Cable 211681, Chile -Informe de TIP 2009 – Guía de prensa y diligencia

DESTINATION: «VZCZCXYZ0009»
OO RUEHWEB
DE RUEHC #0599 1630033
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 120009Z JUN 09
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO AMEMBASSY SANTIAGO IMMEDIATE 0000

UNCLAS STATE 060599

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KTIP, ELAB, KCRM, KPAO, KWMN, PGOV, PHUM, PREL, SMIG, CI

SUBJECT: CHILE — 2009 TIP REPORT: PRESS GUIDANCE AND DEMARCHE

REF: A. STATE 59732
B. STATE 005577

1. This is an action cable see paras 5 through 7 and 10

2. On June 16, 2009, at 10:00 a.m. EDT, the Secretary will release the 2009 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report at a press conference in the Department’s press briefing room. This release will receive substantial coverage in domestic and foreign news outlets. Until the time of the Secretary’s June 16 press conference, any public release of the Report or country narratives contained therein is prohibited.

3. The Department is hereby providing Post with advance press guidance to be used on June 16 or thereafter. Also provided is demarche language to be used in informing the Government of Chile of its tier ranking and the TIP Report’s imminent release. The text of the TIP Report country narrative is provided, both for use in informing the Government of Chile and in any local media release by Post’s public affairs section on June 16 or thereafter. Drawing on information provided below in paras 8 and 9, Post may provide the host government with the text of the TIP Report narrative no earlier than 1200 noon local time Monday June 15 for WHA, AF, EUR, and NEA countries and OOB local time Tuesday June 16 for SCA and EAP posts. Please note, however, that any public release of the Report’s information should not/not precede the Secretary’s release at 10:00 am EDT on June 16.

4. The entire TIP Report will be available on-line at www.state.gov/g/tip shortly after the Secretary’s June 16 release. Hard copies of the Report will be pouched to posts in all countries appearing on the Report. The Secretary’s statement at the June 16 press event, and the statement of and fielding of media questions by G/TIP,s Director and Senior Advisor to the Secretary, Ambassador-at-Large Luis CdeBaca, will be available on the Department’s website shortly after the June 16 event. Ambassador de Baca will also hold a general briefing for officials of foreign embassies in Washington DC on June 17 at 3:30 pm EDT.

5. Action Request: No earlier than OOB local time Monday June 15 for WHA, AF, EUR, and NEA posts and OOB local time on Tuesday June 16 for SCA and EAP posts, please inform the appropriate official in the Government of Chile of the June 16 release of the 2009 TIP Report, drawing on the points in para 9 (at Post’s discretion) and including the text of the country narrative provided in para 8. For countries where the State Department has lowered the tier ranking, it is particularly important to advise governments prior to the Report being released in Washington on June 16.

6. Action Request continued: Please note that, for those countries which will not receive an «»action plan»» with specific recommendations for improvement, posts should draw host governments’ attention to the areas for improvement identified in the 2009 Report, especially highlighted in the Recommendations»» section of the second paragraph of the narrative text. This engagement is important to establishing the framework in which the government’s performance will be judged for the 2010 Report. If posts have questions about which governments will receive an action plan, or how they may follow up on the recommendations in the 2009 Report, please contact G/TIP and the appropriate regional bureau.

7. Action Request continued: On June 16, please be prepared to answer media inquiries on the Report’s release using the press guidance provided in para 11. If Post wishes, a local press statement may be released on or after 10:30 am EDT June 16, drawing on the press guidance and the text of the TIP Report’s country narrative provided in para 8.

8. Begin Final Text of Chile,s country narrative in the 2009 TIP Report:

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CHILE (TIER 2)
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Chile is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and labor trafficking. Within the country, many victims are Chilean women and girls who respond to false job offers and subsequently are subjected to forced prostitution. Chilean women and girls also are trafficked for involuntary prostitution and labor exploitation to neighboring countries such as Argentina, Peru, and Bolivia, as well as Western Europe. Foreign women from Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, and Paraguay, in addition to Asian countries such as China, are lured to Chile with fraudulent job offers and subsequently coerced into prostitution or domestic servitude. Foreign victims of labor trafficking, primarily from Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, and China, have been identified in Chile,s mining and agricultural sectors. Trafficking victims, including children, are lured to Chile with false promises of pay and benefits. Some Chinese nationals are consensually smuggled through Chile en route to Mexico, Brazil, and the United States some fall victim to human trafficking.

The Government of Chile does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking however, it is making significant efforts to do so. Last year, the government maintained law enforcement, protection, and prevention efforts to combat human trafficking. Chilean authorities, however, reported difficulties with prosecuting certain trafficking crimes ) particularly allegations of labor trafficking and the internal trafficking of adults — due to statutory gaps in Chile,s anti-trafficking laws, in addition to overcoming challenges with securing stringent punishments against trafficking offenders.

Recommendations for Chile: Enact anti-trafficking legislation to prohibit all forms of human traffickingintensify law enforcement efforts against trafficking offenders, especially labor trafficking offenders and continue to strengthen victim protection efforts, particularly for foreign trafficking victims.

Prosecution
———–
The Government of Chile maintained law enforcement efforts against traffickers during the reporting period. Chilean law does not prohibit all forms of human trafficking, though it criminalizes transnational movement of persons for commercial sexual exploitation through Article 367 of its penal code. Penalties prescribed under this statute range from three to 20 years of imprisonment, depending on whether aggravated circumstances exist. Such penalties are sufficiently stringent and are commensurate with those for other grave crimes, such as rape. In practice, however, because sentences of less than five years are often suspended in Chile, and the minimum penalty for rape is five years and a day, individuals convicted of rape typically receive jail time whereas trafficking offenders often do not. The government,s anti-trafficking statutory framework does not criminalize labor trafficking or the internal trafficking of adults law enforcement officials report difficulties with investigating and prosecuting these allegations. Anti-trafficking legislation, originally proposed in 2002, passed the Senate in June 2008, and is now being reviewed by the Senate,s Human Rights and Constitutional Commissions.

Between April and December 2008, the government opened 104 trafficking-related investigations, and obtained 10 convictions with sentences ranging from fines to 30 months, imprisonment. Two convictions involved the fraudulent recruitment of Chilean women into prostitution in Spain. In 2008, the government increased anti-trafficking training, and the public prosecutor,s office held an international summit in Santiago to promote international cooperation on anti-trafficking law enforcement. There were no reports of government complicity with trafficking activity.

Protection
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The Chilean government maintained efforts to assist trafficking victims over the last year. The government provides child victims of sex trafficking with specialized services, and furnished nearly $2 million in such assistance at 14 centers nationwide last year. These non-residential centers had capacity to assist 684 children and adolescents, and they referred victims to NGO shelters when necessary. For adults, the government operated a witness protection program which assisted sex trafficking victims, in addition to victims of other abuses and violent crime. Adult trafficking victims are referred to NGOs and shelters, where they can receive medical care, psychological counseling, and support. Police are trained to utilize victim-sensitive interviewing techniques such as two-way mirrors so victims can identify a suspected exploiter without fear of retribution, and video-recording equipment to minimize multiple victim interviews. Chilean authorities encouraged victims to assist in the investigation and prosecution of their traffickers. Foreign sex trafficking victims may remain in Chile during legal proceedings against their exploiters, and can later apply for residency status. These victims may still face deportation to their country of origin once legal proceedings are finished, if they are not granted residency status. The government does not have a formal system of identifying trafficking victims among vulnerable populations, such as prostituted women. Foreign labor trafficking victims usually are not identified as trafficking victims or provided with assistance before being deported. The government provides funding to anti-trafficking NGOs, and works with foreign governments and IOM to ensure the safe repatriation of victims.

Prevention
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The government increased prevention efforts during the reporting period by conducting anti-trafficking education and outreach campaigns through a variety of media. The government also continued awareness-raising projects with NGOs and international organizations. Through law enforcement efforts targeting &clients8 of child prostitution, the government endeavored to reduce demand for commercial sex acts, convicting and sentencing five defendants for purchasing sex with a minor. The government also conducted a public awareness campaign, called &There is No Excuse,8 warning how commercial sex with a minor is a crime in Chile. Chilean troops departing for international peacekeeping duties attended mandatory pre-deployment training on trafficking in persons and human rights. The government made no discernable efforts, however, to prevent labor trafficking.

9. Post may wish to deliver the following points, which offer technical and legal background on the TIP Report process, to the host government as a non-paper with the above TIP Report country narrative:

(begin non-paper)

— The U.S. Congress, through its passage of the 2000 Trafficking Victims Protection Act, as amended (TVPA), requires the Secretary of State to submit an annual Report to Congress. The goal of this Report is to stimulate action and create partnerships around the world in the fight against modern-day slavery. The USG approach to combating human trafficking follows the TVPA and the standards set forth in the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (commonly known as the «»Palermo Protocol»»). The TVPA and the Palermo Protocol recognize that this is a crime in which the victims, labor or services (including in the «»sex industry»») are obtained or maintained through force, fraud, or coercion, whether overt or through psychological manipulation. While much attention has focused on international flows, both the TVPA and the Palermo Protocol focus on the exploitation of the victim, and do not require a showing that the victim was moved.

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only countries with a «»significant number»» of trafficking victims be included in the Report. Beginning with the 2009 TIP Report, countries determined to be a country of origin, transit, or destination for victims of severe forms of trafficking are included in the Report and assigned to one of three tiers. Countries assessed as meeting the «»minimum standards for the elimination of severe forms of trafficking»» set forth in the TVPA are classified as Tier 1. Countries assessed as not fully complying with the minimum standards, but making significant efforts to meet those minimum standards are classified as Tier 2. Countries assessed as neither complying with the minimum standards nor making significant efforts to do so are classified as Tier 3.

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Special Watch List»» to Congress later in the year. Anti-trafficking efforts of the countries on this list are to be evaluated again in an Interim Assessment that the Secretary of State must provide to Congress by February 1 of each year. Countries are included on the «»Special Watch List»» if they move up in «»tier»» rankings in the annual TIP Report — from 3 to 2 or from 2 to 1 ) or if they have been placed on the Tier 2 Watch List.

— Tier 2 Watch List consists of Tier 2 countries determined: (1) not to have made «»increasing efforts»» to combat human trafficking over the past year (2) to be making significant efforts based on commitments of anti-trafficking reforms over the next year, or (3) to have a very significant number of trafficking victims or a significantly increasing victim population. As indicated in reftel B, the TVPRA of 2008 contains a provision requiring that a country that has been included on Tier 2 Watch List for two consecutive years after the date of enactment of the TVPRA of 2008 be ranked as Tier 3. Thus, any automatic downgrade to Tier 3 pursuant to this provision would take place, at the earliest, in the 2011 TIP Report (i.e., a country would have to be ranked Tier 2 Watch List in the 2009 and 2010 Reports before being subject to Tier 3 in the 2011 Report). The new law allows for a waiver of this provision for up to two additional years upon a determination by the President that the country has developed and devoted sufficient resources to a written plan to make significant efforts to bring itself into compliance with the minimum standards.

— Countries classified as Tier 3 may be subject to statutory restrictions for the subsequent fiscal year on non-humanitarian and non-trade-related foreign assistance and, in some circumstances, withholding of funding for participation by government officials or employees in educational and cultural exchange programs. In addition, the President could instruct the U.S. executive directors to international financial institutions to oppose loans or other utilization of funds (other than for humanitarian, trade-related or certain types of development assistance) with respect to countries on Tier 3. Countries classified as Tier 3 that take strong action within 90 days of the Report’s release to show significant efforts against trafficking in persons, and thereby warrant a reassessment of their Tier classification, would avoid such sanctions. Guidelines for such actions are in the DOS-crafted action plans to be shared by Posts with host governments.

— The 2009 TIP Report, issuing as it does in the midst of the global financial crisis, highlights high levels of trafficking for forced labor in many parts of the world and systemic contributing factors to this phenomenon: fraudulent recruitment practices and excessive recruiting fees in workers, home countries the lack of adequate labor protections in both sending and receiving countries and the flawed design of some destination countries, «»sponsorship systems»» that do not give foreign workers adequate legal recourse when faced with conditions of forced labor. As the May 2009 ILO Global Report on Forced Labor concluded, forced labor victims suffer approximately $20 billion in losses, and traffickers, profits are estimated at $31 billion. The current global financial crisis threatens to increase the number of victims of forced labor and increase the associated cost of coercion.»»

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website.

— On June 16, 2009, the Secretary of State will release the ninth annual TIP Report in a public event at the State Department. We are providing you an advance copy of your country’s narrative in that report. Please keep this information embargoed until 10:00 am Washington DC time June

16. The State Department will also hold a general briefing for officials of foreign embassies in Washington DC on June 17 at 3:30 pm EDT.

(end non-paper)

10. Posts should make sure that the relevant country narrative is readily available on or though the Mission’s web page in English and appropriate local language(s) as soon as possible after the TIP Report is released. Funding for translation costs will be handled as it was for the Human Rights Report. Posts needing financial assistance for translation costs should contact their regional bureau,s EX office.

11. The following is press guidance provided for Post to use with local media.

Q1: Why was Chile given a ranking of Tier 2?

A: The Government of Chile does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of traffickinghowever, it is making significant efforts to do so. Last year, the government maintained law enforcement, protection, and prevention efforts to combat human trafficking. Chilean authorities, however, reported difficulties with prosecuting certain trafficking crimes ) particularly allegations of labor trafficking and the internal trafficking of adults — due to statutory gaps in Chile,s anti-trafficking laws, in addition to overcoming challenges with securing stringent punishments against trafficking offenders.

Q2: What is the nature of Chile,s trafficking problem?

A: Chile is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and labor trafficking. Within the country, many victims are Chilean women and girls who respond to false job offers and subsequently are subjected to forced prostitution. Chilean women and girls also are trafficked for involuntary prostitution and labor exploitation to neighboring countries such as Argentina, Peru, and Bolivia, as well as Western Europe. Foreign women from Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, and Paraguay, in addition to Asian countries such as China, are lured to Chile with fraudulent job offers and subsequently coerced into prostitution or domestic servitude. Foreign victims of labor trafficking, primarily from Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, and China, have been identified in Chile,s mining and agricultural sectors. Trafficking victims, including children, are lured to Chile with false promises of pay and benefits.

Q3: How can Chile improve its anti-trafficking efforts?

A: To advance its efforts to combat human trafficking, the Government of Chile could: enact anti-trafficking legislation to prohibit all forms of human trafficking intensify law enforcement efforts against trafficking offenders, especially labor trafficking offenders and continue to strengthen victim protection efforts, particularly for foreign trafficking victims.

12. The Department appreciates posts, assistance with the preceding action requests.

CLINTON