US embassy cable - 05FRANKFURT3004

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 FRANKFURT 003004 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR G/TIP 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KCRM, PGOV, KWMN, SMIG, GM 
SUBJECT: Baden-Wuerttemberg NGOs Target TIP Demand Reduction 
 
REF: A) 04 FRANKFURT 6697, B) BERLIN 0692, C) 04 STATE 
 
166443 
 
Sensitive but unclassified; not for Internet distribution 
 
1. (SBU) SUMMARY: The Baden-Wuerttemberg NGO Women's 
Information Center (Fraueninformationszentrum) and 
Protestant charity Diakonisches Werk (DW) have pioneered a 
new TIP (trafficking in persons) secular outreach program 
centered on reducing demand for trafficking victims forced 
to work as prostitutes.  The initiative includes TV 
commercials, an Internet website, and a podium discussion 
entitled "Men Bear Responsibilities" at this year's Lutheran 
Church Congress in Hannover to explain the link between 
customer demand and increased TIP victimization in order to 
build awareness among men.  The program is part of a 
nationwide initiative by the Protestant Church to promote 
demand reduction as an effective long-term strategy for 
combating TIP.  END SUMMARY. 
 
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Baden-Wuerttemberg TIP Overview 
------------------------------- 
 
2. (SBU) Baden-Wuerttemberg reported 98 TIP victims in 2003, 
up from 27 in 1999.  Most victims come from Eastern Europe 
and are in their teens.  Law enforcement and government 
officials attribute the increase to relaxed border controls 
in the lead-up to EU enlargement in 2004.  The Baden- 
Wuerttemberg Social Ministry has announced plans to 
implement the federal government's "cooperation concept," 
bringing together government officials, NGOs, law 
enforcement agencies, health care providers and immigration 
offices to assist TIP victims who testify against 
traffickers.  The program provides pre- and post-trial 
assistance to these women and facilitates return to their 
countries of origin. 
 
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Focusing Attention of Customers on Victims 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
3. (SBU) FIZ (Fraueninformationszentrum) Deputy Chairperson 
Traute Wolk explained that changing the attitudes of 
prospective customers of trafficked prostitutes was crucial 
to making progress against TIP.  Diakonisches Werk convened 
a workshop in December of 2004 targeting demand reduction 
and the responsibility of male clients of prostitution to 
identify possible TIP victims.  The workshop included 
representatives from the Family Ministry and other parts of 
the federal government. Wolk told ConGen representative that 
FIZ and Diakonisches Werk would soon debut a multimedia 
initiative targeting men to raise their awareness of the 
problem.  The program will include a website and two 
television commercials ("Human trafficking - why does it 
concern me?" and the short film "Lilya - 4 Ever") that 
depict the fate of trafficked women.  This year's German 
Protestant Church Congress (an annual three-day series of 
events sponsored by the Protestant Church and open to the 
public) in Hannover will include a discussion of this topic 
as part of the "Men Bear Responsibilities" campaign.  The 
coalition distributed over 32,000 copies of its flyer 
"Prostitution and Human Trafficking -- Why Should We Care?" 
in 2004 and convened a working-level meeting focused on 
demand reduction for TIP experts in March. 
 
4. (U) The FIZ also plans to target traditionally male- 
dominated clubs (e.g., for sports or hunting), particularly 
in rural areas.  The effort includes speakers who will 
explain TIP to male audiences, providing potential male 
customers a list of signs that might indicate a prostitute 
is a TIP victim. 
 
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Assistance to TIP Victims 
------------------------- 
 
5. (U) Wolk has extensive experience in TIP issues.  The 
organization has provided assistance to TIP victims since 
1988 and receives funding from the Baden-Wuerttemberg 
government.  FIZ assistance ranges from counseling to 
immigration assistance and German language training.  The 
FIZ and Diakonisches Werk also provide housing to TIP 
victims not selected to participate in the state's witness 
protection program.  (NOTE: Not all victims are selected as 
witnesses for each individual case, since B-W prosecutors 
typically do not need all the TIP victims in a given case to 
testify as the information supplied varies little from 
victim to victim -- END NOTE.)  They also maintain contact 
with women's NGOs in many TIP countries of origin, working 
with the latter to facilitate victim repatriation. 
 
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COMMENT 
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6. (SBU) As part of a Mission Germany effort, the Consul 
General stressed strong USG support for state-level measures 
to reduce TIP demand as part of the 2004 benchmarks for 
Germany (ref C) in calls on the Interior Ministers from 
Hesse, Baden-Wuerttemberg, and Rheinland-Pfalz.  This NGO 
initiative demonstrates B-W's growing recognition of the 
need to address demand for trafficked prostitutes as part of 
preventing and fighting TIP.  END COMMENT. 
 
BODDE 
_______________________________ 
1Needs a Hamburg clearance (Hannover conference).