R 230857Z APR 09
FM AMEMBASSY YAOUNDE
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 9859
DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC
INFO AFRICAN UNION COLLECTIVE
DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC
DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHDC
DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC

UNCLAS YAOUNDE 000376 
 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR G/TIP, DRL, AF/C 
PARIS AND LONDON FOR AFRICA ACTION OFFICERS 
USDOC FOR ITA - BURRESS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KTIP PGOV PHUM ELAB CM
SUBJECT: CATHOLIC CHURCH FIGHTS TIP IN CAMEROON'S NORTH WEST 
 
¶1. (U) Summary:  An April 14 conference in Bamenda, the capital of 
Cameroon's North West Region, highlighted the Catholic Church's 
efforts to combat trafficking in persons (TIP), with apparent 
success. The regional branch of the Justice and Peace Committee 
(JPC) of the Episcopal Conference of Cameroon (ECC) presented a 
survey on the magnitude of trafficking in the region and the 
measures thus far taken to address the issue in cooperation with 
international organizations and local government authorities already 
working on trafficking and related issues.  End summary. 
 
An Informative Survey and 
Resounding Testimonies 
------------------------- 
 
¶2. (U) The JPC released the results of a survey funded by Catholic 
Relief Services (CRS) that identified the North West Region as 
having the highest rate of human trafficking in Cameroon.  The 
survey also concluded the majority of trafficking victims are 
children, eighty percent being girls (10-25 years old) from remote,Q 
rural areas.  Relatives are involved inQhe transaction 53 percent 
of the time.  These trafficked children work primarily as housemaids 
(40 percent), babysitters (10 percent), and in prostitution (8 
percent).  Financial difficulties appear to be the leading reasons 
behind this form of trafficking.  In recent years, JPC withdrew and 
rehabilitated fifty children from trafficking. 
 
¶3. (U) Testimonies by two girls withdrawn from trafficking further 
convinced the audience on the magnitude of the problem.  The Chief 
of Staff of the North West Region Gendarmerie Legion also gave an 
overview of the trafficking situation.  LTC Rene Kountchou covered 
the March 23 case of a trafficker who was caught transporting five 
children to the Center Region to work in a cocoa farm.  The 
trafficker is currently detained in the Bamenda prison pending 
trial.  According to Kounthcou, the peak seasons for human 
trafficking are the March-May and September-October timeframes, 
which correspond to intensive farming seasons. 
 
Countering trafficking 
---------------------- 
 
¶4.  (U)  The JPC's counter trafficking policy consists of a 
three-part action plan: prevention, protection, and reintegration. 
Preventive campaigns include sensitization at all levels, including 
communities, churches, schools, and families.  The JPC also called 
for frequent raids by security forces in targeted areas, noisy 
anti-trafficking campaigns, and the enhancement of moral standards. 
The JPC called for the creation of vigilante groups that monitor the 
movements of children in and around the villages.  The JPC also 
encouraged people to use anonymous denunciations and recommended a 
full implementation of the law against child trafficking.  The 
Reintegration Strategy focuses on reuniting victims with their 
families, counseling, and providing support to victims.  The JPC's 
next challenge is to create a rescue center in which to house 
children withdrawn from trafficking. 
 
Cooperation with GRC 
-------------------- 
 
¶5.  (U)  The JPC cooperates regularly with government institutions, 
including the security forces and the judiciary, who each received a 
copy of the survey.  Justice Beatrice Keng Tayong (a magistrate from 
the Bamenda court) briefed participants on the child trafficking law 
of December 2005.  Tayong emphasized the criminal nature of 
trafficking, and expounded on the national and international 
character of the legislation.  She also encouraged victims and 
families to denounce traffickers, even anonymously, and to file 
complaints against them.  (NOTE: Many families do not file 
complaints after their children have been trafficked due to fear of 
retaliation. END NOTE)  LTC Kountchou reiterated the commitment of 
security forces to crackdown on offenders and protect 
confidentiality of victims, but said they needed help from 
trafficking victims and their families. 
 
International Dimension 
----------------------- 
 
¶6. (U) Justice Beatrice Keng Tayong and JPC coordinator Laura Naddin 
Ngwa emphasized the international dimension of trafficking in 
Cameroon.  Although none quoted the State Department's annual 
Trafficking in Persons report, both mentioned Cameroon's Tier 2 
Watch list position for failing to provide evidence of increasing 
efforts to combat human trafficking, for failing to prosecute and 
convict traffickers, and for failing to publish statistics.  They 
acknowledged such activities are a challenge for all, and as Laura 
Naddin Ngwa put it, "we feel obliged to contribute our own quota in 
the fight against this crime and in a way shape a better future for 
our country." 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶7. (U) Child trafficking will only be eradicated in Cameroon, and in 
particular, in the North West Region, with an increased coordination 
of all actors involved.  Thanks to its national network of churches, 
schools, and health centers, the Catholic Church appears to be a 
major asset in the fight against child trafficking.  This conference 
was an excellent starting point, bringing together actors who rarely 
meet.  Post will consult with G/TIP to see how the USG might support 
this worthwhile effort. 
 
Fox