US embassy cable - 04COLOMBO1191

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 COLOMBO 001191 
 
SIPDIS 
 
Department for SA, SA/INS, G/TIP 
 
E.O. 12958:  DECL:  07/16/14 
TAGS: PHUM, KCRM, PHUM, KWMN, SMIG, ELAB, CE, Human Rights 
SUBJECT:  SRI LANKA MAKES CONCERTED EFFORT ON SEVERAL 
FRONTS TO COMBAT TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS 
 
 
(U) Classified by Jane Ross, Acting Deputy Chief of 
Mission.  Reasons:  1.5 (b, d). 
 
1.  (C) SUMMARY:  G/TIP Program Officer and Embassy 
officials met with Government officials and local NGO 
representatives in Colombo to discuss the multifaceted 
issue of trafficking in persons in Sri Lanka, including sex 
tourism, prostitution, and external migrant workers. 
Officials throughout the GSL highlighted their commitment 
to addressing this issue and the efforts they were taking 
to work collaboratively.  Hotel managers are part of the 
dialogue on combating sex tourism, while training courses 
target migrant workers to raise their awareness before they 
could be potentially victimized.  Much progress has been 
made, particularly in law enforcement and labor issues, 
although all interlocutors spoke of the need for further 
assistance to fight trafficking in persons issues.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
2.  (C) During a June 28 - July 4 visit, Sally Neumann, 
program analyst in the Department's G/TIP Office, and 
Embassy officials met with Sri Lankan Government officials 
and representatives from various NGOs in Colombo. 
Trafficking in persons, especially in the areas of 
prostitution, sex tourism and foreign employment migration 
continues to be a serious concern, but one that is 
increasingly being addressed by the Government.  Much work 
remains, however.  Overall, officials seemed optimistic and 
enthusiastic about progress in combating these issues, and 
several training programs and shelters are operating, with 
more being established.  These ongoing efforts were 
highlighted during visits to the Don Bosco home for 
trafficked children and a training center run by the Sri 
Lanka Foreign Employment Bureau, both of which are 
partially funded by the U.S. Department of Labor through 
the International Labor Organization. 
 
Sex Tourism 
----------- 
 
3.  (C) Sex Tourism continues to be an issue in Sri Lanka, 
though the practice seems to be moving into less high- 
profile locations because of the recent arrests of 
foreigners, including an American (see more below), and 
stricter measures taken by hotels, the primary sites of 
such incidents.  Many pedophiles are now escaping more 
stringent hotel regulations, such as the prohibition of 
unaccompanied minors on certain hotels' premises, and 
instead operating from rental homes and guesthouses.  This 
recent pressure from hotels is due in part to restrictions 
enacted by the Sri Lanka Tourist Board.  According to 
Tourist Board Director General S. Kalaiselvam, association 
with pedophilia would lead to suspension of a hotel's 
license, blocking access to a liquor license as well.  The 
Tourist Board is also contemplating other ways to combat 
sex tourism, such as re-introducing previously successful 
airport campaigns condemning pedophilia and placing 
limitations on the hours that hotel bars may serve liquor, 
as they have found that most pedophiles' initial contact 
with children occurs between one and two a.m. 
 
4.  (C) Officials with the National Child Protection 
Authority (NCPA) have made several arrests of foreigners in 
recent months, including one American.  The sixty-year-old 
AmCit was apprehended in Kandy on May 1 after a year-long 
investigation.  Professor Harendra de Silva, Chairman of 
the NCPA, stated that if the man is convicted of engaging 
in sexual misconduct with a minor, he could get a minimum 
of ten years imprisonment.  Professor De Silva also 
discussed the July 2001 arrest of an alleged Australian 
pedophile in Sri Lanka.  Instead of a hotel, the Australian 
had been operating out of one of the laborers' houses on a 
plantation.  Although he was not convicted, Professor De 
Silva stated that he planned to use the Australian's case 
in public statements in order to raise awareness about the 
issue and deter foreigners from engaging in sex tourism in 
Sri Lanka. 
 
5.  (C) The NCPA is also making progress on other fronts by 
dealing with the potential victims of sex tourism.  The 
organization is currently running a three-year project to 
develop six centers around the country that will educate 
children on HIV, drugs & alcohol, and child abuse.  The 
centers will be located in areas where the likelihood of 
child trafficking is high, such as around army camps, in 
key tourist areas such as beach resorts, and other regions 
where large numbers of street kids reside. 
 
Prostitution 
------------ 
 
6.  (C) Though significant strides have been taken by Sri 
Lankan officials to combat the issue, prostitution 
continues to be a social concern with the trafficking of 
women from both inside and outside Sri Lanka.  Sarath 
Lugoda, Director of the Sri Lanka Police Colombo Crime 
Division, expressed confidence in recent crackdowns on 
prostitution, however, asserting that the effects of 
improved policing can be seen through the recent trends 
toward "mobile brothels," prostitution rings run from 
rented vehicles which are frequently changed.  These 
"mobile brothels" are harder to shut down, but their 
increased usage represents a move away from more 
"traditional" brothels, as many of those have been raided 
and closed.  In the past, most of these prostitution rings 
were run as licensed health clubs or in rental homes where 
the landlords would be paid higher rents to keep silent. 
 
7.  (C) Lugoda also expressed concern over the plight of 
the women involved, as many get drawn in unwittingly.  A 
lot of the women are young, uneducated, from broken 
families, and respond to misleading advertisements in the 
newspapers for jobs at "karaoke clubs."  Once they are 
coerced into prostitution, however, they are trapped and 
denied any outside contact.  Trafficking of women from 
China, Russia, and Thailand is also a considerable setback 
in keeping prostitution under control.  Many of these 
foreign women obtain a three-month visa to Sri Lanka and 
intend to continue on to Singapore after this period.  If 
they are caught and tried, however, the prostitution 
managers that employ them instruct them to plead not guilty 
so that they will be released on bail.  As their passports 
are usually not impounded during this process, they are 
then able to flee the country as soon as they are released. 
About 90 percent of apprehended foreign prostitutes follow 
this practice, making it unfeasible for authorities to 
identify them or get them into any treatment or counseling 
centers. 
 
8.  (C) Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Sarath 
Jayasundara, the Officer-In-Charge of the Police Women and 
Children's Bureau, nevertheless appeared optimistic in 
regards to recent efforts to combat prostitution and stated 
an increase in civilian awareness and reporting.  The main 
downside to this improved reporting is information 
overload.  Reports are received every day from 347 police 
stations and, without funding for a database, it is 
increasingly difficult to keep track of information. 
Jayasundara reported that in 2003 alone there were 1,748 
cases of child prostitution and abuse, most of which 
involved Sri Lankan citizens. 
 
External Migrant Workers 
------------------------ 
 
9.  (C) Women who migrate legally and illegally to areas 
such as the Middle East, often to be domestics, are also at 
high risk for trafficking.  SSP Sumaratunga of the Sri 
Lanka Criminal Investigation Department reported that those 
who do so illegally usually leave the country in three 
ways: they obtain a legal passport through forged 
documents, they travel to Singapore or Thailand and then 
proceed illegally from there, or they depart on unseaworthy 
vessels that are designed to transport fish.  Most 
migrants, both legal and illegal, are unaware of the perils 
they face and once they reach their destination countries, 
may not be in a position to control their situation if it 
becomes intolerant or dangerous.  Yet even if these women 
have heard stories of situations that have gone wrong, they 
continue to be attracted abroad in order to receive better 
pay, escape domestic problems, and avoid the social stigma 
of working as a "servant" in Sri Lanka.  Nevertheless, 
according to statistics kept by the Sri Lanka Bureau of 
Foreign Employment (SLBFE), less than one percent of 
migrant workers in the Middle East actually end up in a 
trafficked situation. 
 
10.  (C) To help prevent migrant workers from getting into 
dangerous situations, the Bureau of Foreign Employment has 
attempted to impose proactive regulations.  Karunasena 
Hettiarachchi, Chairman of the Bureau, stated that an 
internet hotline has been established for the women, as 
internet cafes abroad are often the most accessible modes 
of communication, given restrictions imposed by employers 
on outside contact.  The Bureau has also started a system 
of complaint gathering with consequences including 
blacklisting of the agencies and workers implicated in both 
Sri Lanka and the destination countries and/or a suspension 
of a particular agency's license.  To date, 40 foreign 
agencies and 18 domestic agencies have been blacklisted and 
15 agencies have been suspended by the Bureau.  The Bureau 
also offers monetary compensation for the repatriation of 
the trafficking victims involved.  Hettiarachchi also 
commented on reports claiming that Sri Lankan Government 
officials were involved in trafficking incidents in the 
Middle East.  He stated that there had been a few incidents 
of Sri Lanka Embassy-operated safe houses in Kuwait being 
used as brothels and that these cases were currently under 
investigation. 
 
11.  (C) In addition to their other efforts, the SLBFE has 
set up 31 training centers around the country with 125 
female instructors to educate prospective migrant workers 
about how to manage and what to expect in their new 
environments.  During a visit to one site, Embassy 
officials learned that the Bureau provides a total of four 
courses, one of which is a refresher course for returning 
migrant workers, two of which are destination-specific 
(Middle East versus non-Middle East), and a basic English 
literacy course, as literacy is a pre-requisite for the 
other three.  In these courses, women are trained on 
handling emergencies, financial management, family 
arrangements, HIV/AIDS, personal hygiene, visa procedures, 
usage of electrical equipment, and other necessary basic 
information.  All legal migrants are required to complete 
this free training before they leave the country, and 
although the Bureau has not sought any official feedback, 
they have observed that the number of problems reported 
after the training was made compulsory has significantly 
declined. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
12.  (C) Sri Lanka is pointedly making an effort to address 
the issues of trafficking in the country.  Notably, many 
different government sectors -- law enforcement, labor and 
employment -- seem to be engaged in these issues.  However, 
there are still problems that remain, for example, in the 
need to further develop rehabilitation options for victims. 
Mission looks forward to continuing this dialogue with 
government officials and identifying areas where USG 
resources can provide aid. 
 
13.  (U) Ms. Neumann did not clear on this cable before 
leaving Sri Lanka. 
 
LUNSTEAD