US embassy cable - 04VATICAN733

UNCLAS  VATICAN 000733 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
DEPT FOR EUR-BJones and DMennuti; EUR/WE-Levin; 
G/TIP for Miller and Eterno; IO 
 
E.O. 12958 N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PHUM, VT, Human Trafficking 
SUBJECT:  HUMAN TRAFFICKING PREVENTION TRAINING PROGRAM UP 
AND RUNNING 
 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1.(U) Embassy Vatican's anti-trafficking training 
program for women religious, developed with the support of 
G/TIP and EUR and in coordination with the International 
Organization for Migration, completed its first session 
February 6. The program successfully equipped 30 members of 
religious women's congregations (nuns) from Italy, Nigeria, 
Poland, Spain, Tanzania, Romania and Mexico for anti- 
trafficking field work.  This "pilot" program, which 
provides comprehensive preparation for religious workers 
active in preventing trafficking and dealing with its 
consequences, is the first of four funded through PRM. 
Subsequent sessions are scheduled for the spring in 
Albania, Nigeria and Romania -- major source and transit 
countries for trafficking in women.  Embassy appreciates 
the support of PRM, EUR and G/TIP in implementing this 
initiative. 
 
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From Dialogue to Action 
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2. (U) Participants in Embassy Vatican's May 2002 
International Conference on "21st Century Slavery -- the 
Human Rights Dimension to Trafficking in Human Beings," 
agreed that faith-based organizations needed to do more to 
combat trafficking.  To build on this consensus and move 
from dialogue to action, Embassy decided to tap into the 
potential offered by religious orders active at the grass 
roots level worldwide to build the numbers of people 
actively engaged in anti-TIP work.  Joining forces with the 
International Organization for Migration (IOM), and with 
funding from PRM, Post oversaw the development of a pilot 
training program for women religious.  The initial two-week 
program took place in Rome, Italy from January 29 thru 
February 6, training women from seven countries on three 
continents. 
 
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Curriculum Prepares for Field Work 
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3.(U) Classroom sessions focused on the phenomenon of 
trafficking and on self-help skills for those taking up 
anti-trafficking work, including general information on 
trafficking and law enforcement; profile of victims; health 
care for victims; prevention; how to relate to victims; the 
empowerment of victims; and protection from burn-out among 
those working with victims.  Each topic was teased out into 
operational skills to make it practical for participants. 
After extensive classroom time, the program also exposed 
participants to the reality of trafficking through field 
visits to victims' refuge centers and by shadowing 
personnel working directly with trafficked women forced 
into prostitution.  The evaluation session at the end of 
the program allowed participants to assess content, 
tutoring and relevance, and the results suggest the program 
was hugely successful.  Some participants observed that 
attendance should be compulsory for any female member of a 
faith-based community engaging in anti-trafficking work. 
 
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Media Coverage Magnifies the Message 
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4.(U) Beyond its direct training impact, the program 
received significant media coverage, which magnified the 
anti-trafficking message and reinforced the U.S. commitment 
to combating this affront to human dignity. 
The Ambassador attended the opening and closing sessions 
and addressed the students, emphasizing the importance of 
their contribution to ending this modern day slavery. 
Media interviews with the Ambassador, IOM lecturers, and 
participants were reported internationally in Vatican- 
related media.  Holy See officials in Rome and abroad have 
expressed interest in the program.  The Papal Nuncio in 
Lithuania, noting his concern for trafficking in the Baltic 
States, has asked for further details about the training 
program for possible implementation there. 
 
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Comment: Potential for Growth 
 
 
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5.(U) The pilot anti-TIP training program has proven the 
value of the anti-trafficking partnership between the USG 
and faith-based communities.  The participants from female 
religious orders showed a remarkable commitment to 
prevention and victim care.  They will be catalysts for 
their larger communities, and will likely ensure that anti- 
trafficking in persons goals are included in their orders' 
vision and strategy for the coming years.  With more than 
800,000 nuns worldwide, the potential pool of workers for 
the anti-trafficking field is enormous.  Our program, 
developed in collaboration with the IOM, has already 
sparked interest from Asia and South America.  Embassy 
believes this PRM investment is paying out handsomely, and 
we look forward to working with PRM, EUR and G/TIP to 
ensure its expansion and continued success.  End comment. 
 
Hardt 
 
 
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 2004VATICA00733 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED