US embassy cable - 05KUWAIT263

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 000263 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR NEA/RA AND G/TIP 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM, EAID, ELAB, KCRM, KWMN, SMIG, ASEC, KU 
SUBJECT: KUWAIT'S ANTI-TRAFFICKING PUBLIC AWARENESS ESF 
PROPOSAL 
 
REF: 04 STATE 260881 
 
1. Post requests ESF funding for an anti-trafficking in 
persons campaign targeted primarily at East and South Asian 
workers, the most vulnerable labor communities in Kuwait. 
Project FALCON (Fostering Awareness about Labor CONditions) 
would increase public awareness of trafficking in Kuwait, a 
destination country; inform workers of their rights under 
Kuwaiti labor law; and provide laborers with contact numbers 
of resources should they fall victim to trafficking or abuse. 
While the principal objective is prevention, the project also 
includes a victim assistance component. 
 
2. There is a justified need for an anti-trafficking campaign 
in Kuwait. The Department classified Kuwait as a tier 2 
country in the 2004 Trafficking in Persons report. From the 
report: "Trafficking victims ... come to Kuwait as domestic 
servants but are subsequently abused by their employers or 
coerced into situations of debt bondage or involuntary 
servitude." Victims suffer "involuntary sexual servitude, 
coerced labor, verbal and physical abuse, and the withholding 
of their passports or other required travel documents." 
Project FALCON would provide one method to combat trafficking 
and abuse in Kuwait. 
 
3. Project FALCON would consist of two parts: wallet-sized 
information cards and public service announcements in 
newspapers. First, Post would produce laminated cards for 
distribution to nationals of Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, the 
Philippines, Sri Lanka and other origin countries upon 
arrival at Kuwait International Airport. In addition, cards 
would be available at health clinics in Kuwait that perform 
the required physical for labor permit renewal. The cards, 
printed in the predominant language of each of the countries 
listed, would highlight protections afforded to all workers 
under Kuwaiti labor law. The reverse side would include 
pertinent information targeted at domestic workers such as 
contact numbers for their embassies, local police and Kuwaiti 
government ministries. The plan calls for the production of 
900,000 cards, which would be distributed until depletion of 
the stock, estimated to last for one year. The second 
component would entail publishing the same information in 
advertisement form in two local newspapers. An 
Arabic-language paper would carry announcements in Arabic and 
Urdu on a rotating basis while an English-language daily 
would have them in English, Bengali, Hindi, and Tagalog. The 
announcements would appear once-a-week in each newspaper for 
a six-month period. 
 
4. Post would administer card distribution in conjunction 
with the Kuwaiti Ministries of Interior and Social Affairs 
and Labor via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The ministries 
would work with the airport authorities to distribute the 
cards to anyone entering Kuwait on an employment visa. Post 
would directly oversee the placement of the public service 
announcements in newspapers. In both cases, Post would act as 
a silent partner with the appropriate government or 
non-governmental entity to ensure the public face of Project 
FALCON remain Kuwaiti. 
 
5. Project evaluation would consist of contacting the 
embassies of origin countries in Kuwait to monitor any 
increase in labor inquiries or reports of trafficking or 
abuse. Post will attempt to monitor the same with Kuwaiti 
ministries and police. Post will review progress after one 
month of project implementation and every three months 
thereafter. Since statistics from Kuwaiti ministries or 
origin country embassies may not be accurate or shared with 
Post, it may not be possible to measure project performance 
precisely although Post anticipates an initial uptick in 
reports of trafficking and abuse as the working population 
becomes more informed. Embassy contact, poloff Richard 
Michaels, will follow up with these organizations. 
 
6. The estimated cost for Project FALCON is $99,000. The 
production of 900,000 cards in various languages will total 
approximately $16,250 including translation fees. The 
newspaper announcements will cost around $82,750: $40,250 for 
one advertisement in an Arabic-language newspaper for 26 
weeks and another $42,500 for the same ad placement in an 
English-language daily. There are no other proposed funding 
donors aside from the ESF. While the host government would 
not provide monetary resources for the project, they would 
provide logistical support including manpower for the 
distribution of cards. 
 
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Visit Embassy Kuwait's Classified Website: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/ 
 
You can also access this site through the 
State Department's Classified SIPRNET website 
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LEBARON