VZCZCXRO3716
PP RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHJO RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHOR #0127/01 0480429
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 170429Z FEB 09
FM AMEMBASSY GABORONE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5563
INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0218
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RHMFISS/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC
RUEAHLC/HOMELAND SECURITY CENTER WASHINGTON DC
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 GABORONE 000127 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
FOR G/TIP ACBLANK, INL, DRL, PRM, AF/S, AND AF/RSA 
STATE PLEASE PASS USAID 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM KTIP KCRM SMIG KFRD ASEC PREF ELAB BC
SUBJECT: BOTSWANA: 2009 TIP REPORT 
 
REF:  08 STATE 132759 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED-- ENTIRE TEXT 
 
Botswana's TIP Situation 
------------------------ 
¶1.  (SBU) The existence of a human trafficking problem in Botswana 
is suspected but cannot currently be corroborated by reliable 
reporting.  Few people in the country accurately understand the 
concept of human trafficking, although local religious and NGO 
groups are currently working to raise awareness of human trafficking 
in Botswana.  Police, immigration officials, and NGOs are concerned 
about human trafficking and admit that conditions exist that could 
possibly make Botswana a country of transit to South Africa. 
Botswana has long, porous borders which are difficult to monitor. 
It also has many residents who are potentially susceptible to 
trafficking, such as illegal immigrants from Zimbabwe, unemployed 
men and women, those living in rural poverty, agricultural workers 
in remote areas, and many children orphaned by HIV/AIDS.  To combat 
trafficking effectively, the government should consider drafting and 
enacting laws that prohibit all forms of human trafficking, and 
launch a public awareness campaign to educate all Batswana -- 
particularly women, children, and traditional leaders -- on the 
nature and dangers of human trafficking. 
 
SCOPE AND MAGNITUDE OF TIP IN BOTSWANA 
-------------------------------------- 
¶2.  (SBU) Botswana may be a source, transit, and destination country 
for men, women, and children trafficked for forced labor and sexual 
exploitation.  Trafficking may also occur within Botswana's borders. 
 While the number of trafficking victims is unclear, anecdotal 
suggests that the main destination for trafficked persons remains 
South Africa.  A local NGO received reports from Batswana women who 
alleged that they were forced to provide sexual services to tourists 
and/or staff at some safari lodges in northern Botswana; however, no 
complaints have been lodged with law enforcement officials.  There 
is also anecdotal evidence that women from outside Botswana may be 
providing sexual services at safari lodges.  Parents in marginalized 
rural communities sometimes give their children to better-off 
families for employment as domestics in towns or herders at remote 
cattle posts, where these children are vulnerable to abuse, 
including sexual exploitation.  Children engaged to work as 
domestics are typically promised schooling, but rarely receive it 
and often work long hours with low compensation.  Many Batswana 
households employ Zimbabwean women as domestic workers, often 
without proper work permits or the adequate payment of wages.  The 
passports of these workers are sometimes held by the employer on the 
pretext of obtaining legal documents or to avoid being robbed, 
creating the potential for coercion and abuse of the legal system 
that can lead to trafficking. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Isolated cases of debt bondage have been reported, as well 
as the trafficking of Zimbabwean nurses and teachers into domestic 
labor and cattle herding in Botswana. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Additionally, reports suggest that foreign traffickers may 
attempt to transport victims of other nationalities on fraudulent 
Botswana passports, perhaps because citizens of Botswana do not 
require a visa for the United Kingdom and have high success rates 
with obtaining visas to other desired destinations in the West. 
Anecdotal evidence suggests that most often the trafficking victims 
are children who are trying to reunite with their parents who are 
already in Europe.  One case currently being investigated by law 
enforcement involves three children, believed to be Zimbabwean, who 
are suspected of being trafficked through Botswana and South Africa 
en route to the UK.  As Botswana has no specific law against human 
trafficking, fraudulent document charges were filed against the 
alleged trafficker in this case. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) It is unclear who traffickers operating in Botswana are 
and whether traffickers are associated with small businesses or 
groups or if they act individually. 
 
GOVERNMENT EFFORTS AGAINST TIP 
------------------------------ 
¶6.  (SBU) Botswana does not have a law specifically prohibiting 
trafficking in persons, and some Botswana police officers have 
stated that this hinders local efforts to combat trafficking and to 
raise awareness of it.  NGOs believe that at times the local police 
 
GABORONE 00000127  002 OF 003 
 
 
do not pursue possible trafficking cases because there is no 
specific law against the crime.  However, there are indications that 
some government officials - especially in Immigration and in 
Interpol- are beginning to focus on trafficking.  The Botswana 
National Central Bureau of Interpol has created a position for a 
desk officer who works on trafficking issues. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Current government efforts against trafficking in persons 
focus on building awareness, especially within the law enforcement 
community.  However, no government agency has been given the 
official lead on human trafficking issues.  Existing Penal Code 
provisions against abduction, kidnapping, slave trading, forced 
labor, and procuring persons for the purpose of prostitution could 
be used to prosecute trafficking cases.  Traffickers charged with 
kidnapping or abduction could be sentenced to seven years' 
imprisonment. By law the minimum sentence for rape is 10 years in 
prison, increasing to 15 years with corporal punishment if the 
offender is HIV-positive, and 20 years imprisonment with corporal 
punishment if the offender was aware of having HIV-positive status. 
 
 
¶8.  (SBU) Prostitution is illegal but was widespread.  Enforcement 
was sporadic and complicated by vague laws that made it easier to 
charge violators with offenses such as unruly conduct or loitering 
than for prostitution. Most police enforcement took the form of 
periodic sweeps of areas used for solicitation. 
 
¶9.  (SBU) The Department of Labor, through its local district 
offices, is responsible for conducting inspections, but monitoring 
for exploitative child labor is virtually nonexistent.  There were 
no prosecutions, convictions, or fines for human trafficking or the 
use of exploitative child labor in 2008.  In February 2008, the 
government approved a national plan for action for the elimination 
of child labor.  A law protecting the rights of children has been 
introduced in Parliament and is still being debated. 
 
¶10.  (SBU) The government encourages and has historically funded 
training of law enforcement and immigration personnel in 
anti-trafficking methods and procedures at regional institutes such 
as the International Law Enforcement Academy.  However, ILEA did not 
offer a course on human trafficking in 2008. 
 
¶11.  (SBU) The GOB has signed a contract with a German company to 
supply secure machine readable passports, in an effort to make 
Botswana passports more secure.  Additionally, the Government is in 
the process of computerizing immigration information at Botswana's 
border crossings and airports.  The computer systems will be able to 
retrieve information on passports presented and will also be linked 
to the police database.  Additionally, Immigration Department 
officials state that good cooperation exists at both the government 
and at the operational levels between Botswana and surrounding 
countries to investigate suspicious and illegal activities.   In 
2008 the Department of Immigration also participated in a fraudulent 
document training provided by the British Government.  The 
Immigration Department has 10 full time investigators, which is not 
sufficient to cover all open investigations. 
 
¶12.  (SBU) As no victims of trafficking have yet been officially 
identified by the Government of Botswana, law enforcement and social 
services personnel have not established formal trafficking victim 
identification procedures or procedures for referring victims to 
NGOs for the provision of protective services.  However, the 
government regularly provides funding and other support to a wide 
range of NGO programs that service the needs of individuals who are 
most vulnerable to trafficking, especially women and children. 
 
¶13.  (SBU) While the Botswana government has not conducted a public 
trafficking-specific education or awareness campaign, it has begun 
to include trafficking awareness segments in some of its law 
enforcement training sessions.  Additionally, it sent government 
representatives to trafficking workshops held by the religious 
community to provide information on its suspicions of trafficking 
within the country.  During 2008, individuals in the religious and 
NGO community formed a task force to compile anecdotal evidence of 
human trafficking in Botswana. 
 
 
POC AND RESOURCES DEVOTED TO THIS REPORT 
---------------------------------------- 
 
GABORONE 00000127  003 OF 003 
 
 
¶14.  (U) Embassy Gaborone's point of contact for trafficking in 
persons issues is Political/Economic Officer Adrienne Taylor 
(TaylorAB@state.gov; phone: +267-395-3982; fax: +267-395-3238). 
 
¶15.  (U) Pol/Econ officer (FS-4) spent approximately 15 hours on 
this report.  Political Assistant (FSN-9) spent approximately 8 
hours on this report.  Pol/Econ Chief (FS-2) spent approximately 4 
hours on this report.  DCM and Ambassador each spent approximately 1 
hour. 
NOLAN