Zimbabwe mooted human trafficking law three years ago

Zimbabwe mooted the idea of coming up with anti-trafficking legislation more than three years ago.

An advisor to Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, Rosie Zigomo, consulted local non-governmental organisations that provided assistance to victims of trafficking and those that were researching trafficking.

Zigomo told United States embassy officials that Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office Gorden Moyo agreed that anti-trafficking legislation should be on the legislative agenda and agreed to spearhead the issue.

Deputy Minister of Justice Jessie Majome said attorney-general Johannes Tomana also got interested in the issue after being invited to South Africa by the national Prosecuting Authority.

South Africa wanted Zimbabwe to pass anti-trafficking legislation before the 2010 World Cup.

According to Majome, Tomana was surprised that “even Mozambique” had introduced anti-trafficking legislation and on his return to Zimbabwe, Tomana told Minister of Justice Patrick Chinamasa and Majome that Zimbabwe should move to introduce such legislation.

Full cable:

Viewing cable 09HARARE678, ZIMBABWE TIER 3 TIP ASSESSMENT: MOVING IN THE

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O 191604Z AUG 09

FM AMEMBASSY HARARE

TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4841

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RUEHAR/AMEMBASSY ACCRA 2996

RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA 3111

RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN 1540

RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 2374

RUEHDK/AMEMBASSY DAKAR 2741

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RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 5604

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UNCLAS HARARE 000678

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C O R R E C T E D COPY CAPTION

G FOR A.C. BLANK

AF/S FOR B. WALCH

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G/TIP FOR R. YOUSEY AND J. SIGMON

ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU

ADDIS ABABA FOR ACSS

STATE PASS TO NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR

E.O. 12958: N/A

TAGS: ASEC KDEM KTIP PGOV PHUM PREL ZI

SUBJECT: ZIMBABWE TIER 3 TIP ASSESSMENT: MOVING IN THE

RIGHT DIRECTION–BUT SLOWLY

REF: A. SECSTATE 64062

¶B. SECSTATE 81476

¶C. HARARE 650

¶1. (U) This cable serves as a response to the Department’s

request for information (Ref B) on Zimbabwe’s progress

towards improving its performance in addressing

anti-trafficking issues. In response to Zimbabwe’s recent

Tier 3 ranking in the Trafficking in Persons report, Post has

encouraged the Zimbabwean gvernment to take action as

described in the Tier 3 Action Plan on legislation, victim

protection, and public awareness (Ref A).

——————————————–

Pace Quickening Towards Anti-TIP legislation

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¶2. (SBU) Officials in the Prime Minister’s office, the

Parliament, the Foreign Ministry and the Justice Ministry

agreed that anti-trafficking legislation is important. The

Prime Minister’s office has taken up the issue and begun to

consult with stakeholders with an eye towards drafting a

comprehensive anti-trafficking bill. Advisor to the Prime

Minister Rosie Zigomo, a lawyer by training, is consulting

with local NGOs that provide assistance to trafficking

victims and that are researching trafficking in Zimbabwe.

The local office of the International Organization for

Migration employs a consultant who has been working with the

Parliament’s legal advisor, Choice Damiso, to establish a

framework for a new law. Zigomo told poloff that she and

Minister of State in the Office of the Prime Minister Gordon

Moyo had brought the issue and the recent Tier 3 ranking to

the attention of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, who agrees

that anti-trafficking legislation should be on the

legislative agenda for 2009-2010. Minister Moyo has agreed

to spearhead the issue. He plans on proposing draft

legislation in Cabinet, which will then forward the issue to

Parliament. Moyo has asked Zigomo to review sample

legislation from other African nations (which Post has

provided with the assistance of G/TIP) and to prepare

briefing papers on trafficking in Zimbabwe. Post is helping

Zigomo identify local civil society organizations to prepare

the briefing papers and to serve as sources for consultation.

Zigomo told us on August 10 that Minister Moyo plans to

introduce the topic of anti-trafficking legislation in the

cabinet meeting held during the week of August 17. After the

issue is presented in cabinet, Zigomo told us that PM

Tsvangirai plans on issuing a public statement against

trafficking.

¶3. (SBU) We anticipate ZANU-PF members of parliament will

agree with the push to prioritize anti-TIP legislation.

Deputy Minister of Justice Jessie Majome told us on July 27

that Attorney General Johannes Tomana was recently invited to

South Africa by the South African National Prosecuting

Authority. The South Africans used the meeting to encourage

Zimbabwe to pass anti-trafficking legislation in advance of

the 2010 World Cup, to be held in South Africa in May and

June 2010. According to Majome, Tomana was surprised that

“even Mozambique” had introduced anti-trafficking

legislation. On his return to Zimbabwe, Tomana told Minister

Qlegislation. On his return to Zimbabwe, Tomana told Minister

of Justice Patrick Chinamasa and Majome that Zimbabwe should

move to introduce such legislation. In addition, a respected

South African research organization, Durban-based Human

Sciences Resource Council (HSRC), recently visited Zimbabwe

and spoke with poloff on human trafficking in Zimbabwe. He

told us that the HSRC had been commissioned by the South

African Government to research trafficking in Zimbabwe,

Lesotho, and Swaziland in advance of the World Cup. This

regional pressure is likely to be effective towards

encouraging the Zimbabwean government to introduce and pass

an anti-trafficking law.

—————————-

Victim Protection Still Weak

—————————-

¶4. (SBU) Post has no evidence of enhanced law enforcement and

social welfare capacity to meet trafficking victim needs; a

recent trafficking case (Ref C) confirms this weakness. In

this most recent case, the Zimbabwean embassy in Angola

proved extraordinarily helpful in facilitating the

repatriation of Zimbabwean trafficking victims.

Unfortunately, when their case entered the Ministry of Labor

— the only appropriate venue to prosecute the trafficking

perpetrators given the absence of anti-trafficking

legislation — the government’s response quickly

deteriorated. We have shared the details of this ongoing

case with Zigomo and Magwenzi, who both recognized the need

for a more holistic approach by the GOZ in providing support

for trafficking victims. While the GOZ has not yet addressed

these shortcomings, the acknowledgment of the need to expand

support will pave the way for further government action.

———————

No Media Campaign Yet

———————

¶5. (SBU) Post has recorded no progress on the third element

in the action plan: an expanded nationwide awareness

campaign. Post will continue engagement on this issue.

DHANANI

(84 VIEWS)