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Viewing cable 07KINSHASA256, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO 2007 TRAFFICKING IN

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
07KINSHASA256 2007-03-01 15:07 2011-08-25 00:00 UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Embassy Kinshasa
VZCZCXYZ0000
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHKI #0256/01 0601507
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 011507Z MAR 07
FM AMEMBASSY KINSHASA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5703
INFO RUEAWJB/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEFHLC/HOMELAND SECURITY CENTER WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC PRIORITY
UNCLAS KINSHASA 000256 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR G/TIP, G, INL, DRL, PRM, AF/RSA 
PLEASE PASS TO USAID 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KCRM PHUM KWMN SMIG KFRD ASEC PREF ELAB CG
SUBJECT: DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO 2007 TRAFFICKING IN 
PERSONS REPORT 
 
REF: 06 STATE 202745 
 
-------- 
OVERVIEW 
-------- 
 
1.  (SBU) 
 
A.  Is the country a country of origin, transit, or 
destination for internationally trafficked men, women, or 
children?  Yes. 
 
      Does the trafficking occur within the country's 
borders?  Yes. 
 
Does it occur in territory outside of the government's 
control? 
 
--    Child soldiering, forced labor:  Yes, in areas 
controlled by militias and foreign armed groups in the 
provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu, Katanga, and the Ituri 
District of Orientale Province. 
 
--    Child prostitution: No. 
 
Are any estimates or reliable numbers available as to the 
extent or magnitude of the problem? 
 
--    Child soldiering:  Yes. Virtually all known child 
soldiers in the Congolese national army (FARDC) have been 
demobilized.  Fewer than 4,000 child soldiers remain in armed 
groups outside the government's control. 
 
--    Forced labor, child prostitution:  No. 
 
What is (are) the source(s) of available information on 
trafficking in persons? 
 
--    Child soldiering: Local NGOs, CONADER (the government 
demobilization agency), UN Mission to the Congo (MONUC), 
UNICEF. 
 
--    Forced labor: Global Witness, Human Rights Watch, 
American Center for International Labor Solidarity. 
 
--    Child prostitution: Local NGOs. 
 
How reliable are the numbers and these sources?  Fairly 
reliable. 
 
Are certain groups of persons more at risk of being 
trafficked?  No. 
 
B.  Please provide a general overview of the trafficking 
situation in the country and any changes since the last TIP 
Report. 
 
--    Child soldiering: Virtually all known child soldiers 
associated with the national army have been demobilized. 
Approximately 4,000 children associated with armed groups 
remain to be demobilized. 
 
--    Forced labor: Armed groups outside government control 
continue to kidnap adults and children for forced labor and 
sexual slavery.  An unknown number of unlicensed miners 
remain in virtual debt slavery to dealers for tools, food, 
and supplies. 
 
--    Child labor: There is no evidence that children are 
being trafficked into labor.  Child labor is overwhelmingly a 
symptom of poverty.  Families of child laborers are among the 
vast majority of workers not employed in the formal economy. 
Family members work as street vendors, domestic laborers, 
porters, unlicensed miners, etc.  The children are not sold, 
nor do persons outside the family appropriate their wages. 
 
Also briefly explain the political will to address 
trafficking in persons. 
 
--    Child soldiering: CONADER demobilized over 13,000 child 
soldiers in 2006, more than 40 percent of the estimated 
33,000 under arms at the end of the civil war. 
 
--    Child and forced prostitution, trafficking for sexual 
exploitation:  A new sexual violence law promulgated in July 
E 
 
2006 specifically prohibits child and forced prostitution, 
pimping, and trafficking for sexual exploitation.  The 
Ministry of Justice is working with NGOs to develop public 
education campaigns about the law.  The new government, which 
took office in early 2007 following 2006-07 presidential, 
parliamentary, and provincial elections, includes assistance 
to vulnerable groups, specifically young women engaged in 
prostitution, among the objectives of its five-year program 
of action. 
 
--    Child soldiering, forced labor:  The transitional 
government, in coordination with MONUC, reached agreements 
with Ituri District militias, renegade General Laurent Nkunda 
in North Kivu, and local self-defense groups (Mai Mai) in 
North Kivu, South Kivu, and Katanga, that include provisions 
for the demobilization of child soldiers. 
 
      --    Child labor: The transitional government created 
a National Committee to Combat      Worst Forms of Child 
Labor (NCCL) in June. 
 
Which populations are targeted by the traffickers? 
 
--    Child soldiering, forced labor: People living in areas 
controlled by armed groups. 
 
--    Child prostitution:  Children living in eastern areas 
of the country who were orphaned during the 1998-2003 civil 
war. 
 
Who are the traffickers?  Armed groups outside government 
control in the eastern areas of the country. 
 
What methods are used to approach victims?  Kidnapping. 
 
What methods are used to move the victims?  Forced march. 
 
C.  What are the limitations on the government's ability to 
address this problem in practice? 
 
--    Financial: The transitional government lacked 
sufficient national and human resources to address not only 
trafficking, but also basic levels of security and services. 
 
--    Military: The military lacks the capacity to forcibly 
demobilize or repatriate armed groups on its own.  The 
military is poorly trained, supplied, and led, and are 
inadequately and irregularly paid.  The government brokered 
integration or demobilization agreements with several 
domestic armed groups this year, but some of the groups 
failed to fulfill their commitments. 
 
For example, is funding for police or other institutions 
inadequate? 
 
Yes.  The 2006 budget included no appropriation for labor 
monitors to ensure children are not working at mines, nor for 
printing and distribution of the new sexual violence law to 
magistrates, police, and other law enforcement authorities. 
 
Is overall corruption a problem?  Yes. 
 
Does the government lack the resources to aid victims? 
 
Yes.  The 2006 budget included no appropriation for social 
services, including for victims of trafficking. 
 
D.  To what extent does the government systematically monitor 
its anti-trafficking efforts and periodically make available, 
publicly or privately and directly or through 
regional/international organizations, its assessments of 
these anti-trafficking efforts? 
 
CONADER systematically monitors the number of child soldiers 
remaining in armed groups and shares its assessments with 
relevant NGOs. 
 
---------- 
PREVENTION 
---------- 
 
2.  (SBU) 
 
A.  Does the government acknowledge that trafficking is a 
problem in the country?  Yes. 
 
 
B.  Which government agencies are involved in 
anti-trafficking efforts and which agency, if any, has the 
lead? 
 
--    Child soldiering: CONADER (lead), Ministry of Defense. 
 
--    Forced labor: Ministry of Mines, Ministry of Labor, 
Ministry of Defense (cases involving armed groups outside 
government control) 
 
C.  Are there, or have there been, government-run 
anti-trafficking information or education campaigns? 
 
      Yes.  CONADER conducted extensive public education 
campaigns against child soldiering, using radio and 
television messages, posters, flyers, and t-shirts. 
The campaign's objectives included informing the military 
that child soldiering was illegal, dissuading children from 
joining armed groups, and convincing families and communities 
to reintegrate demobilized children.  The campaign has helped 
ensure that virtually all child soldiers not under the 
control of illegal armed groups have been demobilized. 
 
Do these campaigns target potential trafficking victims 
and/or the demand for trafficking? 
 
CONADER targeted families and communities in its campaign for 
reintegration of child soldiers, including all sectors of 
society and institutions -- schools, hospitals, the military, 
government, etc. -- in its campaign. 
 
D.  Does the government support other programs to prevent 
trafficking? 
 
Yes.  For example, there are billboards and signs throughout 
the country calling on families to ensure that girls attend 
school as well as boys. 
 
E.  What is the relationship between government officials, 
NGOs, other relevant organizations and other elements of 
civil society on the trafficking issue? 
 
Mixed.  Cooperation between the transitional government and 
NGOs has been particularly good in facilitating initiatives 
against child soldiering and developing new sexual violence 
legislation.  CONADER works closely with NGOs to monitor the 
army for possible child soldiers.  The Ministry of Justice 
worked extensively with NGOs to draft and advocate passage of 
the 2006 sexual violence code, which includes 
anti-trafficking and anti-child prostitution provisions. 
 
F.  Does the government monitor immigration and emigration 
patterns for evidence of trafficking?  No.  The government is 
not yet able effectively to control its borders at all. 
 
Do law enforcement agencies screen for potential trafficking 
victims along borders?  No. 
 
G.  Is there a mechanism for coordination and communication 
between various agencies, internal, international, and 
multilateral on trafficking-related matters, such as a 
multi-agency working group or a task force? 
 
CONADER and the Ministry of Defense hold weekly coordination 
meetings, which include communication by CONADER of any 
suspected cases of child soldiers in military units. 
 
Does the government have a trafficking in persons working 
group or single point of contact? 
 
No.  However, CONADER is the single point of contact on child 
soldiering. 
 
Does the government have a public corruption task force? 
 
Yes.  The Commission on Ethics and the Fight Against 
Corruption brought several cases to prosecution during the 
transition. 
 
H.  Does the government have a national plan of action to 
address trafficking in persons? 
 
      No.  However, the goal of the NCCL is to develop and 
ensure implementation of a national strategy to eliminate the 
 
worst forms of child labor, and CONADER's strategy to address 
child soldiersing has also served as a national plan of 
action on that issue. 
 
3. (SBU) 
 
-------------------------------------------- 
INVESTIGATION AND PROSECUTION OF TRAFFICKERS 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
A.  Does the country have a law specifically prohibiting 
trafficking in persons -- both for sexual and non-sexual 
purposes? 
 
No.  However, the 2006 sexual violence code, Law 6/018, 
enacted July 20, 2006,  includes new provisions against, and 
penalties for, trafficking in persons for sexual purposes, 
forced prostitution, procuring or supporting prostitution 
(i.e. pimping), sexual slavery, and the prostitution of 
minors. 
 
Does the law(s) cover both internal and external 
(transnational) forms of trafficking? 
 
The law applies to all relevant trafficking activities within 
Congolese jurisdiction. 
 
For example, are there laws against slavery or the 
exploitation of prostitution by means of force, fraud or 
coercion? 
 
Yes.  The new constitution, promulgated in February 2006, 
expressly forbids involuntary servitude.  As mentioned above, 
the 2006 sexual violence code prohibits forced prostitution, 
among other offenses related to trafficking. 
 
Are these other laws being used in trafficking cases? 
 
Most judicial and law enforcement authorities have yet to 
receive copies of the 2006 sexual violence code.  We will 
monitor distribution by officials in the new goverment once 
they are in place. 
 
Are these laws, taken together, adequate to cover the full 
scope of trafficking in persons?  No. 
 
Please provide a full inventory of trafficking laws, 
including non-criminal statutes that allow for civil 
penalties against alleged trafficking crimes. 
 
--    The 2006 sexual violence code (see above). 
 
--    The new 2006 constitution, enacted in February 2006, 
also which in addition to involuntary servitude, expressly 
forbids enlistment of persons less than 18 years of age in 
armed forces. 
 
--    The current labor code, which will be revised along 
with other relevant laws in accordance with the new 
constitution, prohibits the employment of children, even as 
apprentices, under the age of 15, unless exempted by a labor 
inspector. 
 
B.  What are the penalties for trafficking people for sexual 
exploitation? 
 
      10 to 20 years in prison. 
 
C.  Punishment of Labor Trafficking Offenses: What are the 
prescribed and imposed penalties for trafficking for labor 
exploitation, such as forced or bonded labor and involuntary 
servitude? 
 
      Penalties still need to be determined by the new 
government since the new constitution expressly forbids 
involuntary servitude. 
 
D.  What are the prescribed penalties for rape or forcible 
sexual assault? 
 
      Five to 20 years in prison, doubled in certain cases. 
 
How do they compare to the prescribed and imposed penalties 
for crimes of trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation? 
 
The minimum prescribed penalty for trafficking for commercial 
sexual exploitation is 10 years in prison. 
 
E.  Is prostitution legalized or decriminalized? 
 
No.  Forced prostitution is illegal and criminal. 
 
Specifically, are the activities of the prostitute 
criminalized?  No. 
 
Are the activities of the brothel owner/operator, clients, 
pimps, and enforcers criminalized?  Yes. 
 
Are these laws enforced? 
 
No.  Most judicial and law enforcement authorities have yet 
to receive copies of the 2006 sexual violence code. 
 
F.  Has the government prosecuted any cases against 
traffickers? 
 
      Yes, in prior years, but we are not aware of any cases 
in 2006. 
 
Are the traffickers serving the time sentenced? 
 
No, the most recent convicted trafficker escaped from jail in 
2006. 
 
Please indicate whether the government can provide this 
information, and if not, why not? 
 
Both the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Defense were 
able to provide this information. 
 
G.  Is there any information or reports of who is behind the 
trafficking? 
 
Yes.  Most traffickers are members of armed groups outside 
government control.  They are responsible for numerous cases 
of forced labor and child soldiering. 
 
--    The FDLR, Rwandan Hutu rebels operating in North Kivu 
and South Kivu provinces, are responsible for kidnapping at 
least 500 persons per year whom they hold for ransom or force 
to work as porters, cooks, laborers, or sex slaves.  They are 
not known to recruit child soldiers. 
 
--    The Mai Mai, armed groups of local "self-defense 
forces," operate in North Kivu, South Kivu, and Katanga 
provinces and are responsible for recruiting and retaining 
child soldiers who remain to be demobilized. 
 
--    Some officers loyal to Laurent Nkunda, a renegade FARDC 
commander in North Kivu, are engaged in child soldiering and 
recruitment, although on a relatively small scale.  There is 
an outstanding arrest warrant pending for Nkunda. 
 
--    A number of armed groups in Ituri District engage in 
kidnapping children and adults for forced labor, including in 
mines. 
 
Are government officials involved?  No. 
 
Are there any reports of where profits from trafficking in 
persons are being channeled? 
 
The profits from forced mining labor perpetrated by armed 
groups are used to maintain the groups' military activities. 
 
H.  Does the government actively investigate cases of 
trafficking? 
 
--    Child soldiering: Yes. 
 
--    Child prostitution:  No.  The government did not 
interfere in NGO investigation of brothels in South Kivu 
province and subsequently ordered them closed, however. 
 
--    Child labor: No, as noted above, the government's 2006 
budget included no funding for child labor inspectors. 
 
Does the government use active investigative techniques in 
trafficking in persons investigations?  No. 
 
To the extent possible under domestic law, are techniques 
such as electronic surveillance, undercover operations, and 
mitigated punishment or immunity for cooperating suspects 
used by the government? 
 
No.  The government has neither the funding nor the expertise 
to conduct electronic surveillance or undercover operations. 
 
Does the criminal procedure code or other laws prohibit the 
police from engaging in covert operations?  No. 
 
I.  Does the government provide any specialized training for 
government officials in how to recognize, investigate, and 
prosecute instances of trafficking? 
 
Yes.  The government has provided training to some police and 
military personnel on sexual violence and child soldiering 
prohibitions. 
 
J.  Does the government cooperate with other governments in 
the investigation and prosecution of trafficking cases? 
 
Yes.  However, the government was not asked to cooperate with 
other governments in investigation or prosecution of 
trafficking cases during the reporting period. 
 
K.  Does the government extradite persons who are charged 
with trafficking in other countries? 
 
Yes. However, no extraditions were requested during the 
reporting period. 
 
Does the government extradite its own nationals charged with 
such offenses?  Yes. 
 
L.  Is there evidence of government involvement in or 
tolerance of trafficking, on a local or institutional level? 
No. 
 
M.  Have any government officials been prosecuted for 
involvement in trafficking or trafficking-related corruption? 
 No. 
 
N.  If the country has an identified child sex tourism 
problem, how many foreign pedophiles has the government 
prosecuted or deported/ extradited to their country of origin? 
 
      The DRC does not have an identified child sex tourism 
problem. 
 
      Do the country's child sexual abuse laws have 
extraterritorial coverage (similar to the U.S. PROTECT Act)? 
No. 
 
O.  Has the government signed, ratified, and/or taken steps 
to implement the following international instruments?  Yes. 
 
--    ILO Convention 182 concerning the Prohibition and 
Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of 
Child Labor.  Ratified 20 June 2001. 
 
--    ILO Convention 29 and 105 on Forced or Compulsory 
Labor. Ratified 20 June 2001. 
 
--    The Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights 
of the Child (CRC) on the Sale of Children, Child 
Prostitution, and Child Pornography.  Ratified 5 March 2001. 
 
--    The Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish 
Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children, 
supplementing the UN Convention Against Transnational 
Organized Crime.  Ratified 5 March 2001. 
 
4.  (SBU) 
 
------------------------------------ 
PROTECTION AND ASSISTANCE TO VICTIMS 
------------------------------------ 
 
A.  Does the government assist victims, for example, by 
providing temporary to permanent residency status, relief 
from deportation, shelter and access to legal, medical and 
psychological services? 
 
No.  The government has provided no appropriations for 
 
assisting victims of trafficking. 
 
Does the country have victim care and victim health care 
facilities? 
 
Yes.  There are numerous NGOs in North Kivu and South Kivu 
provinces and in the Ituri District of Orientale Province 
that work with women and girls subjected to sexual violence. 
 
Does the country have facilities dedicated to helping victims 
of trafficking? 
 
CONADER sends demobilized child soldiers to transit centers 
for one to two months before they are reintegrated into 
civilian life.  The centers' services are funded by the World 
Bank and implemented by NGOs 
 
If so, can post provide the number of victims placed in these 
care facilities? 
 
Approximately 6,000 children during the reporting period. 
 
B.  Does the government provide funding or other forms of 
support to foreign or domestic NGOs for services to victims? 
 
No.  The government provides no funding to NGOs. 
 
C.  Do the government's law enforcement and social services 
personnel have a formal system of identifying victims of 
trafficking among high-risk persons with whom they come in 
contact?  No. 
 
Is there a referral process in place, when appropriate, to 
transfer victims detained, arrested or placed in protective 
custody by law enforcement authorities to NGO's that provide 
short- or long-term care? 
 
Yes.  NGOs which identify child soldiers in the army bring 
the cases to the attention of CONADER, which instructs the 
Ministry of Defense to remove them from the ranks and 
transfer them to NGO custody. 
 
D.  Are the rights of victims respected, or are victims 
treated as criminals? 
 
Local authorities have occasionally charged demobilized child 
soldiers with being members of illegal armed groups. 
 
Are victims detained, jailed, or deported? 
 
They are detained with other children in local jails or 
prisons. 
 
If detained or jailed, for how long? 
 
Unknown.  However, they are generally released quickly if 
discovered by CONADER, MONUC, or NGOs. 
 
Are victims fined?  No. 
 
Are victims prosecuted for violations of other laws, such as 
those governing immigration or prostitution?  No. 
 
E.  Does the government encourage victims to assist in the 
investigation and prosecution of trafficking?  No. 
 
May victims file civil suits or seek legal action against the 
traffickers? 
 
The government has few functioning courts, making filing and 
trying such civil suits virtually impossible. 
 
Does anyone impede the victims' access to such legal redress? 
 No. 
 
Is there a victim restitution program?  No. 
 
F.  What kind of protection is the government able to provide 
for victims and witnesses?  None. 
 
What type of shelter or services does the government provide? 
 None. 
 
Does it provide shelter or housing benefits to victims or 
other resources to aid the victims in rebuilding their lives? 
 
 No. 
 
Where are child victims placed (e.g. in shelters, 
foster-care, or juvenile justice detention centers)? 
 
As noted above, victims are transferred to transit centers, 
where they are placed in the protective custody of NGOs. 
 
G.  Does the government provide any specialized training for 
government officials in recognizing trafficking and in the 
provision of assistance to trafficked victims, including the 
special needs of trafficked children?  No. 
 
Does the government provide training on protections and 
assistance to its embassies and consulates in foreign 
countries that are destination or transit countries?  No. 
 
Does it urge those embassies and consulates to develop 
ongoing relationships with NGOs that serve trafficked 
victims?  No. 
 
H.  Does the government provide assistance, such as medical 
aid, shelter, or financial help, to its repatriated nationals 
who are victims of trafficking? 
 
There were no reported cases of repatriated nationals who 
were victims of trafficking. 
 
I.  Which international organizations or NGOs, if any, work 
with trafficking victims? 
 
      MONUC, UNICEF, BVES, Save the Children, War Child, and 
others. 
 
What type of services do they provide? 
 
Re-integration into the community, vocational training, 
re-enrollment in primary or secondary education, conflict 
resolution training, sexual violence counseling, 
psychological counseling, mediation between children and 
families, and medical treatment. 
 
What sort of cooperation do they receive from local 
authorities?  Full cooperation. 
 
5.  (U)  Post point of contact for this report is Pol Officer 
Tracy Naber (tel:       243-81-225-5872, ext 2620; fax: 
243-81-301-1560; e-mail: nabertj@state.gov). 
MEECE