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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 09 DAMASCUS 000139 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
G/TIP, G, INL, DRL, PRM, NEA/RA, NEA/ELA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM ASEC ELAB KCRM KFRD KWMN KTIP PREF SMIG
SY 
SUBJECT: SYRIA: 2008 TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS REPORT 
 
REF: 08 STATE 00132759 
 
DAMASCUS 00000139  001.2 OF 009 
 
 
¶1. (U) The following is Post's submission of the annual 
trafficking in persons report.  The Embassy's point of 
contact is Anthony A. Deaton.  Office telephone: (963) (11) 
3391-3207.  Fax: (963) (11) 3391-3999.  The officer spent 35 
hours in preparation of the report, which is structured to 
answer reftel. 
 
--------- 
CHECKLIST 
--------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) 23.A: The Syrian Arab Republic government (SARG) has 
not, traditionally, made information publicly available on 
police activities in general.  Regarding trafficking in 
persons (TIP) cases, the relevant government offices and 
police authorities do not have sufficient training and 
experience to assess trafficking problems in the country 
accurately enough to make them a reliable source of 
information.  As a result, there are no reliable statistics. 
Post sources on TIP come from a range of local human rights 
contacts, lawyers, and women's issues advocates, the United 
Nations High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR) (protect), the 
United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) (protect), the 
International Office for Migration (IOM) (protect), and other 
members of the international diplomatic community.  Post 
considers the aforementioned sources to be trustworthy.  We 
note, however, that UNHCR, UNRWA, and IOM do not want to be 
named in any State Department reporting critical of the 
Syrian government for fear it will seriously jeopardize their 
future access to Syrian government officials and undermine 
their work in the country (COMMENT: Post concurs with these 
organizations' concerns. END COMMENT).  Currently, there is 
an anti-trafficking law pending review and revision by the 
Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and the Parliament. 
This law, if passed, would represent the first law in the 
country providing a legal foundation for defining TIP and a 
framework within which law enforcement could take action 
against traffickers.  At this stage it cannot be presumed 
passage of such a law would mean that the SARG would be 
forthcoming with numbers of cases pursued or victims assisted. 
 
¶3. 23.A-Continued: In an effort to further document TIP 
issues, Post has informed our international NGO contacts of 
our desire to begin the first cautious steps of establishing 
a professional rapport with our Syrian counterparts.  While 
we doubt the government will offer Post any reliable 
information on TIP issues, we believe that a fuller 
explanation of the TIP report, the significance of the tier 
system, and the USG's interest in seeing SARG officials 
champion anti-TIP measures that will protect victims, will 
encourage the SARG to commit to anti-trafficking legislation 
and long-term capacity building strategies with relevant 
public and private sector actors. 
 
¶4. (SBU) 23.B: Consistent with the 2007 TIP report, Post 
sources contend that in 2008 Syria was not a country of 
origin for trafficking, nor was trafficking systematic 
throughout the country.  While there is prostitution in the 
major cities, it is difficult to discern what percentage of 
prostitutes were trafficked.  Nor was there any official 
information on whether women, Syrian or foreign, were 
trafficked internally for purposes of sex work or other forms 
of forced labor. Anecdotal evidence suggests that there may 
be as many as several thousand women who fall into this 
category. Given the size of the domestic-worker market and 
the laxity of government oversight of recruitment agencies, 
it is likely most instances of trafficking in Syria are 
labor-oriented.  According to a January 12 article in the 
Jakarta Post, the Indonesian Ministry of Manpower and 
Transmigration reported that 75,000 Indonesians working 
without documents in Syria had requested assistance from the 
 
DAMASCUS 00000139  002.2 OF 009 
 
 
ministry with the process of "legalization." In the same 
article, Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Otri claimed there 
were only 7,000 illegal migrants currently working in Syria. 
Sources state, however, that individuals trafficked into the 
country (especially from Iraq) for purposes of sex or labor 
might be subject to further trafficking within the country's 
national boundaries.  UNHCR identified 800 Iraqi women in 
Syria in 2008 who were victims of sexual gender-based 
violence; it could not confirm, however, how many were 
victims of trafficking. There have been no substantive 
changes since the 2007 TIP report. 
 
¶5. (SBU) 23.C: Anecdotal evidence from Embassy sources 
suggest that most trafficking victims are women forced into 
domestic labor or prostitution.  There are two categories of 
trafficking victims associated with sex-oriented 
entertainment.  First, there are women from Eastern Europe, 
former Soviet states, Somalia, and Morocco who are employed 
as dancers and then forced to live in unacceptable conditions 
due to their low wages.  Their employers, it has been 
reported, hold their passports and restrict the number of 
hours the dancers can leave the work premises.  The women are 
coerced by their employers to prostitute themselves in order 
to improve their living standards.  There are no official 
estimates on the numbers.  The second group of women affected 
by the sex-trade are economically deprived Iraqis.  There are 
no official estimates on the numbers.  Complicating the 
matter is that some Iraqi women and girls who turn to 
prostitution out of economic desperation are then trafficked 
back into Syria after they are arrested and deported from 
Syria.  Anecdotal evidence suggests Iraqi families arrange 
for young girls to work in clubs and to be "married," often 
mulitple times, to men for the sole purpose of prostitution. 
We lack, however, any reliable estimates.  The working and 
living conditions for these women are probably similar to 
those experienced by Eastern Europeans and women from former 
Soviet states.  Further, some of the Iraqi women are 
trafficked through Syria to Kuwait, Dubai, and Lebanon. 
 
¶6. (SBU) 23.C-Continued: While the prostitution industry is 
the more high-profiled destination for trafficked women, 
domestic labor industry is arguably the most common 
destination.  Many women are recruited to work in Syria as 
domestic servants from Southeast Asia and Ethiopia.  There 
are reports from NGOs that sometimes these women are forced 
to live like captive slaves with the families they serve. 
When they arrive in the country, either the recruitment 
agency or the hiring family keeps the women's passports. 
This tactic prevents women who are subjected to 
lower-than-promised pay and/or physical violence from leaving 
their employers. 
 
¶7. (SBU) 23.D: Embassy contacts contend that Iraqi refugee 
women and girls are the most vulnerable to trafficking for 
the purposes of sex due to the economic hardships they face 
in Syria (and Iraq).  Economically deprived women from 
Eastern Europe, former Soviet States, and parts of Africa are 
also vulnerable.  In July 2007, The Ukrainian news outlet 
Kiev Unian broke up a trafficking ring and discovered that 
five women from Kyiv were "sold to a brothel in Damascus" 
where they had to work for four months.  The women most 
vulnerable to being trafficked for labor are from rural 
Southeast Asia and East Africa.  Again, these women are at 
risk primarily because they come from impoverished areas and 
are lured by the temptation of a gainful employment.  IOM 
reported that some individuals, both men and women, who are 
transiting Syria in search of employment in Turkey or Europe, 
become vulnerable to trafficking when they run out of travel 
funds and find themselves trapped in Syria when they are 
unable to make it to the Turkish border. 
 
¶8. (SBU) 23.E: Employers from both Syria and the women's home 
countries reportedly recruit the women as dancers and have 
 
DAMASCUS 00000139  003.2 OF 009 
 
 
them sign a contract that stipulates a very low wage in Syria 
with the understanding that they will be paid more under the 
table upon arrival.  Once they arrive, the dancers are told 
they can earn additional money from prostitution, especially 
during the three or so hours they are authorized to leave the 
club each day.  International organizations have, by and 
large, not focused on the issue of Eastern European women 
trafficked to Syria as dancers.  Post has an unreliable 
estimate that several hundred women may be employed thusly in 
unacceptable conditions. 
 
¶9. (SBU) 23.E-Continued: While there are reports that Iraqi 
and Syrian gangs work alone and in tandem in trafficking 
women for the sex industry, government and law enforcement 
authorities have not presented any quantifiable evidence on 
gang activity.  One local businessman told us that there were 
50 "casinos" operating beyond the mountains north of 
Damascus.  These "casinos" were unlicensed joint ventures 
between the Syrian and resident-Iraqi mafias that exploited 
young Iraqi and Moroccan girls in brothel-like conditions. 
The explanations for the conditions under which these women 
and girls entered the country vary widely.  Many point to the 
gangs.  Others state that in some cases Iraqis (both men and 
women) bring Iraqi women and girls into Syria who are falsely 
listed as wives and daughters on the traffickers' passports. 
In other cases, a trafficker may legally bring an Iraqi woman 
who is his wife through a "pleasure marriage," (which can be 
quickly and easily solemnized and then dissolved) to Syria 
and then transfer her to the proprietor of a nightclub or 
brothel.  There are even more extreme anecdotal reports 
wherein desperate Iraqi families abandon their children at 
the border with the expectation that traffickers on the 
Syrian side will pick them up and arrange forged documents so 
the young women and girls can stay in Syria in exchange for 
working in a nightclub or brothel.  In still other cases, the 
traffickers may seek new passports for the women and girls 
before "selling" them to third-country nationals for 
employment in Lebanon, Dubai, and Kuwait. 
 
¶10. (SBU) 23.E-Continued: Throughout the Syria, there are 
dozens of unlicensed domestic labor recruitment agencies that 
lure women to Syria with false promises about the quality of 
life and work as a domestic (Note: the governments of Sri 
Lanka, Indonesia, East Timor, and the Philippines ban their 
citizens from taking employment as domestic workers in the 
country, absent formal mechanisms to regulate such 
employment, although at least with regard to Indonesians and 
Sri Lankans, the ban has not stopped the flow of workers into 
the country.)  Recruitment agencies and/or employers maintain 
custody of the women's passports and force them to work long 
hours, often without providing living quarters that would 
guarantee personal privacy.  An officer at IOM told us that 
these women are sometimes given rooms hardly larger than a 
closet, too small for either a bed or to fully recline.  In 
addition, the workers are often not allowed to leave the 
residence in which they are employed.  There were reports 
that employers sometimes beat domestic workers who disobeyed 
their orders.  Some women do manage to escape their 
employers, however, and an informal network of escapees has 
formed to assist each other.  IOM estimated approximately 
17,000 Philippine women were loosely connected in a network 
that provides assistance to escapees from abusive domestic 
labor situations. 
 
¶11. (SBU) 24.A:  During the year, the SARG showed increasing 
awareness that TIP was a problem in the country that required 
official action.  This was reflected in the draft legislation 
currently under review and revision with the Cabinet and 
Parliament.  Further, the SARG (through the offices of the 
Ministry of Social Affairs) worked with a local NGO on TIP 
issues; this included donating building space in Damascus and 
Aleppo for the opening of the first-ever shelters dedicated 
to assisting female victims of trafficking. 
 
DAMASCUS 00000139  004.2 OF 009 
 
 
 
¶12. (SBU) 24.B: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), the 
Ministry of Social Affairs (MSA), the Ministry of Justice 
(MOJ), and the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) are the four 
government bodies working most directly on anti-trafficking 
efforts.  On victim assistance programs, the MSA is the 
SARG's designated lead agency for this issue, and throughout 
the year had a good working relationship with local NGOs.  On 
enforcement issues, the MOI has taken the lead.  The MOI 
claims it has, along with the police, worked hard to 
prosecute individuals for crimes associated with domestic 
labor trafficking.  Our contacts believe, however, that any 
cases brought against such individuals will be weak given 
that no anti-trafficking law yet exists.  Finally, the Syrian 
Parliament has worked closely with the IOM on drafting the 
current anti-trafficking legislation under review/revision. 
 
¶13. (SBU) 24.C: The biggest obstacle to SARG action against 
trafficking in persons is the lack of an anti-trafficking 
law.  Without a law, police have no standard upon which to 
identify potential victims and little incentive to 
investigate any organized criminal activity in this area. 
The SARG is aware of this conundrum and is prepared to allow 
its police to participate in an IOM-designed 
capacity-building training program aimed at helping law 
enforcement identify and assist victims of trafficking.  Post 
has no information on how the SARG will dedicate funding to 
TIP issues.  Culturally, TIP-related issues raise the risk of 
embarrassment to a conservative society that does not address 
labor or sexual exploitation publicly.  It is probable that 
TIP will be a front-burner issue for the SARG only to the 
extent that TIP-programs are financed by non-Syrian 
actors/agencies. 
 
¶14. (SBU) 24.C-Continued: On December 3-4, 27 members of the 
Syrian Parliament and other SARG officials participated in an 
IOM-sponsored consciousness-raising workshop on TIP issues. 
This workshop was intended as a follow-up to a 2007 workshop 
with Parliament that focused on how to draft 
counter-trafficking legislation. 
 
¶15. (SBU) 24. D: For the past two years, the SARG has 
enforced Decree 81, which was issued in 2006 to regulate the 
activities of domestic worker agencies.  Because there is 
little transparency in law enforcement operations, the number 
of arrests and convictions remained unknown at year's end. 
Although in the past we reported that there were no reports 
of government corruption connected to the enforcement of 
Decree 81, we learned this year that the SARG dismissed 12 
individuals from government positions on the grounds of 
corruption connected to the enforcement of the law.  The IOM 
estimated that in 2008, as in 2007, there were five 
registered domestic worker agencies operating legally in the 
country and many more operating illegally.  Post has learned 
from contacts that when women are arrested for prostitution 
and subsequently identified as victims of trafficking 
(usually by nuns who have access to detention centers), they 
permit UNHCR and IOM to refer these women to shelters and/or 
coordinate with the women's home country governments to 
facilitate safe return to their homes.  With Iraqi women this 
intercession is critical in that deportation could lead to 
their being re-trafficked back into Syria. 
 
-------------------------------------------- 
INVESTIGATION AND PROSECUTION OF TRAFFICKERS 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶16. (SBU) 25.A: Syria has no laws that specifically prohibit 
trafficking in persons, although there is a 1961 
anti-prostitution law that imposes punishment and 
criminalizes bringing people into the country for the purpose 
of prostitution, according to an IOM-sponsored study. 
Moreover, for individuals who facilitate travel of Syrian 
 
DAMASCUS 00000139  005.2 OF 009 
 
 
women abroad to work as prostitutes, article 3 of Law 10 
(1961) stipulates imprisonment of one to five years and a 
fine of 1,000 to 5,000 Syrian pounds (about $20 to $100).  If 
more than one victim is involved, or if the victim is less 
than 16 years old or is a paid servant, the maximum sentence 
increases to seven years.  Direct text follows. 
 
"Whoever entices a male under the age of 21 or a female of 
whatever age to leave the United Arab Republic (Note: Egypt 
and Syria were one country at the time), facilitates his/her 
departure, uses or accompanies him/her abroad to work in 
prostitution, and all those knowing the purpose of the 
departure and who assist in the process, shall be given a one 
to five-year imprisonment and a fine of 1,000 to 5,000 Syrian 
pounds (approximately $20 to $200), and the maximum penalty 
would be imprisonment of seven years if the crime was 
committed against two or more persons." 
 
¶17. (SBU) 25.A-Continued:  There are other legal texts in 
Syria that could further augment the anti-trafficking law 
currently in draft form, according to IOM.  For instance, 
Section 555 of the General Penal Code states "whoever 
incarcerates another person will be subjected to a prison 
sentence of six months to two years."  Section 556 states 
that "if the incarceration (of the victim by perpetrator) 
lasts for more than one month or includes torture, the 
sentence will include hard labor."  Decree 29 of 1970, which 
regulates the immigration of foreigners, stipulates that "any 
foreigner who tries to enter the country with false 
documentation and anyone who may have aided that foreigner is 
subject to imprisonment of three months to one year and a 
fine of 500 Syrian Pounds ($10) to 2,000 ($40)."  In 
practice, however, these laws are not targeted toward, or 
enforced against, traffickers. 
 
¶18. (SBU) 25.A-Continued: In addition, the Syrian 
Constitution provides for regulation of working hours. 
Decree 81 of 2006 regulates domestic worker agencies and 
provides general guidelines for employee contracts.  The 
decree stipulates that worker rights be respected, especially 
"provision of clothing, food, medicine, acceptable place for 
sleep and rest of the worker," the payment of "the monthly 
salary at the end of each month," "sufficient periods for 
rest and annual leave," and that the employer not "abuse or 
beat (the employee) under the threat of judicial prosecution 
in accordance with the existing laws and regulations." 
 
¶19. (SBU) 25.A-Continued: The General Penal Code also 
provides punishments for the exploitation of prostitution by 
force, fraud, and/or coercion. 
  --Article 510 states:  "Whoever attempts to seduce or take 
away a girl or woman under/above the age of 21, with or 
without her consent, by means of deception, violence, 
threats, use of force or other compulsory means shall receive 
a three-year imprisonment and a fine of 300 Syrian Pounds 
($6)." 
 
¶20. (SBU) 25.B: There are no prescribed or imposed penalties 
for trafficking people for the purpose of sex.  As stated 
above, several articles of the General Penal Code, however, 
could be applied to trafficking cases. 
 
¶21. (SBU) 25.C: There are no prescribed or imposed penalties 
for trafficking people for the purpose of labor.  Again, some 
articles of the General Penal Code, as described above, could 
be used in trafficking cases.  Additionally, there are 
possible punishments for illegally hiring juveniles--namely a 
fine of up to 1,000 Syrian Pounds ($20)--but IOM believes 
them to be an insufficient deterrent. 
 
¶22. (SBU) 25.D: The General Penal Code of 1949, and revised 
in 1985, outlines penalties for rape and forcible sexual 
assault.  The minimum sentence for rape or sexual assault is 
 
DAMASCUS 00000139  006.2 OF 009 
 
 
three years in prison; the maximum sentence is 15 years--or 
21 years if the victim is a minor between the ages of 12 and 
¶15.  If the victim is less than 12 years old, the minimum 
sentence is 15 years imprisonment.  However, the perpetrator 
is absolved of all criminal guilt if he agrees to marry the 
victim.  If the victim is too young for marriage, the rapist 
receives a longer prison sentence.  For kidnapping women, the 
penalty is three to seven years in prison.  The penalty for 
deflowering a virgin is five years.  The penalty for 
molestation of a minor less than 15 years of age is 18 months 
in prison. 
 
¶23. (SBU) 25.E: Post is unaware of anyone prosecuted for 
trafficking people for sexual exploitation or for labor 
during the reporting period. 
 
¶24. (SBU) 25.F: On December 3-4, 2008, IOM held a two-day 
"consciousness-raising" workshop with members of parliament 
and other government officials on TIP issues.  The government 
itself has not, to date, provided training on its own.  In 
January 2008, the IOM and MOI conducted training for police, 
lawyers and judges designed to assist in the identification 
and assistance of victims of trafficking.  In addition, the 
IOM conducted training in December 2007 began to train MOI 
immigration officials on border management, including a 
component on trafficking.  This training is on-going. The 
government agreed to allow IOM to provide future training for 
government officials and law enforcement agents once the 
anti-trafficking legislation passed into law. 
 
¶25. (SBU) 25.G: The SARG discussed the issue of cooperation 
on combating human trafficking with Iraq during a 2006 
meeting of Ministers of Interior of Iraq's neighboring 
countries, but no formal language ever emerged from those 
talks.  In May 2007, the SARG agreed to the additional 
provisions of the U.N. Convention of the Elimination of All 
Forms of Discrimination Against Women.  The government did 
assist foreign embassies and IOM with cases involving 
trafficked individuals. 
 
¶26. (SBU) 25.H: Post is not aware of any instances where 
traffickers have been extradited. 
 
¶27. (SBU) 25.I: Post received no evidence of SARG involvement 
or tolerance of trafficking.  While increased international 
media stories on Iraqi refugees turning to prostitution has 
caused the government to look more closely at the small 
brothel industry here, there was not a concerted and public 
effort to shut down such establishments during the reporting 
period. 
 
¶28. (SBU) 25.J: In 2007, according to NGO contacts, the SARG 
dismissed 12 civil servants implicated in corrupt behavior 
connected with facilitating the operation of unlicensed 
domestic labor recruitment agencies.  Post was unaware of any 
criminal prosecutions of government officials for complicity 
in trafficking-related crimes during the reporting period. 
 
¶29. (SBU) 25.K: The Syrian General Penal Code's Debauchery 
Law criminalizes prostitution of any kind.  Prostitution is 
defined as occurring when any person "lures, seduces, 
induces, assists with, or facilitates another person's 
commitment of fornication or adultery (regardless of whether 
there was a financial benefit).  The penalty for prostitution 
under the penal code is imprisonment for three months to 
three years and payment of a fine of 1,000 to 3,000 Syrian 
Pounds (approximately $20 to $60).  In the past, Post has 
received anecdotal reports that cabarets (also locally 
referred to as "casinos") with dancers who double as 
prostitutes operated throughout Syria with the knowledge of 
local police who are bribed to ignore the problem. 
 
¶30. (SBU) 25.L: Syria did not contribute troops to 
 
DAMASCUS 00000139  007.2 OF 009 
 
 
international peacekeeping efforts during the reporting year. 
 
¶31. (SBU) 25.M: Post has no direct evidence of child sex 
tourism in Syria.  There are reports, however, that citizens 
of other Middle Eastern countries visit Syria for sex 
tourism, partially due to the large influx of Iraqi refugee 
prostitutes.  There is anecdotal evidence from religious 
workers and NGOs that some of the Iraqi prostitutes are 
minors.  It is unclear to what extent, if any, visitors come 
to Syria for the express purpose of pursuing sexual relations 
with underage women. 
 
------------------------------------ 
PROTECTION AND ASSISTANCE TO VICTIMS 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶32. (SBU) 26.A: In the absence of counter-trafficking 
legislation, the government has no specific legal framework 
within which it can prosecute trafficking crimes.  Therefore, 
there are no witnesses to be protected.  Victims of 
trafficking are not legally identified as such.  While the 
government might assist them through an informal referral 
process to NGO-sponsored shelters, it has no existing legal 
protections to extend.  According to NGO contacts, the MOI is 
considering whether to open a special Trafficking Bureau if 
the anti-trafficking draft legislation passes into law. 
 
¶33. (SBU) 26.B: There are three main women's shelters in 
Damascus (anecdotal evidence suggests religious organizations 
may run several other unlicensed shelters) and one soon to be 
opened in Aleppo.  The first is an unlicensed operation 
administered by the Catholic Good Shepherd Sisters that 
operates with the knowledge of the SARG.  The second, called 
"Oasis of Hope," is a licensed shelter dedicated to assisting 
victims of domestic violence.  The third is a shelter for 
women who are victims of trafficking and it is co-located 
with the domestic violence shelter.  All but Oasis of Hope 
are open to women of any nationality and religion.  Oasis of 
Hope is theoretically for Syrian women and girls; it also 
operates a "hotline" for women in distress.  The planned 
Aleppo shelter will also be open to victims of trafficking. 
The buildings for all but the nuns' shelter were donated to 
the local implementing NGO by the SARG.  The government, 
however, does not provide direct financial support.  In 
addition to the aforementioned shelters, CARITAS operates two 
shelters for Iraqi refugees that often take in women who are 
victims of domestic violence or trafficking. 
 
¶34. (SBU) 26.C: The aforementioned shelters all offer legal, 
medical, and psychological counseling.  Moreover, Oasis of 
Hope offers limited vocational training to residents.  The 
government's financial support is limited to the donation of 
the physical site.  The SARG's willingness to work with IOM, 
UNHCR, and local NGOs is essential for these operations to 
continue.  Our contacts have noted that while the government 
does not fund their efforts, the moral support of the First 
Lady, who is well known for her activism on women's and 
children's issues, has facilitated their operations. 
 
¶35. (SBU) 26.D: The government does not extend temporary or 
permanent residency status to victims of trafficking, nor do 
they offer a formal mechanism for relief from deportation. 
Non-Syrian women arrested for prostitution are detained and 
eventually deported, usually with the assistance of the 
relevant embassies.  Iraqi women, we have been told, are 
often simply dropped off at the border, where they are 
sometimes picked up by gangs and trafficked back into Syria. 
Since 2007, however, the SARG has worked with the Good 
Shepherd Sisters, IOM, and UNHCR more closely on this issue. 
Our contacts reported that in some cases they were allowed to 
intercede on behalf of detained Iraqi women who were clearly 
victims of trafficking.  In a few instances, the SARG allowed 
the women to be "referred" to a shelter with no threat of 
 
DAMASCUS 00000139  008.2 OF 009 
 
 
deportation. 
 
¶36. (SBU) 26.E: Outside the aforementioned shelters, the 
government does not offer any other shelter facilities to 
trafficking victims.  Juvenile victims of rape or sexual 
assault, as well as minors accused of prostitution, are 
housed in dedicated juvenile detention facilities, which 
provide health care and vocational training.  The SARG 
permits workers from the Oasis of Hope to assist minors in at 
least one of the detention centers. 
 
¶37. (SBU) 26.F: The SARG does not have a formal referral 
process to transfer victims detained or arrested to shelters. 
 Despite this fact, the SARG continues to permit the Good 
Shepherd Sisters access to women's detention facilities.  If 
the nuns, our contacts reported, identify women and girls as 
potential victims of trafficking, they contact UNHCR and/or 
IOM.  In the past, based on this informal referral process, 
the SARG allowed women and girls to be transferred from 
detention facilities to shelters. 
 
¶38. (SBU) 26.G: Post did not receive any numbers, anecdotal 
or official, on the number of victims of trafficking during 
the reporting period. 
 
¶39. (SBU) 26.H: The government's law enforcement, 
immigration, and social services personnel do not have a 
formal system of proactively identifying victims of 
trafficking among those high-risk groups with whom they come 
into contact. 
 
¶40. (SBU) 26.I: Victims of trafficking are not legally 
identified as such by the SARG.  If arrested for 
prostitution, the women are detained and, in most cases, are 
deported. If they are not deported, they would be subject to 
the legal punishment for prostitution.  In some cases 
embassies and consulates of the victim's country assist with 
their return to their home country. 
 
¶41. (SBU) 26.J: Because there have been no specific 
investigations into trafficking crimes per se, Post did not 
receive any information detailing SARG attempts to work with 
victims in seeking criminal prosecutions.  Decree 81 requires 
domestic worker agencies to put down a one million USD 
guarantee, which some contacts in the past have asserted 
could be used for a victim restitution program. 
 
¶42. (SBU) 26.K: In January 2008, IOM, with the assistance of 
the MSA and MOI, provided training to judges, lawyers and 
police on how to recognize and deal with victims of 
trafficking.  In December 2008, IOM conducted another 
workshop with parliamentarians on trafficking issues and the 
importance of legislative action.  Post has no reports of 
Syrian embassies abroad providing assistance to Syrian 
victims of trafficking. 
 
¶43. (SBU) 26.L: Post did not receive information on Syrians 
trafficked abroad and then repatriated to Syria. 
 
¶44. (SBU) 26.M: The two main international organizations that 
confront trafficking issues in Syria are the International 
Organization for Migration (IOM) and the U.N. High Commission 
on Refugees (UNHCR).  IOM has received grant funding from a 
range of donors, including the U.S. and the E.U. 
 
---------- 
PREVENTION 
---------- 
 
¶45. (SBU) 27.A: During the reporting period, the SARG 
participated in a December 3-4 2008 IOM-sponsored workshop 
aimed at educating government officials on trafficking crimes 
and the importance of anti-trafficking legislation.  IOM 
 
DAMASCUS 00000139  009.2 OF 009 
 
 
conducted training with Syrian border immigration officials 
on fraudulent documents that included a trafficking-awareness 
component with SARG permission.  IOM began educational 
programs with the assistance of local NGOs that focus on 
raising awareness about illegal domestic labor; this included 
a component on trafficking. The SARG has not on its own 
sponsored any educational training of this sort.  There were 
no government-sponsored public information campaigns on the 
subject. 
 
¶46. (SBU) 27.B: The SARG claims to monitor its borders 
closely, particularly after the imposition of visa 
restrictions on Iraqis in October of 2007.  The Syria-Iraq 
border, nevertheless, remains relatively porous.  In November 
2008, a contact claimed to have walked across the Syrian side 
of the Syria-Iraq border through private agricultural fields 
in broad daylight and then was taken by a driver past the 
Iraqi checkpoint guards, who, having been reportedly bribed 
in advance, never asked to see a passport.  The SARG shares 
immigration and emigration information selectively and, 
during the reporting period, did not make such information 
available to Post. 
 
¶47. (SBU) 27.C: In November of 2007, the UNHCR, IOM, UNICEF, 
United Nations Food Protection Agency (UNFPA), the NGO Bon 
Pasteur, and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) formed an 
interagency working group on Sexual and Gender Based Violence 
(SBGV).  The group met monthly to address some issues related 
to trafficking. 
 
¶48. (SBU) 27.D: The SARG has anti-trafficking draft 
legislation in the revision process with the Cabinet and 
Parliament.  Post did not receive any additional information 
on a SARG national plan to address trafficking in persons. 
 
¶49. (SBU) 27.E: Prostitution is illegal in Syria. 
Enforcement, according to contacts, is lax.  Beyond the 
normal day-to-day police arrests of prostitutes (about which 
Post has no official numbers), the SARG did not take other, 
noticeable steps to reduce the demand for commercial sex 
acts. 
 
¶50. (SBU) 27.F: Post was not aware of any measures the 
government took to reduce participation in international 
child sex tourism by nationals of the country during the 
reporting period.  Post was not aware that Syrian nationals 
have been implicated in any international child sex tourism 
cases during the reporting period. 
CONNELLY