking.  NGOs note that the booming economy of 
Andhra Pradesh's capital city Hyderabad draws internal migrants from 
all over India, forming a population that is vulnerable to 
exploitation and trafficking.  End summary. 
 
Arrests and convictions mark a "paradigm shift" 
------- 
 
¶2.  Andhra Pradesh's Inspector General of Police (Crime) S. Umapathi 
described major developments in the state's fight against 
trafficking in persons.  Umapathi told post that the state has made 
tangible strides by conducting anti-TIP raids, rescuing victims, 
initiating prosecutions and securing convictions.  According to 
Umapathi, in 2007 the state registered 669 cases while arresting 
1434 suspected traffickers; with an additional 126 cases registered 
against 280 traffickers in the first quarter of 2008.  Umapathi said 
most noteworthy was the imposition of ten-year sentences against 32 
traffickers, the first hefty sentencing levied on traffickers in 
India to his knowledge.  He added that, unlike in the vast majority 
of criminal cases in India, the Andhra Pradesh High Court refused 
bail in these cases so the convicts are actually incarcerated. 
Umapathi said that the state is now moving from targeting supply 
(the traffickers) to the demand side.  The authorities have closed 
nine brothels since January 2007, arresting 664 customers, but 
Umapathi acknowledged that all of the customers were released on 
bail after being charged under the Immoral Trafficking Prevention 
Act. 
 
¶3.  Umapathi attributed the large number of quick convictions to 
recent efforts to involve the judiciary in anti-trafficking efforts. 
 He cited 68 separate UNODC sponsored training programs conducted 
for police officers in which 32 of the state's High Court judges 
participated, as well as a UNODC colloquium bringing together judges 
and prosecutors to discuss TIP issues.  Umapathi added that the 
state's Chief Justice extended his personal support to the UNODC 
program.  He said the UNODC's "Victim's Witness Protection Fund" was 
critical to improving the conviction rate by helping courts and NGOs 
ensure the safety of victims who testified against traffickers. 
NGOs said Andhra Pradesh deserved special recognition for being the 
first state in India to heed the long ignored calls for effective 
witness protection as an element of the law enforcement strategy. 
 
¶4.  Several NGO representatives confirmed Umapathi's positive 
assessment of the strides Andhra Pradesh has made against 
trafficking in persons.  They were all impressed by the state's 
efforts and the UNODC project.  One described the progress in Andhra 
Pradesh as "a paradigm shift" on the part of enforcement agencies 
and the judiciary.  The NGO representatives share a common view that 
Andhra Pradesh's anti-trafficking efforts are a model for India. 
They acknowledged the importance of the UNODC as a catalyst, but 
also gave credit to the vital role played by numerous individual 
government officials.  The importance of the fight is expressed at 
the highest levels of state government, with the Chief Minister 
recently telling a gathering of the state's District Collectors that 
combating trafficking should be a priority for every district in the 
state.  The government is also putting its money where its mouth is: 
 the recently announced state budget included a first-time 
allocation of approximately $110,000 for victim rehabilitation. 
More encouragingly, NGOs believe the government may augment the 
UNODC-funded witness protection fund with own funds in next year's 
budget. 
 
NGOs provide livelihoods for victims 
------- 
 
¶5.  Inspector General Umapathi told us that Andhra Pradesh has 
rescued more than 1200 trafficking victims since January 2007. 
Visiting several NGO projects in Hyderabad, we observed efforts to 
assist trafficking victims.  The International Organization for 
Migration's (IOM) "Prevention and Assistance of Survivors of 
Trafficking" project (which received funding from the Bureau of 
Population, Refugees, and Migration) seeks to provide sustainable 
livelihoods to trafficking victims.  Working through local partner 
NGOs, IOM recently placed 28 trafficking victims in housekeeping 
positions at Hyderabad's new international airport.  IOM funding 
 
CHENNAI 00000214  002 OF 002 
 
 
also helped the state open a cafeteria at a government hospital that 
is run by trafficked victims.  IOM specifically commended the local 
government for its exemplary assistance to the project:  the 
District Collector provided the space at a concessional rate and 
waived the rent for six months.  The trafficking victims who work at 
the cafeteria told us that their new jobs have enhanced their self 
esteem and the modest $60 per month salary allows them to lead lives 
of dignity. 
 
Internal migration fuels trafficking 
------- 
 
¶6.  Hyderabad's economic boom, which has led to major infrastructure 
and real estate development projects, makes the city a destination 
for migrants from throughout India.  Ankuram, a well-respected NGO 
supported by the United Nations, conducted a study of the city's 
migrant population which revealed that 80 percent of the migrant 
workers are illiterate, the vast majority are from India's most 
deprived social segments (37% are from the Scheduled Castes; 36% 
from the Scheduled Tribes; and 25% from the Backward Castes), and 
84% are unskilled manual wage laborers who work in either 
construction or as domestic help.  They come from all over India in 
search of economic opportunities, including as far away as the 
northern states of Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Bihar. 
 
¶7.  Ankuram's report said that the migrants' low socio-economic 
status, lack of education, and distance from their homes makes them 
a vulnerable population.  They found that 40% of migrant children 
are not in school and either find work themselves or resort to 
begging.  Early marriage is rampant in migrant communities as girls' 
families marry them while they are young in the hopes of ensuring 
their safety and security.  The study showed that the women who do 
find work themselves experience a high incidence of physical, 
psychological, and sexual exploitation at the hands of their 
employers.  Moreover, Ankuram found that the "addas" -- the 
locations where migrants gather to find day labor -- have become 
"centers" for trafficking of women and children who are vulnerable 
when left at the addas after the men go off for work. 
 
Comment:  A model for India 
------- 
 
¶8.  Comment:  There is no doubt that trafficking in persons is a 
serious problem in India and that more needs to be done to combat 
this modern day scourge.  But Andhra Pradesh deserves to be 
congratulated for the steady progress the state has made in 
combating it (reftels).  As the NGOs we spoke with noted, Andhra 
Pradesh is a model for the rest of India.  They are especially 
encouraged by the increased number of prosecutions and convictions 
that has stemmed from training the police, prosecutors, and the 
judiciary on trafficking issues.  An independent evaluation team 
that recently visited India (including Andhra Pradesh) to examine 
the UNODC project confirmed that it has led to a steady stream of 
successes in combating trafficking in the state.  Civil society has 
an important role to play, but the Andhra Pradesh experience shows 
that real progress requires all levels of government to get serious 
about combating trafficking.  End comment. 
 
¶9.  This cable was coordinated with Embassy New Delhi. 
 
HOPPER