VZCZCXRO4856
PP RUEHIK
DE RUEHRA #0015/01 0111530
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 111530Z JAN 10
FM AMEMBASSY RIGA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6212
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 RIGA 000015 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/PGI JIM KUYKENDALL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KWMN PHUM XG LG
SUBJECT:  LATVIA:  USG ENGAGEMENT ON WOMEN'S ISSUES 
 
REF: 09 STATE 124579 
 
RIGA 00000015  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1.  Embassy Riga conducts a range of activities to draw increased 
attention to women's issues.  While programs that focus exclusively 
on these topics are rare, Post incorporates key messages on women's 
issues in other activities, from visitor's programs to policy 
discussions with the Ministry of Interior.  Our most prominent work 
has been in the realm of trafficking in persons, which in Latvia 
most commonly involves trafficking of women for sexual exploitation. 
 Embassy Riga recognizes that while women play prominent roles in 
Latvian politics and enjoy relative gender equity in most fields, 
critical issues such as violence against women deserve greater 
attention.   In response to reftel, Embassy Riga presents this 
description of our efforts in this field and opportunities for 
further engagement. 
 
Women's Issues in Latvia 
------------------------ 
 
¶2.  Women have risen to many positions of importance in Latvia - 
they can be seen at the highest levels of business, government, and 
civil society.   For example, former President Vaira Vike-Freiberga 
remains one of the most trusted public figures in the country. 
Measures of women's health and political participation are similar 
to those for men.  Women are guaranteed rights equal to men under 
the law, and legal protection against job or wage discrimination. 
However, many problems remain.  There is still a wage gap, in line 
with the average for EU countries.   While they hold many prominent 
positions, women are still under-represented in leadership positions 
both in government and the private sector. 
 
¶3.  Perhaps the most pressing women's issues in Latvia relate to 
violence against women.  Reliable statistics are scarce, but 
domestic violence is widely considered to be frequent and often goes 
unreported.  Trafficking in Persons (TIP) remains an area of 
concern, primarily due to Latvia's role as a source country for 
women trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation.  A particular 
challenge in addressing these problems is the relative prevalence of 
"blame-the-victim" attitudes, which suppress reporting of crimes. 
Deep budget cuts due to the severe effects of the economic crisis in 
Latvia may reduce the level of supportive services available for 
some victims. 
 
Current Activities and Opportunities 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶4.  Embassy Riga engages in women's issues through both ongoing 
efforts and special events.  The following examples are those that 
we would identify as "best practices." 
 
-- Trafficking in Persons (TIP):   TIP has been the highest-priority 
item in our work on women's issues.  Latvia was placed on the Tier 2 
Watchlist for the first time in the most recent TIP report, adding 
urgency to our long-standing efforts to work with the GOL on 
reducing trafficking.  In cooperation with the International 
Organization for Migration, the Embassy conducted in-person training 
for educators to help them teach students about TIP and how to fight 
it.  In turn, the participants in the course developed an on-line 
course available for their fellow educators.  Four Latvians from 
government and NGOs have participated in USG-funded anti-TIP visitor 
programs, with five more scheduled to do so this month.   Embassy 
Riga has worked closely with the GOL on development and 
implementation of anti-TIP programs. 
 
-- Ambassadorial lunch series:  Ambassador Garber has recently 
launched a series of luncheons, each exploring a theme with several 
Latvian guests who are prominent in that field.  One cornerstone of 
this series will be luncheons with prominent female leaders in all 
fields of endeavor -- from politics to the arts and from business to 
academia -- to discuss the unique challenges facing Latvia's women. 
 These are intended primarily to understand what women in Latvia see 
as the most important problems they face as a group.  These 
discussions will form the basis for further action planning as our 
understanding of the trends and opportunities for assistance 
develops.  This does not mean women's issues are relegated to these 
lunches - we strive for gender balance in every event we host. 
 
-- Educational exchanges:  The Embassy has brought attention to 
women's issues through existing educational programs.  One American 
Fulbright Scholar currently in Latvia is a women's studies 
specialist.  Similarly, in recent years, Latvian participants in 
Fulbright and other educational programs have specialized in women's 
issues. 
 
-- Digital Video Conferences:  In a series of DVCs, we hosted a 
conversation with Esther Takeuchi, who holds more patents than any 
other woman, and is of Latvian ancestry.   This example of a strong 
female leader in a field traditionally dominated by men was one of 
our best-received events.  Similarly, to mark Black History Month, 
post will be hosting a DVC with scholar and businesswoman A'lelia 
Bundles on the topic of economic empowerment of women and 
 
RIGA 00000015  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
minorities. 
 
¶5.  There are several areas that present opportunities for further 
engagement: 
 
-- Given additional resources, there are hard-working NGOs including 
a women's crisis center, shelters for trafficking victims, and a 
general women's issues NGO with whom we could cooperate 
productively.  In particular, Shelter Association Safe Home receives 
public funding to implement assistance programs for TIP victims and 
actively contributes to raising awareness about the issue in Latvia. 
 On other issues, the Marta Resource Center for Women carries out 
diverse programs ranging from legal assistance to victims of 
domestic violence to policy advocacy on gender discrimination. 
While we exchange information with the Marta Center regularly, 
identifying focused and specific projects for enhanced cooperation 
could improve effectiveness.  Additional funding could be used to 
launch new initiatives with either of these organizations or 
strengthen existing efforts. 
 
-- While we have worked extensively on TIP, additional funding would 
allow us to devote more effort to domestic violence awareness or 
intervention programs.  Funding permitting, both TIP and domestic 
violence could be addressed through programs providing training and 
education to criminal justice officials.  The "blame-the-victim" 
attitude in some sectors remains one of the primary obstacles to 
effectively reducing violence against women. 
 
-- As Ambassador Garber continues her discussions with diverse 
groups of Latvian interlocutors, the Embassy hopes to uncover more 
specific areas where engagement is needed and possible avenues for 
cooperation with local partners. 
 
ROGERS