US embassy cable - 05KINGSTON2552

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KINGSTON 002552 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR WHA/CAR (BENT) AND WHA/PPC (PUCCETTI) 
DEPARTMENT FOR G/TIP (OWEN AND ETERNO) 
SOUTHCOM FOR POLAD AND J7 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KCRM, KWMN, OPRC, PHUM, PREL, SMIG, JM, TIP 
SUBJECT: JAMAICA: INTERIM TIP ASSESSMENT 
 
REF: A. STATE 185386 
     B. KINGSTON 01904 
     C. KINGSTON 02059 
 
1.  The following constitutes Post's submission for Jamaica's 
Interim TIP Assessment, per Ref A instructions.  In addition 
to the information reported below and in Ref B and Ref C, 
Post has details of recent TIP-related law enforcement 
actions that are available upon request. 
 
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IMPLEMENTATION OF CHILD CARE AND PROTECTION ACT 
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2.  The Child Care and Protection Act of 2004 (CCPA) 
specifically prohibits the sale and trafficking of children 
and sets forth penalties for violators of the provision. 
Drafting instructions for the Children's Registry, which is 
mandated by the Act, were sent to the Chief Parliamentary 
Counsel in August and are currently under review.  In the 
meantime, the Child Development Agency has established a 
reporting mechanism similar to the Children's Registry. 
Existing hotlines in 14 parish offices are dedicated to 
receiving reports of abuse and exploitation, with officers in 
each location conducting investigations.  In addition, the 
GOJ reported in November that the process of selecting a 
Children's Advocate, also mandated by the CCPA, is well 
advanced.  The position description has been advertised, and 
the recruiting period is coming to a close.  The GOJ expects 
the hiring process to begin by year's end.  Because the 
position is unprecedented in Jamaica, the CDA is very 
concerned that the screening and hiring process should be 
thorough. 
 
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ANTI-TIP LAW ENFORCEMENT EFFORTS / 
OFFICIAL NAMED TO KEEP DATA ON TIP CASES 
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3.  In July, the GOJ formed a specialized anti-TIP unit 
within the Organized Crime Unit of the Jamaica Constabulary 
Force (JCF).  The police unit, staffed by six officers and 
led by Detective Sergeants Dorrett Brown and Allan Love, is 
responsible for the JCF's heightened efforts to enforce 
Jamaica's anti-trafficking laws.  The JCF reported that 
officers have cited violations of the Spirit Licenses Act, 
the Child Care and Protection Act, and the Offenses Against 
the Person Act to make TIP-related arrests.  (See Paragraph 
Four for details of investigations led by the newly-formed 
unit).  The JCF anti-TIP unit also has official 
responsibility for collecting all data on TIP cases, 
including resulting arrests and prosecutions. 
 
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CONDUCTING RAIDS AND RESCUING VICTIMS 
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4.  From June to November, the JCF reports having conducted 
raids at 15 nightclubs and businesses across Jamaica where 
credible evidence suggested that trafficking might have been 
taking place.  The raids, police said, resulted in the 
closure of four establishments and the arrests of 39 people. 
While some cases are still under investigation or pending in 
court, a number of those arrested were convicted and made to 
pay fines, although the law provides for relatively small 
fines.  In at least five cases, those arrested were convicted 
and repatriated to their countries of origin.  One underage 
girl working as an exotic dancer was reportedly committed to 
a juvenile facility and is awaiting trial in a family court. 
In at least one case, police reported convicting the 
owners/operators of the nightclubs that were raided. 
 
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EXPANDING EFFORTS TO WORK WITH NGOS 
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5.  The GOJ's interagency TIP task force, led by Anne-Marie 
Bonner of the Cabinet Office and endorsed by Prime Minister 
P.J. Patterson, has guided the government's anti-TIP efforts 
since early 2005.  The task force, composed of officials from 
at least 11 government ministries, reports that it has in 
recent months added representatives of local NGOs to its 
membership.  Active participants are People's Action for 
Community Transformation (PACT), a group funded by USAID to 
raise TIP awareness since 2004; Woman Inc. and AWOJA, two 
local women's rights groups; and the Coalition for the Rights 
of the Child.  The GOJ continues to seek suitable faith-based 
NGOs to join the task force. 
 
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SENIOR-LEVEL OFFICIALS SPEAK ON DANGERS OF TIP 
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6.  On August 9, the GOJ,s TIP task force presented PM 
Patterson with posters and bumper stickers to be used in a 
yearlong TIP awareness education campaign.  Patterson used 
the opportunity to say that the 2005 TIP Report served as a 
"wake-up call" for Jamaican society, and that he had 
established a team within the Cabinet Office to ensure that 
trafficking would be eliminated from Jamaica.  On August 30, 
at a public event to launch the awareness campaign, National 
Security Minister Peter Phillips said that Jamaica should be 
at the forefront of the fight against trafficking, adding 
that the GOJ does not condone the activity and was ready to 
play its part in combating the problem.  Phillips was joined 
on the occasion by Information Minister Burchell Whiteman and 
Assistant Police Commissioner Charles Scarlette, both of whom 
also used the opportunity to speak out against trafficking in 
Jamaica. 
 
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ADDRESSING TIP-RELATED CORRUPTION 
--------------------------------- 
 
7.  Although police have said they are confident that 
convictions will prevent the renewal of club owners' 
operating license, it was later discovered that a week after 
one nightclub was raided, the Ministry of Labor issued work 
visas to the same club for 19 female employees from the 
Dominican Republic, most of them listed as "dancers" and 
"coordinators."  Furthermore, some raids of nightclubs 
suspected of trafficking activity often either found the club 
had closed, or failed to capture the owners of the 
establishment.  It is unclear whether these situations were 
the result of GOJ corruption or simply poor coordination. 
The GOJ reported that an investigation was ongoing in the 
case of hundreds of illegally issued passports, and that 
those responsible at the Passport Office had been suspended. 
 
TIGHE