VZCZCXRO7137
RR RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHRY #0330/01 1830742
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 010742Z JUL 08
FM AMEMBASSY CONAKRY
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2706
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 CONAKRY 000330 
 
DEPT FOR G/TIP AND DRL 
DOL FOR DIANTHA GARMS 
 
REF: CONAKRY 196 
 CONAKRY 197 
      CONAKRY 315 
      CONAKRY 320 
      CONAKRY 323 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12598:  N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL ASEC GV
SUBJECT: ANALYSIS OF TRANS-BORDER CHILD TRAFFICKING IN GUINEA 
 
¶1. (U) SUMMARY.  Following a series of investigative cables 
exploring child trafficking in Guinea (reftels), it is clear that in 
order to successfully address this issue, the USG and its partners 
must focus on three critical aspects of the problem:  supply, 
demand, and the traffickers themselves.  Ending child trafficking in 
Guinea requires: 1) recognizing and addressing the multiple cultural 
reasons Guinean children are especially vulnerable to child 
trafficking; 2) understanding and combating the demand in other 
countries for Guinean children; and 3) educating and training local 
officials, police, and border agents about child trafficking so as 
to apprehend, investigate and prosecute potential traffickers. END 
SUMMARY. 
 
-------------------------- 
2008 TIP REPORT FOR GUINEA 
-------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) Recent regional reporting pieces on child trafficking 
(reftels) have provided the Embassy with a broader understanding of 
trafficking in persons (TIP) in Guinea. While still a "source, 
transit, and destination" country for child trafficking, research 
suggests that Guinea is primarily a source country, and rarely is a 
destination point. Guinean children are frequently trafficked into 
Mali, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Cote d'Ivoire, Senegal and 
Guinea-Bissau.  Girls and women from Mali are being trafficked into 
Guinea for domestic servitude, but Embassy research revealed no 
evidence to suggest that children are being trafficked into Guinea 
from other neighboring countries.  Recent reporting also confirms 
that there is a high incidence of internal child trafficking within 
Guinea of children from villages being trafficked to larger cities, 
specifically Kankan, N'Zerekore and Conakry. 
 
¶3. (SBU) The regional reporting pieces corroborate previous Embassy 
information that the Government of Guinea demonstrates minimal law 
enforcement efforts, frequently dismissing cases and releasing 
alleged traffickers.  Of the multiple incidents investigated during 
the reporting trips, authorities, police and justice officials 
throughout the country could not point to a single child trafficking 
conviction. Frequently, alleged traffickers appear to simply vanish, 
or escape police custody after being apprehended. 
 
---------------------------------- 
SOURCE: GUINEAN CHILDREN VULNERABLE TO TRAFFICKING 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) Reporting suggests there are many cultural reasons Guinean 
children are especially vulnerable to trafficking. Traditional norms 
such as the concept of guardianship and Koranic study abroad provide 
children with new opportunities and a brighter future. 
Unfortunately, it is apparent that child traffickers have discovered 
these practices as loopholes to traffic children for exploitation. 
While not every instance of these practices leads to child 
trafficking, the prevalence, as well as the risk of exploitation, 
may be increasing, leading some authorities to ban the practices 
altogether. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Guardianship, also referred to as "confisage," is a 
tradition whereby a parent gives their child to a relative or member 
of village with the expectation that the child will get an education 
or learn a trade. Success stories of children who successfully get 
secondary education or a college degree fuel this practice. 
Unfortunately, reporting suggests that many local authorities, NGOs, 
and police in Guinea have serious concerns that child traffickers 
take advantage of these practices, using them as a cover to 
transport children for exploitation. Lack of reliable communications 
in Guinea makes it very difficult for parents to monitor whether 
their child is actually receiving an education, or being exploited. 
Poverty is a key factor supporting the continuation of these 
traditional practices. As parents become unable to provide food, 
education and health care for their child, they become increasingly 
likely to give the child to someone who they genuinely believe will 
provide for them. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Another related issue to guardianship is defining the term 
"relative." In Guinea, a relative is defined much more broadly than 
in most western cultures. For example, Guineans often refer to 
members of their ethnic group as relatives even if the blood 
connection is very distant. The Guinean concept of relative is one 
of community and trust, which allows for the practice of 
guardianship to occur. Unfortunately, reporting suggests that 
traffickers exploit this trust and respect. For example, in the 
village of Kiniebakoura near Siguiri, a mother described how she had 
 
CONAKRY 00000330  002 OF 003 
 
 
sent her ten year old daughter with an aunt to Abidjan. She 
explained that the relative could not have her own children, so the 
mother "could not say no." The mother later learned that the 
relative had given the girl to another woman to work as domestic 
help. When asked about the family relation, the woman said the 
"aunt" was actually a member of her husband's birth village in 
Abidjan, and could not provide any evidence of blood relation. 
 
¶7. (SBU) NGOs in Labe, Siguiri and Kankan all expressed frustration 
over the term "relative."  They noted that part of the battle 
against trafficking and exploitation involves changing parents' 
mentality in order to stop them from sending their children with 
people who could potentially exploit them. NGO work in villages 
focuses on explaining the risks of sending children with distant 
relatives, and stressing educating children within their own 
village. One village on the Malian border could not control the 
reportedly high number of parents sending children with relatives 
abroad, so the village chief instead instituted a minimum age for 
leaving the community for education or work abroad. 
 
¶8. (SBU) Another traditional practice exploited by child traffickers 
in Guinea is sending children with marabouts abroad to study the 
Koran.  Similar to guardianship, in the past many children 
successfully received Koranic education in Senegal and Mali and 
returned to share their stories. However, reporting suggests serious 
concerns from Guinean authorities, police, and NGOs that children 
sent to these programs are being exploited in Senegal and Mali. As 
marabouts often have parental consent to transport children, it is 
difficult for police and border agents to identify and apprehend 
potential child traffickers.  NGOs working to combat child 
trafficking in Guinea focus their attention on villages at the 
grassroots level, educating parents about the dangers of sending 
their child with marabouts. 
 
¶9. (SBU) Reporting suggests a serious need for more targeted 
sensitization campaigns aimed at villages in order to warn parents 
and children of the risks involved in these traditional practices. 
While Save the Children has been successful in their education 
programs in Siguiri and Mandiana, more community outreach is needed, 
especially in the Middle Guinea Prefectures of Koundara and Labe. 
In these prefectures, there appears to be a high incidence of 
children crossing Guinea's northern border with guardians and 
marabouts.  There is also an apparent lack of knowledge from 
authorities, police, and border agents in these areas as to the 
potential risks of these traditional practices. 
 
------------------- 
DEMAND FOR CHILDREN 
------------------- 
 
¶10. (SBU) Stopping child trafficking in Guinea means addressing the 
traditional practices that contribute to both supply and demand, in 
addition to arresting and punishing the actual traffickers.  While 
Guinea is often mentioned as a source country, its children are 
supplying an external a demand.  Since trafficking is a 
transnational issue, it is difficult to ascertain exactly why 
Guinean children are being trafficked throughout the region. Recent 
reporting indicates that Guinea is rarely a destination country for 
trafficking victims, at least with respect to trafficking over its 
main borders. There were numerous reports of Guinean children being 
trafficked out to neighboring countries but only one border (Mali) 
reportedly sees children being trafficked into Guinea. The apparent 
supply flow suggests that traffickers, and possibly even trafficking 
networks, are feeding a demand for children in Mali, Sierra Leone, 
Liberia, Cote d'Ivoire, Senegal and Guinea-Bissau. However, sources 
throughout the country could only provide theories as to where and 
why children are being trafficked.  NGO contacts in N'Zerekore and 
Forecariah both mentioned concern about the demand for Guinean 
children, and plan future research projects to gather information in 
Liberia and Sierra Leone, respectively. 
 
¶11. (SBU) Embassy reports also indicate that children are frequently 
being transported, and in large numbers, by marabouts for Koranic 
education in Senegal and Mali.  While some say this is a safe 
long-standing religious practice, others are confident that children 
are being forced into child labor, or begging on the streets.  The 
fact that groups of 5, 10, or 25 children frequently leave Guinea 
with self-proclaimed marabouts is suspicious.  It is likely that a 
number of Guinean children are attending legitimate Koranic schools 
in Senegal and Mali. However, there may also be a significant number 
of children transported under the auspices of attending one of these 
Koranic schools, who then fall victim to exploitation upon arrival. 
 
CONAKRY 00000330  003 OF 003 
 
 
Guinean officials have no way of determining whether marabouts are 
legitimate teachers or child traffickers. 
 
¶12. (SBU) Reporting indicates that information sharing across the 
border is needed in order to address demand issues. Research is 
necessary to determine exactly which towns and economic sectors of 
Mali, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Cote d'Ivoire, Senegal and 
Guinea-Bissau have a high prevalence of Guinean children, and the 
type of activities children are involved in. If Guinean authorities, 
police, border agents, and NGOs understood the demand for children 
in other countries they could more effectively combat the problem, 
thereby decreasing the vulnerability of Guinea as a source country. 
 
 
------------------------------------ 
APPREHENDING, INVESTIGATING, AND PROSECUTING TRAFFICKERS 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶13. (SBU) Stopping traffickers requires vigilance and coordination 
amongst local authorities, police, and border agents. Of the 
multiple alleged trafficking incidents investigated during the 
reporting trips, officials throughout the country could not point to 
a single child trafficking conviction. Alleged traffickers often 
disappear or escape police custody after being apprehended. 
Reporting suggests that officials in all four of Guinea's natural 
regions have heard of child trafficking, and most say they are 
trying to combat it. Recent incidents in Forecariah have been 
broadcasted over the radio and many authorities and police have been 
part of NGO education campaigns. While the claim of "vigilance" is 
widespread, it is not clear whether officials know exactly what 
child trafficking is or how to be vigilant. 
 
¶14. (SBU) However, reporting suggests that authorities are confused 
about the difference between child trafficking and child abduction. 
Authorities in Sangaredi released alleged traffickers because the 
marabouts had parental consent so "it was not a trafficking case." 
When authorities and police in Siguiri and Mandiana were asked about 
child trafficking cases, recent child abductions cases were offered 
while incidents of marabouts traveling with 5, 10, or 15 children 
were overlooked. Border agents in Koundara admitted to allowing 
marabouts to cross with multiple children, even if "the marabouts 
appear to be mistreating the children since some of them are scared, 
hungry and tired when they reach the checkpoint." 
 
¶15. (SBU) There appears to be two main reasons for the confusion 
about child trafficking. First, reporting indicates that police and 
border agents regard parental consent as a "free-pass" over the 
border without further investigation, even though they may be 
suspicious of maltreatment and exploitation. As guardians and 
marabouts usually have parental consent, police and border agents 
are effectively blocked from apprehending potential child 
traffickers.  Police and border agents report only investigating 
incidents where parental consent is not adequately demonstrated. At 
one of Guinea's borders, an agent said he was powerless to act when 
someone has parental consent, saying that he is suspicious of the 
intent of the guardian, "but there is nothing we can do."  Secondly, 
the traditional practices themselves complicate apprehensions and 
prosecutions. As border agents and police are not aware of the 
potential risks of these practices, they cannot be vigilant of 
suspected child traffickers. 
 
¶16. (SBU) Recent reporting suggests that because these issues 
complicate investigations, police focus only on prosecuting cases of 
children who are abducted and then trafficked. While child abduction 
is a relatively straightforward and a convictable offense, child 
trafficking that includes guardianship, marabouts and parental 
consent is convoluted and difficult to convict. It is apparent from 
Embassy reporting that police do not know how to investigate and 
prosecute cases when the child has not been abducted. Guinean police 
and border agents require education regarding the definition and 
types of child trafficking, training in how to recognize potential 
traffickers, and assistance in investigating complicated child 
trafficking cases. 
 
CARTER