VZCZCXYZ0046
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHSB #0177/01 0621138
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 031138Z MAR 09
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 4118

UNCLAS HARARE 000177 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
AF/S FOR B. WALCH 
G/TIP FOR R. YOUSEY 
USAID FOR L.DOBBINS AND E. LOKEN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ELAB KCRM KFRD KWMN PHUM PREF SMIG ZI ASEC
SUBJECT: TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS REPORT (TIP) - ZIMBABWE 
 
REFS: A. STATE 5577 
¶B. 08 STATE 132759 
 
¶1. (U) The following is Embassy Harare's response to questions posed 
to Post in reftels. 
 
------------------------ 
Zimbabwe's TIP Situation 
------------------------ 
 
-- 23 A. (SBU) There are no reliable statistics on the trafficking 
problem in Zimbabwe. Most information on trafficking comes from 
anecdotal reporting supplied by the nongovernmental organizations 
(NGOs) and international organizations (IOs) providing assistance to 
victims and vulnerable populations. One NGO reported helping 45 
adolescent girls, most of whom were trafficked internally.  The 
International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported assisting 
nine trafficking victims, three of whom were referred by the 
Zimbabwean police. IOM, in partnership with the Government of 
Zimbabwe (GOZ) and UNICEF, conducted a study on child trafficking in 
Zimbabwe between November 2007 and February 2008 to gauge the scale 
of the problem and identify target areas for anti-trafficking 
programs. The draft report is currently being discussed by 
stakeholders before being distributed to the general public. IOM 
expects it will become public in the coming months. IOM also 
expected to complete a five-country (Zimbabwe, Zambia, Angola, 
Namibia, and Botswana) regional study on trafficking in July 2008. 
In October 2007, the Ministry of Public Service, Labor and Social 
Welfare in collaboration with the International Labor Organization 
(ILO), United Nations Development Program (UNDP), United Nations 
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), UNICEF 
and IOM launched a multi-year program on the Elimination of the 
Worst Forms of Child Labor in Zimbabwe. This program will address 
child labor issues and the implementation of ILO Convention 182, 
including identifying the worst forms of child labor in Zimbabwe and 
implementing activities pertaining to the prevention of child labor, 
protection of working children, rehabilitation of victims and income 
generating measures. The three above mentioned efforts remain 
incomplete as negotiations with the government over permits delayed 
the start dates. Political violence and instability in 2008 further 
delayed progress. As of February 2009, the projects remained 
incomplete. 
 
-- 23 B. (SBU) Zimbabwe is a country of origin, transit, and 
destination for internationally trafficked men, women and children. 
Women and children are trafficked for labor and sexual exploitation 
along the borders with the four surrounding countries. There have 
been reports of Zimbabweans, especially young men and boys, 
providing labor for months in South Africa without pay before their 
employers report them to authorities for deportation. Many 
Zimbabweans suffering labor exploitation in surrounding countries do 
not report the offense to authorities out of fear of deportation. 
There have been reports of young women and girls being lured to the 
People's Republic of China, Egypt, the United Kingdom, and Canada 
under false pretenses for commercial sexual exploitation. Men, 
women, and children from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, 
Mozambique, and Zambia are trafficked through Zimbabwe en route to 
South Africa. A small number of South African girls are trafficked 
to Zimbabwe for forced domestic labor. Trafficking also occurs 
within the country's borders. NGOs believe internal trafficking 
increased during the year, largely due to the closure of schools, 
political violence, and a worsening economy.  Young men and women 
and children in rural areas are trafficked to farms for agricultural 
labor and domestic servitude or to cities and towns for commercial 
sexual exploitation and domestic servitude. Although anecdotally it 
appears the situation worsened during the year, there is no 
quantitative data to confirm this. 
 
-- 23 C. (SBU) Within Zimbabwe's borders, persons are trafficked to 
farms for agricultural labor, homes for domestic servitude, and - in 
some cases - for sexual exploitation.  Women trafficked out of 
Zimbabwe for forced labor may be subjected to long working hours and 
abuse as well.  Anecdotally, post is aware of other cases of men who 
have been trafficked into forced labor in construction and 
agriculture.  These conditions may include long hours of forced 
labor for no pay, physical and sexual abuse.  Adolescent boys and 
girls that are trafficked within Zimbabwe are often lured with the 
promise of education and are then forced to work. 
 
-- 23 D. (SBU) Women and young girls are the most at-risk group for 
trafficking. The use of child labor, especially as farm workers or 
domestic servants, is common in Zimbabwe, often with the complicity 
of family members. Durin the reporting period, schools across the 
country, particularly in rural areas, were forced to close due to a 
combination of political violence, lack of teachers, and a lack of 
sanitary facilities at schools.  In areas where schools did 
function, rising school fees often meant parents could not afford to 
send their children to school. In October, UNICEF announced that 
just a week before examinations were set to take place for primary, 
ordinary and advanced level, they found that an estimated 40 percent 
of the country's teachers were teaching and district education 
officers were ill equipped to run national exams. UNICEF reported in 
January 2009 that school enrollment had declined from approximately 
85 percent in 2007 to just 20 percent in 2008. Girls were more 
likely than boys to drop out because they were more readily 
employable as domestic workers. Numerous reports from the press and 
NGOs indicated a rising number of Zimbabwean children entered South 
Africa illegally where they ended up as child labor working for 
little or no pay. In many cases, the children traded sex with guides 
or truck drivers to be smuggled across the border. The Progressive 
Teachers' Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) reported that at least 35,000 
Zimbabwean teachers had left the country in recent years to seek 
better opportunities and to flee political violence that targeted 
teachers. Many find employment as teachers in surrounding countries; 
however, others were forced into jobs on farms and in factories for 
little or no pay. There also have been reports of employers 
withholding their documentation under the pretext of regularizing 
their status. Zimbabweans often accept this abuse rather than report 
the offence to authorities and risk deportation. 
 
-- 23 E. (SBU) According to anecdotal reports, cross-border 
traffickers are typically independent business people who are part 
of small networks of local criminal groups that facilitate 
trafficking within Zimbabwe, as well as into South Africa or other 
surrounding countries. In many cases, a trafficker approaches a 
potential victim with the offer of a lucrative job in another part 
of the country or in a neighboring country. Traffickers often 
transport victims covertly across borders at unrecognized border 
crossing points or bribe an immigration officer for entry. Many 
young men and boys are exploited by guides when they attempt to 
cross the border illegally into South Africa or another neighboring 
country to find work. There were numerous reports of guides leading 
Zimbabweans, including children, through the crocodile-infested 
Limpopo River into South Africa. Within Zimbabwe's borders, family 
members often entice children and other relatives to travel from 
rural to urban areas with the promise of a job or education.  On 
arrival, the family member sometimes forces the victim into forced 
domestic or other labor.  Some children, particularly orphans, have 
been lured to South Africa based on the promise of an education and 
adoption. 
 
------------------------ ------------------------------- 
SETTING THE SCENE FOR THE GOVERNMENT'S ANTI-TIP EFFORTS: 
------------------------ ------------------------------- 
 
-- 24 A. (SBU) The government, including senior officials at law 
enforcement, immigration and social welfare agencies, acknowledges 
that trafficking is a problem in the country. Senior government 
officials frequently speak out publicly about the dangers of 
trafficking, illegal migration, prostitution and exploitative labor 
conditions. 
 
-- 24 B. (SBU) The government established in 2006 an 
inter-ministerial taskforce on trafficking, which includes 
representatives from the Ministries of Home Affairs, Justice, 
Information, Parliamentarian Affairs, Foreign Affairs, and Public 
Service, Labor and Social Welfare. Under the Ministry of Home 
Affairs, the Victim Friendly Unit (VFU) of the Zimbabwe Republic 
Police (ZRP) deals with children's and sexual abuse cases, and has 
the lead on investigation and tracking of trafficking cases and the 
Qthe lead on investigation and tracking of trafficking cases and the 
referral of victims to support services. The Interpol National 
Central Bureau (NCB) Zimbabwe office has a "Human Trafficking Desk" 
staffed by ZRP detectives who coordinate Zimbabwe's involvement in 
international trafficking investigations. The Department of 
Immigration (in the Ministry of Home Affairs) monitors borders and 
ports of entry for possible traffickers and victims. The Department 
of Social Welfare (in the Ministry of Public Service, Labor and 
Social Welfare) also has several programs for vulnerable children. 
The Ministry of Information collaborates on awareness campaigns 
funded by NGOs and IOs. 
 
-- 24 C. (SBU) In practice, a severe lack of financial resources and 
hyperinflationary conditions limit the government's ability to 
address the trafficking problem. Police lack the resources, 
including manpower and fuel, to properly investigate trafficking 
cases. A backlog of cases continued to overwhelm a judicial system 
in which pre-trial detainees can wait prolonged periods before 
receiving a hearing in court. In addition, overall corruption in law 
enforcement and the judiciary were serious problems, exacerbated by 
low wages. NGOs and some government officials believed victims 
refused to prosecute or report cases of trafficking because they 
feared their traffickers would bribe police or judges. The 
Department of Social Welfare lacks the necessary funding to properly 
assist victims; however, it routinely refers victims to NGOs and IOs 
for such services. 
 
(SBU) According to Zimbabwean law, birth registry is a right. In 
practice, many Zimbabwean children do not have a valid citizenship 
document because of stringent requirements and long distances needed 
to travel even to local offices where birth registry is recorded if 
a child is not born in a hospital. Independent groups estimate as 
many as two million citizens - including children - may have been 
disenfranchised by a 2002 law revising the citizenship act, 
including those perceived to have opposition leanings, such as the 
more than 200,000 commercial farm workers from neighboring 
countries, and approximately 30,000 mostly white dual nationals. 
Constitutional Amendment 19, which became effective on February 13, 
2009, relaxed citizenship requirements and is expected to facilitate 
birth registration. 
 
-- 24 D. (SBU) The government does not have the resources to 
systematically monitor its anti-trafficking efforts and periodically 
make available, publicly or privately and directly or through 
regional/international organizations, assessments of its 
anti-trafficking efforts. 
 
-------------------------------------------- 
INVESTIGATION AND PROSECUTION OF TRAFFICKERS 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
-- 25 A. (SBU) Zimbabwean law does not specifically prohibit 
trafficking. Trafficking-related crimes are currently addressed 
under other legislation, primarily the Criminal Law (Codification 
and Reform) Act, the Immigration Act and the Labor Relations 
Amendment Act. These laws criminalize transporting people across the 
border for sex, corruption of children, and allowing children to 
reside in or to frequent a brothel, allowing children to consort 
with or be employed by prostitutes, and forgery of travel documents. 
In addition, the Crimial Law Act prohibits abduction and the 
pledging of a female. The constitution and labor law provide that no 
one may be held in slavery or servitude or be made to perform forced 
or compulsory labor. Zimbabwean legal experts consider these laws 
sufficient to cover both internal and external forms of trafficking 
for sexual exploitation. Additionally, a victim can bring a civil 
suit against a trafficker under current law. The Criminal Procedure 
and Evidence Act provides for victim restitution and compensation. 
The government reported in 2007 that it had drafted comprehensive 
trafficking legislation; however, the draft has not been made 
available for review nor introduced in Parliament. After March 2008 
elections, Parliament was not sworn in until August. The newly 
elected parliamentarians have not yet formed the committees that 
review and propose legislation. 
 
-- 25 B. (SBU) In terms of sexual exploitation offenses, the 
Criminal Law Act provides for the following: 
 
-- Procuring another person for unlawful sexual conduct, or to 
become a prostitute whether inside or outside Zimbabwe, or to leave 
his or her usual place of residence to become an inmate or frequent 
a brothel is punishable by a fine, a maximum imprisonment of two 
years (10 years if the person procured is under 16 years of age), or 
both. 
 
-- Coercing or inducing another person to engage in unlawful sexual 
conduct with another person by threat or intimidation is punishable 
by a fine, a maximum imprisonment of five years, or both. 
 
-- Detaining a person in a brothel or any other premises with the 
intention that the detained person should engage in unlawful sexual 
conduct is punishable by a fine, a maximum imprisonment of one year, 
or both. 
 
-- Allowing a person under 16 years of age to knowingly enter an 
establishment for the purpose of engaging in unlawful sexual conduct 
is punishable by a fine, a maximum imprisonment of seven years, or 
Qboth. If the person is below the age of 12, the act is punishable by 
a fine, a maximum imprisonment of 10 years, or both. 
 
-- A parent allowing a child under 18 years of age to become a 
prostitute is punishable by a fine, a maximum imprisonment of 10 
years, or both. 
 
-- Living off or facilitating prostitution is punishable by a fine, 
a maximum imprisonment of two years, or both. 
 
-- Solicitation of another person for prostitution is punishable by 
a fine, a maximum imprisonment of six months, or both. 
 
-- Sexual intercourse or performing indecent acts with a person 
under 16 years of age is punishable by a fine, a maximum 
imprisonment of 10 years, or both. 
 
 
-- Pledging a female person for a forced marriage or to compensate 
for the death of a relative, or any debt or obligation, is 
punishable by a fine, a maximum imprisonment of two years, or both. 
Any party to the marriage or arrangement may be charged as an 
accomplice. 
 
-- Forgery of a public document or corruptly using a false document 
is punishable by a fine, a maximum imprisonment of 20 years, or 
both. 
 
-- 25 C. (SBU) In terms of labor trafficking offenses, the Labor 
Relations Amendment Act provides for the following: 
 
-- Failure of an employer to protect employees' right to fair labor 
standards (including to pay any employee a wage lower than a 
prescribed minimum, to require an employee to work more than the 
maximum hours permitted by law, or to require any employee to work 
under any conditions or situation which are below prescribed 
standards) is punishable by a fine, a maximum imprisonment of two 
years, or both. 
 
-- Forced labor is punishable by a fine, two years imprisonment, or 
both. 
 
 
-- Employment of a person under 15 years of age (unless as an 
apprentice who is over 13 years of age) is punishable by a fine, two 
years imprisonment, or both. 
 
(SBU) The Labor Relations Amendment Act does not specifically 
include provisions for criminal punishment of labor recruiters who 
engage in recruitment of laborers using knowingly fraudulent or 
deceptive offers; for employers or labor agents who confiscate 
workers' passports or travel documents, switch contracts without the 
worker's consent as a means to keep the worker in a state of 
service, or withhold payment of salaries as means of keeping the 
worker in a state of service. However, prosecutors may be able to 
use the fair labor standards provisions in the Labor Relations 
Amendment Act to pursue cases involving such activities. 
 
(SBU) Zimbabwe does not have specific laws that criminalize the acts 
of labor recruiters who recruit laborers using knowingly fraudulent 
or deceptive offers or impose on recruited laborers inappropriately 
high or illegal fees or commissions that create a debt bondage 
condition for the laborer. The constitution and labor law, however, 
provide that no one may be held in slavery or servitude or be made 
to perform forced or compulsory labor. There have not been reports 
of convictions for labor trafficking offenses during the reporting 
period. 
 
-- 25 D. (SBU) Rape and aggravated indecent assault are punishable 
by life imprisonment. Incarceration is mandatory for convictions for 
rape or forcible sexual assault, but there is no minimum penalty. 
The media frequently reports on rape cases and convictions. 
Sentences usually vary from four years to fifteen years, depending 
on the circumstances of the crime. 
-- 25 E. (SBU) Police did not respond to inquiries regarding 
investigations, prosecutions, convictions, and sentences of new 
cases or those trafficking investigations reported last year. 
Ministry of Justice officials reported that the cases included in 
last year's TIP report were not brought to trial. 
 
 
(SBU) None of the investigations or cases reported in the 2008 TIP 
Report has come to completion. Resource constraints in public health 
facilities, the ZRP, and the judiciary remain a severe hindrance. In 
addition, few victims are willing to come forward and pursue 
prosecution against their traffickers. Police lack human, financial 
and other resources to conduct proper investigations. It is not 
unusual for a detainee to remain in remand custody for several years 
before his/her case is heard in court. In addition, only government 
hospitals can conduct rape examinations submissible as evidence in 
court. Severe economic hardships, lack of equipment, and strikes by 
medical workers closed public health facilities across the country 
at the end of 2008. The lack of public health facilities may have 
Qat the end of 2008. The lack of public health facilities may have 
prevented reports of rape and sexual assault. 
 
-- 25 F. (SBU) The government does not provide its own specialized 
training on trafficking; however, government officials attended 13 
IOM training workshops that focused on trafficking and how to 
recognize trafficking victims during the reporting period. There 
were four training sessions specifically for law enforcement, 
including ZRP, VFU, magistrates, prosecutors, and imigration. There 
were three sessions specifically for health and social welfare 
workers, including officials from Ministry of Health and Child 
Welfare and Department of Social Welfare. An additional three 
sessions were held for faith-based organizations, including those 
that run shelters for children that may have been trafficked.  IOM 
also conducted three training sessions for local law enforcement and 
health and social welfare workers in several areas known to be 
problem trafficking areas.  The sub-regional Interpol office also 
organized one training session for 24 Zimbabwean police officers. 
-- 25 G. (SBU) The government does cooperate with other governments 
in the investigation and prosecution of cases. However, during the 
reporting period, Interpol reported there were no international 
investigations or prosecutions brought forth by the Zimbabwean 
government. 
 
-- 25 H. (SBU) The Zimbabwe Extradition Act permits the extradition 
of nationals, and the government has extradition treaties with 
countries in the region. There have not been reports of 
trafficking-related extraditions or requests of extradition from 
Zimbabwe to other countries during the reporting period. 
 
-- 25 I. (SBU) There was no evidence of government involvement in or 
tolerance of trafficking, on a local or institutional level. 
 
-- 25 J. (SBU) Not applicable per response to question I above. 
 
-- 25 K. (SBU) Prostitution and the activities of brothel 
owner/operator, clients, pimps, and enforcers are criminalized (as 
defined in the Criminal Law Act.) During the year, there have been 
media reports regarding efforts by police to halt prostitution 
throughout the country. Police arrested both prostitutes and 
clients. 
 
 
-- 25 L. (SBU) There have not been reported cases involving 
Zimbabwean nationals deployed abroad as part of a peacekeeping or 
other similar mission who engaged in or facilitated severe forms of 
trafficking or who exploited trafficking victims. 
 
-- 25 M. (SBU) The country is not identified as a source or 
destination for child sex tourism. The country's sexual crimes laws 
do have extraterritorial coverage. There are no reports of any 
prosecutions or convictions under the extraterritorial provisions. 
 
------------------------------------- 
PROTECTION AND ASSISTANCE TO VICTIMS 
------------------------------------- 
 
-- 26 A. (SBU) Foreign victims of trafficking can receive relief 
from deportation while receiving victim support services and while 
their cases are being investigated. The Chief of Immigration may 
offer a temporary employment permit at his discretion. 
 
-- 26 B. (SBU) Zimbabwe does have victim care facilities which are 
accessible to trafficking victims, including foreign victims. IOM is 
the lead organization in addressing human trafficking, and the 
government has supported its activities. IOM trained a number of 
social services providers and NGOs to enable them to provide 
assistance to victims of trafficking in form of safe shelter, 
psychosocial support, family tracing, and reunification. IOM also 
continued to capacitate a number of NGOs and service providers to 
mainstream human trafficking activities in their already existing 
programs. 
 
(SBU) The Zimbabwe National Council for the Welfare of Children is 
the national umbrella organization that oversees and maintains 
standards of over 70 institutions for children in Zimbabwe, 
including 20 in Harare; however, the country does not have 
specialized facilities dedicated to helping victims of trafficking. 
IOM, Girl Child Network, Oasis Trust, Musasa Project, and Save the 
Children Norway have developed specialized services to assist 
trafficking victims in their shelters/assistance programs. These 
services include shelter, medical and psychological assistance, 
reintegration and livelihood activities, and legal counseling. 
Funding for these services/programs comes from international donors. 
A number of children's homes and shelters were upgraded in Harare 
and Chiredzi for them to be able to provide assistance to child 
victims of trafficking: Musasa Project, Harare Children's Home, St. 
Joseph's Hostel for Boys and Chingele Children's Home. The 
government primarily depends on NGOs and IOs to provide trafficking 
Qgovernment primarily depends on NGOs and IOs to provide trafficking 
victims these services. Organizations could not provide specific 
information on the amount spent specifically for victims of 
trafficking. 
 
-- 26 C. (SBU) The government does not have the resources to provide 
funding to foreign or domestic NGOs for trafficking victim services. 
However, the government routinely refers potential victims to NGOs 
and IOs for assistance. In April 2008, the IOM opened a reception 
center on government-allocated land for Zimbabweans deported from 
Botswana to Plumtree, Zimbabwe. This second reception center in 
Zimbabwe helped identify additional trafficking victims. Between 
June and December 2008, IOM assisted 766 unaccompanied minors at 
Plumtree and 2,807 unaccompanied minors at Beitbridge in 2008. 
 
-- 26 D. (SBU) The government assists and provides relief to foreign 
trafficking victims.  For example, the government has assisted a 
child who authorities believe was trafficked from Mozambique in 
¶2006. The Department of Immigration requires all deportees received 
from South Africa and Botswana to attend an IOM briefing on safe 
migration, which includes a discussion of trafficking. The ZRP, 
Department of Social Welfare and Department of Immigration do have a 
mechanism for referring victims of trafficking to victim support; 
however, at this time the government primarily depends on NGOs and 
IOs working with vulnerable populations and victims to identify 
trafficking victims and alert authorities. 
 
 
-- 26 E. (SBU) Government-run shelters for children may assist 
victims through provision of longer-term shelter.  Most assistance, 
however, is provided through NGOs or church-based organizations. 
 
-- 26 F. (SBU) The Ministry of Public Service, Labor and Social 
Welfare directly operates programs in three districts to provide 
orphans and vulnerable children with basic food assistance, support 
for school fees, counseling for victimized children, HIV/AIDS 
education, and medical assistance.  The government also manages a 
small number of children's homes for vulnerable and orphaned 
children. However, all such government services are overwhelmed and 
under-funded. The government primarily depends on NGOs and IOs to 
provide shelter services. Several NGOs, including Child Protection 
Services, Girl Child Network, and Save the Children Norway, also 
manage children's shelters. IOM, Musasa Project, and Oasis Trust 
offer shelter services and support to adult trafficking victims. In 
most cases, the shelter, health care, counseling, and reintegration 
services are paid for by the NGOs and IOs. 
 
(SBU) The Ministry of Public Service, Labor and Social Welfare and 
UNICEF have agreements with 21 NGOs to advance the National Action 
Plan for Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC), designed to ensure 
that orphans and vulnerable children are able to access education, 
food, health services, and birth registrations and were protected 
from abuse ad exploitation. During the reporting period, UNICEF 
reported that the NGOs involved in the program had reached 100,000 
OVC with comprehensive support and protection. Additionally, the 
Department of Social Welfare (under the Ministry of Public Service, 
Labor and Social Welfare) works closely with IOM and Save the 
Children Norway to provide protection for children deported from 
South Africa received at the IOM Reception Center in Beitbridge, 
Zimbabwe. IOM anticipates that the new reception center in Plumtree, 
Zimbabwe will offer similar services. Additionally, the district 
council of Beitbridge has a dedicated child protection officer and 
convenes a child protection committee. 
 
(SBU) The government has a referral process for victims that are 
identified at IOM's transit centers in Beitbridge and Plumtree.  At 
the centers, IOM-trained Ministry of Social Welfare staff identify 
victims and refer them to safe houses where short, medium, and 
long-term assistance can be provided. 
 
-- 26 G. (SBU) During the reporting period, IOM assisted nine 
victims.  Three were referred by the Victim Friendly Unit of the 
Zimbabwe Republic Police and none were referred by the Department of 
Social Welfare.  One NGO that assists young women reported assisting 
45 girls who were victims of internal trafficking during the 
reporting period. Due to the government's lack of capacity and 
resources, all victims were assisted by non-governmental 
organizations. 
 
-- 26 H.  (SBU) The government's law enforcement, immigration, and 
social services do not have a formal system for proactively 
identifying victims of trafficking among high-risk persons with whom 
they may come in contact.  Interpol and IOM-sponsored training 
Qthey may come in contact.  Interpol and IOM-sponsored training 
programs have educated a limited number of government officials to 
better identify potential victims. 
 
-- 26 I. (SBU) The rights of trafficking victims are respected. Once 
identified as a trafficking victim, the government usually referred 
the victim to an NGO or IO for assistance in an expeditious manner. 
 
-- 26 J. (SBU) The government encourages victims to assist in the 
investigation and prosecution of traffickers; however, the lack of 
resources impedes the ability of the police to pursue many cases. 
The four victims identified during the reporting period are 
cooperating with the investigations. Victims may file a civil suit 
or seek legal action against traffickers. The Criminal Procedure and 
Evidence Act provides for victim restitution and compensation. The 
law does not preclude witnesses or victims in a court case against a 
former employer from seeking other employment or leaving the 
country. 
 
-- 26 K. (SBU) The government does not provide its own specialized 
training on trafficking; however, government officials attended 10 
IOM training workshops that focused on trafficking and how to 
recognize trafficking victims during the reporting period. The 
Zimbabwean embassy in China was involved in monitoring a reported 
case of Zimbabweans who were trafficked to China. The Interpol NCB 
Zimbabwe office, the Department of Immigration and the Department of 
Social Welfare were in contact with South African authorities to 
coordinate victim assistance and investigations in ongoing cases 
during the reporting period. 
 
-- 26 L. (SBU) The government primarily relies on IOM and other NGOs 
and IOs to provide assistance, such as medical aid, shelter or 
financial help, to its nationals who are repatriated as victims of 
trafficking. 
 
 
-- 26 M. (SBU) IOM, UNICEF, Save the Children Norway, and Save the 
Children UK work with a network of local NGOs to support trafficking 
victims. The government has seen IOM as the leading organization in 
addressing human trafficking and has supported all activities 
undertaken by IOM including training of law enforcement and social 
service providers, as well as the recently launched national 
toll-free hotline for counter-trafficking funded by IOM. IOM and the 
NGO Oasis Trust launched the hotline in December 2008 for 
trafficking victims and for people to report suspected cases of 
trafficking. The hotline worked successfully for three weeks but 
then became non-functional when the telephone line stopped working. 
As of mid-February it remains out of service. 
 
(SBU) NGOs that provide assistance to victims include Connect 
(training for counselors of abuse victims), Corridors of Hope 
(HIV/AIDS education and counseling), Childline (children's crisis 
hotline), Streets Ahead (counseling and shelter for children), Girl 
Child Network (shelter, skills building, and counseling for abused 
and trafficked girls), Oasis Trust and Musasa Project (shelter and 
counseling for domestic abuse and trafficking victims), and The 
Center (counseling for HIV/AIDS patients.)  These groups reported 
that they generally received good cooperation from local 
authorities, but that the level of cooperation often depended on the 
location. In some areas, officials were difficult to work with 
because they did not understand trafficking or denied any problem 
existed. In other areas, officials were very cooperative and eager 
to receive training and other assistance in building capacity. In 
cases involving children, the Department of Social Welfare, Ministry 
of Health and Children and local child protection committees were 
involved in placing the child with family or finding a suitable 
solution. The government generally ensured that victims received 
adequate care from service providers. 
 
----------- 
PREVENTION 
----------- 
 
-- 27 A. (SBU) The government did not conduct anti-trafficking 
information or education campaigns during the reporting periods. 
All anti-trafficking campaigns were conducted by IOM. The state-run 
media continues to print and air messages about the dangers of 
illegal migration and that warn the public about false employment 
scams, underage and forced marriages, prostitution and exploitative 
labor conditions. During the year, an IOM anti-trafficking radio 
campaign aired in five languages on all four government-controlled 
radio stations, which broadcast the public service announcement 
eight times per day during the peak migration periods. The 
government radio stations are a primary source of information 
throughout the country, especially in the rural areas. These 
awareness materials and radio spots include government and IOM 
contact details for victims to call for assistance or information. 
 
 
-- 27 B. (SBU) The Department of Immigration does not currently have 
the ability to systematically monitor the growing number of illegal 
migrants deported from South Africa, Botswana, and Zambia to 
effectively identify emerging trafficking patterns. Immigration 
Qeffectively identify emerging trafficking patterns. Immigration 
officials do screen for potential victims; however, the government 
primarily depends on IOM protection officers and in-take procedures 
to identify victims. 
 
-- 27 C. (SBU) The government has an inter-ministerial taskforce on 
trafficking made up of senior government officials that was 
established in April 2006; however, it still lacks a multi-agency 
operational working group that can effectively combat the 
trafficking problem in practice. The head of the inter-ministerial 
taskforce is a senior official in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 
The taskforce's goals include: (1) criminalizing human trafficking 
through enactment of legislation, (2) information dissemination on 
the dangers of trafficking, (3) creating a center to specifically 
deal with trafficked persons and assist those seeking advice, (4) 
intercepting traffickers by monitoring print and electronic media 
for possible trafficking schemes, and (5) training anti-trafficking 
experts at all formal entry and exit points into te country. The 
taskforce has not achieved any of its goals. In terms of specific 
cases, the Interpol NCB Zimbabwe office is the point of contact for 
cases requiring international cooperation, and the VFU of the ZRP 
serves as the lead for cases of involving internal trafficking. The 
government does have a public corruption commission, but it is 
under-funded, politicized, and has yet to register any notable 
accomplishments. 
 
-- 27 D. (SBU) The government does not have a national plan of 
action to address trafficking in persons. IOM continues to organize 
all NGOs and IOs that work on trafficking to complete a resource and 
gap assessment exercise before approaching the government to form a 
stakeholders working group. 
 
 
(SBU) The government generally has a good working relationship with 
international organizations and NGOs on trafficking-related issues. 
There were some delays in receiving permission/permits to conduct 
trafficking-related studies/activities, but these activities were 
ultimately allowed to proceed. Unlike in previous years, there have 
not been reports of government harassment of NGOs working on the 
trafficking issue. 
 
-- 27 E. (SBU) During the reporting period, the government did not 
take any specific steps to reduce the demand for commercial sex 
acts. Anecdotal reports indicated that a worsening economy reduced 
the demand for commercial sex acts. 
 
-- 27 F. (SBU) During the reporting period, the government did not 
take any steps towards reducing the participation in international 
child sex tourism by its nationals.  Post is unaware of any cases of 
international child sex tourism involving Zimbabweans. 
 
-- 27 G. (SBU) An assessment of Zimbabwe's efforts to ensure that 
its troops deployed abroad for international peacekeeping missions 
do not engage in or facilitate trafficking or exploited trafficking 
victims was unavailable for this reporting period. 
 
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CONTACT INFORMATION 
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¶2. (U) Post point of contact for trafficking in persons is Amanda E. 
Porter; office phone 263-4-250-593, extension 4530; fax 
263-4-253-000; e-mail Portera@state.gov. The estimated hours spent 
per officer in preparation of this report are as follows: PolOff 50 
hours, PolChief 1 hour review, DCM 1 hour review, AMB 1 hour 
review. 
 
MCGEE