P 190826Z NOV 08
FM AMEMBASSY ABIDJAN
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4720
INFO ECOWAS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS ABIDJAN 000820 
 
 
STATE FOR AF/RSA, G:ACBLANK, AND G/TIP 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PREL PGOV SOCI SMIG KTIP KWMN KCRM IV
SUBJECT: G/TIP TIER 2 WATCH LIST INTERIM ASSESSMENT 
 
REF: STATE 110849 
 
¶1.  (U)  SUMMARY: In response to reftel, Poloff met with NGOs 
and government officials working on trafficking in persons 
(TIP) issues, but could not obtain meetings with key 
ministries, specifically the Ministries of Justice and 
Interior, despite repeated phone calls and follow-up letters 
from the DCM.  The Government of Cote d'Ivoire (GoCI) is 
entirely focused on the identification and voter registration 
process, leaving little time or energy for other issues, 
including TIP.  For this reason, the GoCI has made minimal 
progress on the TIP action items referred to in reftel.  END 
SUMMARY 
 
 
IDENTIFYING, INVESTIGATING, AND PROSECUTING TIP CASES 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
¶2.  (U)  Embassy was not able to obtain information on 
whether the Ministry of Justice has increased efforts to 
investigate and prosecute trafficking cases, because the key 
ministry official who works on TIP issues was not available 
to meet with the Embassy.  Perrine Nahounou, Director of the 
Department for Children and Youth, is currently spending all 
of her time working on the identification and registration 
process currently underway in Abidjan. Embassy has met with 
her deputies before, but those meetings were not productive, 
as Nahounou is the only person with concrete information on 
TIP issues. 
 
¶3.  (U)  In a meeting with Robale Kagohi of the International 
Cocoa Initiative (ICI) on October 23, Poloff learned that ICI 
and the Ministry of Justice are planning a series of training 
sessions on TIP issues for prosecuting judges, tentatively 
scheduled for January 2009.  ICI and the Ministry intend to 
train 75 judges through the program, which would involve 
three different training sessions during the year.  Kagohi 
said security and defense will participate in the training so 
that judges and police can find a common framework for 
handling TIP cases in the absence of an anti-TIP law. 
 
¶4.  (U)  Embassy could not obtain information as to whether 
the GoCI is developing formal procedures for identifying 
trafficking victims among women and girls in prostitution or 
whether sex trafficking victims are being penalized as 
criminals for acts committed as a direct result of being 
trafficked.  Poloff requested a meeting with the Chief of the 
Vice Brigade for the National Police, but learned that the 
person who held this position was recently transferred to 
another division.  Repeated phone calls and a letter from the 
DCM have not resulted in obtaining a meeting with her 
replacement.  Embassy will continue to press the Ministries 
of Justice and Interior for meetings to discuss these issues. 
 
 
GOVERNMENT COLLABORATION WITH NGOS 
---------------------------------- 
¶5.  (U)  On November 5, Poloff met with Pastor Klossail of 
Cote d'Ivoire-Prosperite, one of the only NGOs that works 
directly with female victims trafficked for sexual 
exploitation.  Klossail said that the government understands 
the TIP problem, but so far this understanding has not 
translated into concrete action.  He noted that his NGO 
enjoys a good relationship with the police commissioner's 
office, which has assisted in TIP-related cases, but so far 
has not seen any increase in the level of services the 
government provides to TIP victims trafficked for sexual 
exploitation. 
 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
¶6.  (U)  COMMENT:  Without meeting with officials at the 
Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Interior, it is 
difficult to gauge whether or not the government is 
concentrating on sex trafficking victims.  What is clear is 
that there is very little coordination and sharing of 
resources between ministries to find solutions to TIP-related 
problems.  The Ministry of Family, which theoretically has 
the responsibility to take the lead on TIP issues, has told 
the Embassy that sex trafficking cases are a matter for the 
Ministries of Justice and Interior.  Without strong 
leadership on the issue from a particular ministry - and by 
extension - a key official, it will be difficult for the 
government to collectively focus its efforts to combat the 
sex trafficking problem in Cote d'Ivoire.  END COMMENT 
 
 
NESBITT