VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBU #1041/01 2101310
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 281310Z JUL 08
FM AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1636
RUCNMER/MERCOSUR COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 001041 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
 
G/TIP FOR LAGON, FLECK, AND SIGMON 
WHA/BSC FOR DRUCKER AND SHOWELL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ELAB PHUM PREL SMIG SNAR KJUS KCRM KWMN AR
SUBJECT: ARGENTINA: VISITING G/TIP AMBASSADOR MEETS WITH TIP 
ACTIVISTS AND OFFICIALS 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary. On June 19, Ambassador Wayne hosted a TIP 
roundtable in honor of Ambassador-at-large to Monitor and Combat 
Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Mark Lagon to discuss Argentina's 
efforts in the fight against TIP.  Participants included 
working-level GOA officials, NGOs, and a representative from the 
Catholic Church.  Participants observed that TIP is now an issue 
that is on the national public agenda.  However, their views on the 
new anti-TIP law were mixed, with the GOA and the Church calling it 
a step in the right direction, and the NGOs considering the law 
insufficient, particularly in regard to the issue of victim's 
consent.  All noted the need for: 1) greater interagency 
coordination in the fight against TIP; 2) advanced TIP training of 
judges, prosecutors, and law enforcement officials; 3) greater 
resources devoted to victims' protection and assistance.  One NGO 
offered a dire view on the use of sweatshop labor in Argentina, but 
two participants privately told us that, although forced labor is a 
problem, they considered that NGO's description as sensationalist. 
END SUMMARY. 
 
--------------------------------------------- 
On the Right Track, But Still a Long Way to Go 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) On June 19, Ambassador Wayne hosted a TIP roundtable in 
honor of Ambassador-at-large to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in 
Persons (TIP) Mark Lagon to discuss Argentina's efforts in the fight 
against TIP.  Participants included working-level GOA officials, 
NGOs, and a representative of the Catholic Church.  Ambassador Lagon 
kicked off the discussion by explaining that the purpose of his 
visit to Argentina was to encourage authorities to fight human 
trafficking and seek ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation in 
this effort.  He said that recent passage of the anti-trafficking 
law was a positive step and that now the GOA needs to focus on 
implementing the law, "which is the hard part".  He asked 
participants to share their views on the GOA response in combating 
TIP. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
Participants see Progress, But More Needs to be Done 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) Participants agreed that years of public awareness 
campaigns by the International Organization for Migration, the GOA, 
the media, and the civil sector have finally put TIP on the national 
public agenda.  They said that this was a positive development, as 
the problem was "hidden and ignored" for many years.  Reviews of 
Argentina's new TIP law, however, were mixed.  GOA participants and 
a Catholic Church representative noted that the law was a step in 
the right direction.  Others who criticized the law considered that 
the only positive element of the law was that it made human 
trafficking a federal crime.  One participant called the law an act 
of  "smoke and mirrors" since the burden of proof falls on the adult 
victims and not on the traffickers. 
 
¶4. (SBU) They also noted the need for greater interagency 
coordination and cooperation on the issue.  One NGO participant 
observed that "interagency coordination is nonexistent" and 
complained that the GOA often turns to NGOS to provide assistance to 
trafficking victims since the GOA lacks an action plan and the 
resources to provide victim services itself.  A Church 
representative pointed out that the GOA cannot combat the problem 
alone, and that it should work with NGOs to effectively address the 
problem.  One GOA official who works on TIP investigations expressed 
frustration with the highly bureaucratic nature of seeking 
international cooperation in TIP cases beyond Argentina's borders. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
Judicial Sector and Law Enforcement Need Training 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶5. (SBU) In the area of prosecution, a GOA participant praised the 
work that federal prosecutors have been doing in this area, but 
criticized the actions of many federal and provincial judges.  All 
participants agreed that training government, judicial, and law 
enforcement officials at the working level would be paramount to the 
successful implementation of the anti-TIP law. 
 
------------------------------------------- 
Resources for Victim Assistance Inadequate 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) NGO participants expressed frustration that neither they, 
nor the GOA, have sufficient resources to provide adequate victims' 
assistance.  One participant criticized the Argentine Ministry of 
Justice (MOJ) for its lack of cooperation in the area of victim 
protection and assistance.  Another alleged that the Minister of 
Justice Anibal Fernandez was making all GOA anti-trafficking efforts 
 
go through his office, personally, and not including other 
government agencies that have been helpful in this area, such as the 
MOJ's own Human Rights Secretariat.  Still another noted that while 
the federal government is trying to define which agencies will take 
the lead on anti-TIP efforts, provinces, such as Santa Fe, Tucuman, 
and Neuquen are moving forward in developing mechanisms to assist 
victims and prosecute traffickers.  All noted the need to allocate 
adequate resources for anti-trafficking efforts in order to make the 
law work. 
 
---------------------------------- 
Views on Forced Labor in Argentina 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) Turning to the issue of forced labor in Argentina, a 
representative from La Alameda, an NGO and labor cooperative 
comprised of former forced labor victims at great length painted a 
highly pessimistic picture of sweatshop labor in Argentina.  He 
alleged that most urban centers in Argentina use sweatshop labor, 
and that his organization has worked with the Buenos Aires City 
Ombudsman's Office to file complaints against 85 brand name garment 
manufacturers on TIP and forced labor charges.  He asserted that 
sweatshops are often used to "launder drug money and claimed that 
many sweatshops are also drug kitchens with forced labor victims 
sometimes serving as drug mules.  He also accused the GOA of 
covering up TIP crimes while pretending to fight human traffickers 
at the same time.  He criticized the GOA's Patria Grande plan, which 
was designed to normalize the status of over a million undocumented 
workers in Argentina, claiming that the plan helped traffickers 
avoid penalties for employing undocumented workers during labor 
inspections.  (Comment:  While this organization has had a strong 
working relationship with the Buenos Aires City Ombudsman's Office, 
two participants privately told POL FSN that some of their claims 
tend toward the sensationalist.  End comment.) 
 
¶8. (SBU) In closing, Ambassador Lagon thanked participants for their 
views and stressed the need for both countries to continue working 
together as partners in the fight against modern-day slavery.  He 
stressed that one of his main messages worldwide is that governments 
need to work with, trust, and support NGOs as assets and partners, 
something that even democratic governments must do better.  He 
encouraged all participants to remain committed to fighting this 
crime, regardless of the obstacles. 
 
¶9. (U) This cable was cleared by G/TIP. 
 
WAYNE