VZCZCXRO4363
RR RUEHGI RUEHRN RUEHROV
DE RUEHKM #0027/01 0120715
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 120715Z JAN 09
FM AMEMBASSY KAMPALA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1035
INFO RUEHXR/RWANDA COLLECTIVE
RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC//ICITAP//

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KAMPALA 000027 
 
DOJ FOR ICITAP, TREVILLIAN, RODERICK, BARR, AND BEINHART; DEPARTMENT 
FOR DS/IP/AF 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM KCRM KTIP KCRM KWMN SMIG ASEC UG
SUBJECT: UGANDAN ANTI-TIP EFFORTS IN HIGH GEAR; OVER 2,000 POLICE 
TRAINED IN TWO MONTHS 
 
¶1.  Summary: Over the past six months, the Government of Uganda has 
made impressive strides in its efforts to combat trafficking in 
persons.  The Bill for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons 
moved to the floor of Parliament and will be voted on when 
Parliament returns from recess in February.  Ugandan law enforcement 
authorities have embraced G/TIP-funded training and the expertise of 
a Department of Justice-provided Senior Law Enforcement Advisor 
(SLEA), which has resulted in the training of 2,010 law enforcement 
officers in a two-month period alone.  Inspector General of Police 
(IGP) Kale Kayihura has announced the formation of the 
counter-trafficking unit, pro-active investigation and police 
efforts, and the integration of anti-trafficking issues into 
training academies and community policing programs.  These recent 
developments represent a progression in the government's 
anti-trafficking efforts, resulting from increased public awareness 
of trafficking, the impending passage of the anti-trafficking law, 
and high level attention from President Museveni and key ministers. 
U.S. Government support for Uganda's counter-trafficking efforts, 
particularly assistance with the anti-trafficking bill and police 
training, is receiving significant mention in the press and within 
high-level government circles.  End Summary. 
 
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STATUS OF ANTI-TRAFFICKING LEGISLATION 
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¶2.  Uganda's Parliamentary Committee on Defense and Internal Affairs 
conducted extensive and well-publicized hearings on the Bill for the 
Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons in October and November 2008. 
Once passed as expected in February, the law will criminalize 
offenses related to human trafficking, such as labor and sexual 
exploitation, human sacrifice, and forced marriages.  The law will 
bring Ugandan laws up to international standards and protocols, and 
harmonize Ugandan law with the United Nations Convention Against 
Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) and the Protocol to Punish, 
Suppress, and Prevent Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and 
Children. 
 
¶3.  P/E Chief and SLEA were invited to appear before the committee 
to discuss the U.S. Government's experience with trafficking in 
persons on October 16.  In addition, post premiered a documentary 
entitled "Child Trafficking in Uganda: Modern Day Slavery" for the 
committee members and other parliamentarians on September 23.  The 
video was funded with USAID anti-trafficking funds channeled through 
the Mission's Small Grants Office.  P/E Chief, parliamentarians, and 
a network of anti-trafficking non-governmental organizations 
provided the expertise, victim stories, and editorial content for 
the documentary, which has been distributed throughout government, 
media, and law enforcement circles.  Meanwhile, SLEA worked closely 
with the committee's legal counsel to include additional provisions 
that would take away important tools used by human traffickers.  The 
committee included the SLEA's recommendation on the seizure and 
forfeiture of instruments of the crime of trafficking to enhance the 
bill's provision on forfeiture of proceeds of the crime. 
 
¶4.  On November 13, Committee Chairman Mathias Kasamba tabled the 
documentary and all of the U.S.-provided documents, including the 
Department's annual Trafficking in Persons Report and the Department 
of Justice's annual report on U.S. anti-trafficking efforts, when 
presenting the bill to the entire house.  He and other 
parliamentarians that spoke in favor of the bill recognized and 
thanked the U.S. for its support to the Uganda Women's Parliamentary 
Association (UWOPA), which was able to bring the legislation as a 
private members bill, the only such bill presented in this 
Parliament.  (Note: All bills originate with the government or are 
usurped by the government, with few exceptions, due to financial 
implications.  However, UWOPA gained the early support of Minister 
of Internal Affairs Ruhakana Rugunda, who supported its status as a 
private member bill.  The last private member bill was the People 
with Disabilities Act, which also received significant U.S. 
Government backing.  End Note.)  During the tabling, a procedural 
issue prevented Parliament from voting on the bill.  The issue was 
resolved and the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga, told 
the Ambassador on November 24 that Parliament will suspend the rules 
in order to pass the legislation when it returns from recess in 
February. 
 
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TRAINED TRAINERS TAKE OFF 
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¶5.  In November 2008, a trainer from DOJ's International Criminal 
Investigative Training and Assistance Program (ICITAP) joined the 
SLEA to provide a two week train-the-trainer course with 
participants from the Ugandan Police Force (UPF), Immigration, 
Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP), and the Ministry of Labor, 
Gender and Social Development (MGLSD).  The course emphasized the 
 
KAMPALA 00000027  002 OF 003 
 
 
process of human trafficking, current and pending Ugandan 
legislation, victims' rights, and duties of first responders.  In 
addition, current instructional methodologies for law enforcement 
training programs were taught through a combination of lectures and 
practical exercises.  The 27 participants were tasked with preparing 
a portion of the training materials to customize them for the 
Ugandan environment.  The training of investigators, prosecutors, 
immigration, and labor officials together helped forge a law 
enforcement team that recognizes the roles and expertise of 
counterparts in other agencies.  This could serve as a future 
training model for other cross-cutting issues, such as organized 
crime, money laundering, and terrorism. 
 
¶6.  Rugunda's attendance and pertinent remarks at the graduation for 
the trainees on November 21 demonstrated high-level attention and 
commitment to the issue.  He was joined by the Director for 
Immigration, Godfrey Sekagga, and Director of the Criminal 
Investigation Division, John Okoth Ochola.  Rugunda told the 
graduates that they were pioneers and formed the nucleus of Uganda's 
new anti-trafficking unit.  To add real life impact to the event, 
International Organization for Migration (IOM), which also receives 
U.S. support, arranged for a popular Ugandan singing group to 
perform a song about human trafficking based on the experience of 
one of the band members, who had narrowly avoided being trafficked 
herself. 
 
¶7.  The next week, 13 of the newly-trained instructors hit the road 
with the SLEA to provide a series of one-day sessions on "Combating 
Human Trafficking: First Responder Courses" in four locations 
throughout Uganda.  The new trainees from the four core law 
enforcement agencies, with strong support from the Minister of 
Internal Affairs, Inspector General of Police, Immigration Director, 
DPP, and MGLSD enthusiastically worked together to teach the course 
to 2,010 trainees in Kampala, Masindi, Mbarara, and Mbale, all 
identified as top priority areas for training.  One of the Ugandan 
trainers was so committed that he participated despite being hit by 
a car and seriously injured days before training others. 
 
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MORE POLICE INITIATIVES 
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¶8.  The UPF developed a 25 page anti-trafficking first responder 
pocket manual which was distributed to each of the 2,010 law 
enforcement personnel during the training programs. The manual 
contains the United Nations Protocol and current Ugandan laws, the 
duties of a first responder, and victim/suspect interviewing 
questions.  The SLEA provided expertise and advice during its 
development and continues to work with the UPF to develop a 
standardized in-service training program for methods of addressing 
and combating human trafficking.  These efforts will be integrated 
into the UPF's community policing initiatives. 
 
¶9.  Due to the success of the program, the Masindi Police Training 
Academy Commandant has requested that all 150 instructors receive a 
modified version of the human trafficking instructor development 
course in order to institutionalize the program within the academy 
and deepen the knowledge of the trainers.  The SLEA, ICITAP, and the 
trained UPF instructors will provide five monthly courses in order 
to accommodate this request beginning in March 2009. 
 
 
¶10.  President Museveni spoke out against child sacrifice and 
trafficking during several appearances over the holiday season.  On 
January 5, Minister of State for Internal Affairs Matia Kasaija and 
Kayihura held a press conference to publicize law enforcement's 
response.  Kayihura announced the establishment of an anti-human 
trafficking police unit to be housed under the Child and Family 
Protection Department.  This move comes in advance of the passage of 
the anti-TIP law, which provides for its creation.  The police will 
begin proactive law enforcement measures to counter trafficking, 
according to Kayihura.  This includes placing investigators with 
uniformed officers at checkpoints on roads leading into Kampala to 
identify potential victims and human traffickers beginning in 
January.  The IGP has also requested that ICITAP begin working with 
the Community Policing Unit to develop public awareness strategies 
and procedures for the gathering and sharing of information between 
the police and the public on trafficking issues.  The police have 
committed to establishing a hotline for tips from the public on 
trafficking. 
 
¶11.  As part of the ongoing reform program, Kayihura has initiated 
changes that will improve respect for the rights of victims and 
at-risk individuals.  He has adopted SLEA's recommendation that the 
UPF hold regular meetings on gender-based violence for its personnel 
to sensitize police officers on a range of issues, including 
domestic violence and child abuse.  These in-house meetings aim to 
 
KAMPALA 00000027  003 OF 003 
 
 
reinforce the UPF's commitment to protecting the rights of women and 
children. 
 
- - - - 
COMMENT 
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¶12.  Uganda's current efforts demonstrate what governments can do, 
with a bit commitment and political will, to enhance TIP 
prosecution, prevention, and protection efforts.  Targeted U.S. 
assistance, in the form of the expertise of a highly-motivated SLEA 
to train police and other first responders, as well as support for 
public awareness-raising and comprehensive anti-trafficking 
legislation, has been particularly critical for building a strong 
foundation for law enforcement agencies in Uganda.  Though in early 
stages, Ugandan law enforcement enthusiastically received the 
training and we expect to see its benefits, especially enhanced 
prosecution efforts, expand throughout the coming year.  The 
training will also improve the ability of the police and other 
agencies to investigate other crimes and criminal networks. 
Already, our NGO contacts are receiving increasing numbers of 
trafficking victims from the police for protection, a sign of 
growing public awareness, an enhanced law enforcement response, and 
a commitment to victim assistance. 
BROWNING