VZCZCXRO9105
PP RUEHDE RUEHDH RUEHDIR
DE RUEHAD #0243/01 0721725
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 131725Z MAR 09
FM AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2239
INFO RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE
RUEHDE/AMCONSUL DUBAI 8193
RUEHML/AMEMBASSY MANILA 0712

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 000243 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/ARP, G/TIP, NEA/RA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PHUM KCRM ELAB KMPI KTIP AE
SUBJECT: UAE TIP SHELTER OPTIONS INADEQUATE BUT THERE IS HOPE 
 
REFS: A) 07 ABU DHABI 1272, B) 07 DUBAI 629, C) 08 ABU DHABI 377, D) 
08 ABU DHABI 135 
 
ABU DHABI 00000243  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
Sensitive but unclassified. 
 
¶1. (U) This is a joint Embassy Abu Dhabi - Consulate General Dubai 
cable. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Summary:  UAE shelter options for victims of domestic abuse 
and trafficking (sexual or otherwise) remain limited.  In Dubai, 
there is only one officially recognized facility of whose existence 
the wider Dubai community knows very little.  In Abu Dhabi, the only 
officially-recognized shelter has yet to formally open and there is 
virtually no awareness of its existence other than media reports that 
allude to a new shelter.  Public awareness of both the shelters 
ranges from limited at best to virtually non-existent; even among 
those providing victim services, knowledge of the shelters available 
is sorely lacking.  The managers of all shelters recognize the need 
for facilities for women and children, but no facilities cater to 
men.  Shelter options appear inadequate relative to the scale and 
complexity of the problem.  (Septel will address non-official 
shelters in the UAE.)  End summary. 
 
¶3.  (U) In preparation for the 2008 report on Trafficking in Persons 
(TIP) and in an effort to assess the services available to victims of 
domestic violence and trafficking, PolOffs visited the only two 
official shelters in the UAE. 
 
----------------------------------- 
THE ONLY OFFICIAL SHELTER IN DUBAI: 
WELL APPOINTED BUT NOT SO WELCOMING 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶4.  (SBU) The Dubai Foundation for Women and Children 
(DFWC)--established by the Dubai Government in 2007--operates the 
only officially recognized shelter for female and minor victims of 
domestic abuse and trafficking (ref A).  Although there have been a 
number of aesthetic changes to the DFWC since EmbOffs' previous 
visits (ref B), the facility creates both physical and emotional 
barriers to entry:  management argues that the security guards and 
razor wire (partly carried over from the facility's previous role as 
a mandatory drug rehab center) physically protect victims from 
abusers; the blindingly white walls present a stark almost severe 
exterior although efforts have been made to make the interior warmer; 
the large facility (can easily house 200) is more institutional in 
appearance than it is comfortably homey.  However, austere physical 
appearances aside, the facility is well appointed and immaculately 
maintained. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) EmbOffs experienced first-hand how the bureaucracy 
associated with entering the facility hinders the shelter's 
accessibility.  DFWC staff asked EmbOffs to sign paperwork that, as 
expected, asked visitors to respect the confidentiality of the 
residents, but went further to codify what could and could not be 
discussed within the shelter.  The vetting and intake process for 
potential residents is even more bureaucratic and could add to the 
victims' distress.  Any would-be resident is required to submit to 
police questioning (and police referrals are a primary intake 
source).  Shelter management and police may perceive this as harmless 
and relevant to investigations, but it is potentially traumatic for 
victims afraid of law enforcement authorities and unsure of the true 
purpose of the interrogation. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) PolOffs discovered through a series of conversations around 
Dubai that awareness of the shelter and its services was limited.  Of 
consulates from 14 labor-sending countries which we contacted, five 
(China, Russia, Afghanistan, Indonesia, and Kazakhstan) had no 
knowledge of the shelter; three (Eritrea, Ukraine, and Belarus) were 
aware of but had no contact with the shelter; three (Azerbaijan, 
Bangladesh, and Uzbekistan) were aware of and referred people to the 
shelter; and three (India, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines) were aware 
of the shelter but preferred to accommodate victims in their own ad 
hoc, dedicated shelters.  This poll of consulates suggests that the 
general community is even less aware of the DFWC shelter's existence, 
calling into question the DFWC's claims that their shelter is widely 
known in the target community and easy to access.  (Post has 
recommended that the National anti-TIP committee conduct a diplomatic 
briefing to spread awareness of shelter services.)  The shelter's 
literature advertises a helpline for victims to call when in need of 
assistance; however, when Embassy staff made seven attempts at 
different times of day over a period of three days, the line was only 
answered once. 
 
--------------------------------------- 
THE ONLY OFFICIAL SHELTER IN ABU DHABI: 
COZY BUT POTENTIALLY BUREAUCRATIC 
--------------------------------------- 
 
 
ABU DHABI 00000243  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Abu Dhabi is due to open its first shelter for women and 
children (ref D).  Established under the patronage of Sheikha Fatima 
bint Mubarak, the widow of the late founder of the UAE, the new 
facility will cater only to women and children who are victims of 
trafficking, not victims of domestic violence.  Although the shelter 
has not officially opened, it has already accepted two women, one of 
whom is currently resident and one already repatriated to her home 
country of Uzbekistan. 
 
¶8.  (SBU) Unlike its Dubai counterpart, the physical appearance of 
the Abu Dhabi shelter is warm and accommodating (essentially a 
renovated family villa).  The villa's small exterior belies its 
capacity to house 40 women comfortably in single bedrooms, each with 
nearby bathrooms.  It is evident that tremendous care has gone into 
the aesthetics of the building.  While there are bureaucratic 
barriers to accessing the Abu Dhabi shelter (it will accept referrals 
from some churches and perhaps embassies, but also from the police), 
women will reportedly be encouraged to file cases with the police 
after the shelter has ensured that their rights will be protected. 
(The shelter proprietor was clearly protective of her future wards' 
individual rights.)  Secrecy surrounding the location of the villa 
(to protect privacy and prevent abusers from stalking victims) may 
also limit access to the services of the shelter.  Like the DFWC, the 
Abu Dhabi shelter offers a comprehensive menu of services including 
legal advice, psychological care, medical care, recreational therapy, 
and skills training.  The management of the shelter intends to 
perform trend analyses on victim profiles in order to lay the 
foundation for a more comprehensive approach to the country's 
anti-TIP efforts.  The shelter's budget will be fully funded for the 
first three years of operation by the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, 
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan. 
 
Comment 
 
¶9.  (SBU) The establishment of the Abu Dhabi shelter, expected to 
open shortly, is yet another acknowledgement that trafficking is a 
real problem in the UAE and its services are needed.  In that 
respect, it reflects a positive move in the country's anti-TIP 
efforts and should be encouraged to develop user-friendly tactics and 
broad community outreach.  The focus of the much more established 
facility in Dubai, the DFWC, on best practices and international 
standards, while laudable, risks perfection becoming the enemy of the 
good, with a potential loss of the human touch and too few 
beneficiaries from the community it was established to serve. 
Additionally, the fact that no shelters currently address the needs 
of male trafficking victims indicates that the complexity of the TIP 
problem in the UAE has yet to be fully addressed.  (Even 
representatives from the largest male labor-sending countries -- 
India and Pakistan -- apparently fail to see the need for facilities 
that cater to men.)  End comment. 
OLSON