VZCZCXRO3920
RR RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHJO RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHDR #0890 3571051
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 231051Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY DAR ES SALAAM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9168
INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE
RUEHJB/AMEMBASSY BUJUMBURA 3055
RUEHKM/AMEMBASSY KAMPALA 0023
RUEHLGB/AMEMBASSY KIGALI 1526
RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 1488
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS DAR ES SALAAM 000890 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR AF/E JTREADWELL, G/TIP RYOUSEY, INR FEHRENREICH 
 
JUSTICE FOR OPDAT SILVERWOOD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM KTIP TZ
SUBJECT: TANZANIA/TIP: FIRST ARREST UNDER NEW ANTI-TIP LAW 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: On December 13, Tanzanian police arrested and 
charged their first suspect under the 2008 Anti-Trafficking in 
Persons Act.  Although Tanzania has otherwise made little progress 
in implementing the law, in part due to poor inter-ministerial 
coordination, the recent arrest is a positive step.  It may serve as 
a catalyst for increased government efforts.  We will continue to 
encourage the government to improve coordination and enforcement 
measures.  END SUMMARY 
 
¶2. (U) On December 13, police in the Tarime District (near Lake 
Victoria) arrested a man for abducting two children, ages four and 
eight, from Isebania, Kenya and attempting to sell them at a mining 
site in the Nyamongo area.  IOM has identified Isebania as a "hot 
spot" for child trafficking due to the lack of stringent control at 
the nearby border crossing.  The suspect was charged with 
trafficking.  The suspect would be the first person to be tried 
under the 2008 Anti-Trafficking in Persons law. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Although the arrest is a positive step, inter-ministerial 
coordination on anti-trafficking continues to be lacking. 
Tanzania's Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act (2008), which came into 
effect in February 2009, designates the Ministry of Home Affairs 
(MHA) as responsible for its implementation.  The Act provides for 
the establishment of an Anti-Trafficking Secretariat to coordinate 
inter-ministerial anti-trafficking efforts.  To date, President 
Kikwete has not named a Secretary, nor has MHA established a 
Secretariat (or other organizational elements of the law, such as an 
anti-trafficking fund to support victims). 
 
¶4. (SBU) On December 8, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosted a 
coordination meeting on counter trafficking, which brought together 
representatives from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), mainland 
and Zanzibar Departments of Social Welfare (DSW) and Public 
Prosecution (DPP), international organizations, local NGOs, and the 
diplomatic community.  (Note: The MFA has held these stakeholder 
meetings annually since 2006 as a means of generating discussion 
about trafficking in persons. End Note.)  MHA and DPP 
representatives had been informed of the meeting only minutes before 
it started and thus could offer no information regarding the 
establishment of the Secretariat, ongoing investigations or 
prosecutions, or other progress towards implementing the various 
provisions of the law.  (Note: The Tanzania National Police's former 
lead officer on trafficking in persons had been transferred to 
Kigoma region two months earlier; his replacement has yet to be 
identified. End Note.)  At the conclusion of the meeting, the MFA 
host announced that coordinating responsibility for the 
inter-ministerial meetings would be passed to the mainland DSW. 
Although IOM and PolOff were aware of the planned handover, the DSW 
representative was clearly taken off guard, commenting that "it 
takes many hands to coordinate effectively."  The meeting 
demonstrated the lack of coordination among GOT agencies, as well as 
a general lack of familiarity with the Act's provisions.  Principal 
State Attorney Anselm Mwampoma subsequently told Poloff that the GOT 
is moving towards implementation of the law, but he could not 
provide any details. 
 
¶5. (SBU) With respect to protection, at the meeting NGOs and various 
international organizations discussed their efforts to assist TIP 
victims and build capacity within the DSW for prevention and 
protection.  Representatives from Child in the Sun, Dogo Dogo, 
Daughters of Mary Immaculate, and Kiwohede are working to help young 
victims of trafficking, undertaking fostering and reunification 
efforts.  (Note: Several of these NGOs receive USG funding through 
IOM.)  UNICEF, IOM, and ILO are building the capacity within the DSW 
and immigration departments to identify and counsel trafficking 
victims, while also raising awareness among local and district 
authorities. 
 
¶6. (SBU) COMMENT: The arrest of and charges against the suspected 
child trafficker in Tarime is a good first step towards Tanzania's 
full application of its Anti-TIP law.  We will continue to support 
the GOT's anti-trafficking efforts, specifically working with the 
Ministries of Home Affairs and Justice to improve internal 
coordination.  END COMMENT 
 
LENHARDT