US embassy cable - 04SANTODOMINGO6061

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 SANTO DOMINGO 006061 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR WHA/CAR, G/TIP FOR RACHEL OWEN 
NSC FOR SHANNON AND MADISON;LABOR FOR ILAB; 
USCINCSO ALSO FOR POLAD; TREASURY FOR OASIA-LCARTER 
USDOC FOR 4322/ITA/MAC/WH/CARIBBEAN BASIN DIVISION 
USDOC FOR 3134/ITA/USFCS/RD/WH; DHS FOR CIS-CARLOS ITURREGUI 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, PHUM, KWMN, DR 
SUBJECT: DOMINICAN ATTORNEY GENERAL WILL COORDINATE 
ANTI-TIP EFFORTS 
 
 
1. (U) Summary.  Dominican cabinet members and senior 
officials, meeting as a group with the Ambassador and Embassy 
staff on October 20 and 22, cited several instances of recent 
progress in combating TIP, including the creation of a new 
cyber-crimes unit in the Attorney General's office, the 
break-up of a child pornography ring in Santiago, and the 
implementation of a new Code for Minors and Adolescents, 
which creates stiffer penalties for exploiters of children. 
The Dominicans also promised to increase interagency 
cooperation in investigating and prosecuting trafficking in 
persons (TIP) cases, led by Attorney General Francisco 
Dominguez Brito.  On October 25, at an international TIP 
conference hosted by the International Organization for 
Migration (IOM), the Ambassador stressed that the Dominican 
Republic must do more to combat TIP.  At the same meeting, 
Dominguez Brito reconfirmed his engagement on TIP, calling 
for more aggressive prosecutions and sentences of up to 30 
years for traffickers.  End Summary. 
 
2. (U) Background.  During the week of October 18-22, Embassy 
Santo Domingo followed up on June and August coordination 
seminars with advisors to incoming president Leonel Fernandez 
expected to assume key law enforcement duties, especially for 
trafficking in persons (TIP). After an Embassy half-day 
seminar on October 20 with senior staff from several 
Dominican agencies, on October 22 the Ambassador hosted 
cabinet officials, the head of the Armed Forces, and other 
officials newly designated to combat TIP.  The Ambassador and 
Attorney General Francisco Dominguez Brito also spoke at the 
inauguration of an international conference on the best 
practices for combating TIP hosted by the International 
Organization for Migration (IOM) the week of October 25-29. 
 
Staff Level Coordination 
 
3. (U)  On October 20, senior staff representatives of law 
enforcement entities and state secretariats met with the DCM, 
the Defense Attache, EcoPol officers, and USG law enforcement 
attaches for half a day. The group reached a consensus that 
the Attorney General's office should serve as the focal point 
of TIP investigations and prosecutions.  The action officer 
is Assistant Attorney General Frank Soto, head of the 
Attorney General's anti-TIP unit, an entity established by 
the previous administration. 
 
4. (U) Soto pointed to several positive recent steps, 
including the October 18 implementation of the 2003 Code for 
Minors and Adolescents, which provides greater legal 
protections for children and stiffer penalties for those who 
exploit them.  Soto said the Attorney General's office was 
establishing a cyber-crimes unit with help from the German 
Embassy, to investigate cases of child sexual exploitation. 
(Last month police in Santiago shut down a child pornography 
ring in Santiago that had sought to lure foreign clients by 
posting sexually explicit photos of young children and 
adolescents on the Internet.) 
 
5. (SBU) MFA Ambassador for Women's Affairs Luisa "Chiqui" 
Vicisoso said that the MFA was drafting a report on progress 
in anti-TIP efforts and is seeking multilateral commitments 
to fight cross-border trafficking, including that of Haitian 
migrant workers.  Participants wanted more coordination and 
cooperation among investigators, to establish whether given 
crimes involving alien smuggling met TIP criteria.  Colonel 
Cristobal Morales was the National Police representative, as 
director of the Falsifications Investigations Department, 
which includes the police anti-TIP unit.  Morales proposed a 
monthly interagency meeting to share information on TIP cases. 
 
Cabinet Level Coordination 
 
6. (SBU) The Ambassador reinforced these commitments at a 
lunch he hosted October 22 for cabinet members and heads of 
the agencies represented at the working group.  Foreign 
Minister Carlos Morales Troncoso, Armed Forces Secretary 
Sigfido Pared Perez, and Attorney General Francisco Dominguez 
Brito were the ranking attendees.  The Foreign Minister 
reciprocated the Ambassador's opening remarks by emphasizing 
the importance of fighting TIP and told the group that the 
Dominican Republic "must improve" its record on TIP.  Morales 
recounted some success stories, including a cleanup of 
corrupt Dominican consulates that had helped traffickers by 
selling visas and travel documents. 
 
7. (SBU) Attorney General Dominguez Brito welcomed the 
responsibility of coordinating anti-TIP action. Armed Forces 
Chief Pared Perez stressed the importance of controlling 
borders to make it harder to traffic or smuggle from Haiti 
and noted that agencies that provide security at seaports 
(CESEP) and airports (CESA) are particularly important in 
improving the Dominican Republic's reputation as a source and 
transit country for TIP.  Police Chief Manuel de Jesus Perez 
Sanchez raised the need to encourage "denunciations" of 
traffickers and to protect informants.  Minister for Women's 
Affairs Gladys Gutierrez called for more resources for women 
and families to encourage potential victims to stay in their 
home towns in the Dominican Republic and resist temptations 
offered by traffickers. 
 
8. (SBU) At the conclusion of the lunch, the Ambassador asked 
all of the agency heads to assure that their staffs receive 
the direction, time and resources to investigate and 
prosecute traffickers and to assist victims.  He endorsed the 
proposal for the Attorney General and the Attorney General's 
anti-TIP unit to lead in investigating and prosecuting TIP. 
All present agreed with this approach. 
 
Call for Increased Penalties 
 
9. (U) On October 25 the Attorney General made public once 
again his hard line against trafficking in his presentation 
at an well-publicized international TIP conference near Santo 
Domingo sponsored by the International Organization for 
Migration (IOM).  Dominguez Brito called for sentences of up 
to thirty years for traffickers, saying,"There can be no 
impunity for traffickers."  He also said, "We have a clear 
need to follow up on our prosecutions, because it is 
worthless to file charges and then not have a conviction." 
The Ambassador, in his presentation at the opening session, 
recognized the efforts of the Dominican Republic and the 
international community to fight TIP but stressed "we must do 
more."  The Ambassador emphasized the theme of interagency 
and international cooperation, noting, "Only through 
collective action can we meet the challenge presented by this 
epidemic." 
 
Comment 
 
10. (SBU) The commitments from the cabinet members and 
Dominguez Brito's strong public stand are in part the fruit 
of the persistent work of the Ambassador and Embassy officers 
in raising the awareness of the incoming administration on 
TIP and promoting an operational approach for an issue that 
affects many government agencies.  The Fernandez 
administration is focusing its law enforcement resources to 
improve the Dominican record on fighting TIP.  The framework 
is in place, the channels of communication are open, and the 
frank and zealous Attorney General is ready. The issue is now 
for the rest of the new administration to follow his lead. 
HERTELL