VZCZCXRO9072
RR RUEHAST RUEHBI RUEHCI RUEHDBU RUEHLH RUEHNEH RUEHPW
DE RUEHCG #0168 1540255
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 030255Z JUN 09
FM AMCONSUL CHENNAI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2302
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 3695
INFO RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 0261

UNCLAS CHENNAI 000168 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR G/TIP GPATEL; SCA/INS FOR CSIM 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KTIP PHUM PGOV KWMN SOCI KCRM IN
 
SUBJECT:  ANDHRA PRADESH CONVICTS HUMAN TRAFFICKERS, SCORES OTHER 
TIP SUCCESSES 
 
¶1. Summary:  The state of Andhra Pradesh (one of India's largest, 
with a population exceeding 80 million) continues to be one of 
India's most active states in combating trafficking in persons 
(TIP), as highlighted by a recent series of arrests, convictions, 
and lengthy prison sentences handed out to perpetrators.  Police 
training and sensitization projects, particularly those sponsored by 
the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC), are having a 
demonstrably positive effect, and we continue to encourage this type 
of constructive partnership with the GoI.  End Summary. 
 
AP successfully prosecutes traffickers 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. A court in Andhra Pradesh's (AP) Guntur district (230 km 
southeast of Hyderabad) convicted on April 1 seven women and three 
men for human trafficking, sentencing them each to seven years in 
prison and fining them USD 20.  The ten were originally booked in 
¶2007.  This relatively speedy (by Indian standards), successful 
prosecution is a notable achievement by state law enforcement and 
judiciary officials.  Some trafficking victims were housed and 
protected at an NGO-operated shelter over the past several months to 
facilitate their ability to provide testimony for the trial.  Our 
NGO contacts told us that a "Victim Witness Protection Support" 
program (introduced and initially funded by UNODC) played a key role 
in supporting this trial and its outcome. 
 
Police rescue forced-prostitution victims 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶3. Police in the same district raided a brothel on January 30, 
rescuing nine young women being held against their will.  The police 
sent the women, ranging in age from 19 to 22, to a local shelter run 
by an NGO, the Society for Health, Entire Lower and Rural People 
(HELP).  HELP immediately began providing counseling and other 
services to the women.  Police from Guntur District's Pattabhipuram 
Police Station arrested nine people (and are still searching for 
another) in conjunction with this case, booking the accused under 
Indian Penal Code 372, 373, 292 and Immoral Trafficking and 
(Prohibition) Act Sections 3,4,5 and 7. 
 
AP scores unprecedented success in prosecutions 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶4. S. Umapati, AP's Crime Investigation Department (CID) Inspector 
General who heads the state's anti-trafficking wing, told us that 
AP's courts have ordered sentences related to 13 different cases in 
the past 16 months, sending 55 convicted traffickers to jail from 4 
to 14 years.  Umapati stressed that this was the largest number of 
trafficking convictions ever in AP in a single year.  Umapati also 
told us that the conviction rate had increased precisely because of 
the increased attention and resources the police had given to the 
issue.  He also noted that the AP government is institutionalizing a 
proper victim protection program. 
 
¶5. Our NGO contacts agree that increased police attention to the 
trafficking issue is responsible for the large number of convictions 
over a short period.  They also tell us that other factors were 
important, including a pro-active judiciary, law enforcement 
officials who are better sensitized to the issue, and protection and 
support programs for victims and other witnesses.  UNODC has 
provided multiple training programs that continue to strengthen 
these factors, including programs for judges that have helped speed 
up trials.  In addition, local NGOs tell us that the introduction 
and acceptance of the "nodal NGO" concept and the "Victim Witness 
Protection" program have contributed to the increase in convictions. 
 (A "nodal NGO," like HELP, works closely with government agencies, 
providing a central link -- hence the term "nodal" -- among victims, 
government, and organizations providing support services like 
shelter, counseling, and security.  These organizations are 
recognized by the government, and are responsible for providing or 
coordinating these support services for victims.  These services, 
among other things, allow victims to serve as more effective 
witnesses in trials against traffickers.) 
 
A positive trajectory 
--------------------- 
 
¶6. COMMENT: While there is still room for improvement in combating 
TIP in Andhra Pradesh, it is clear that the attention its government 
has focused on the issue is producing results.  Training and 
sensitization programs, like those offered by UNODC, have had 
positive, quantifiable effects, and we continue to encourage this 
type of pro-active, constructive engagement with GoI officials. 
 
KAPLAN