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### Viewing cable 08REYKJAVIK36, EIGHTH ANNUAL ANTI-TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS (TIP) REPORT FOR

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Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
08REYKJAVIK36 | 2008-03-07 12:12 | 2011-01-13 05:05 | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | Embassy Reykjavik

`

    VZCZCXRO8361
    OO RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHLN
    RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
    DE RUEHRK #0036/01 0671222
    ZNR UUUUU ZZH
    O 071222Z MAR 08
    FM AMEMBASSY REYKJAVIK
    TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3583
    INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
    RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC
    RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC
    RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC
    RUEAHLC/HOMELAND SECURITY CENTER WASHDC

` `

    UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 07 REYKJAVIK 000036

    SIPDIS

    SENSITIVE

    SIPDIS

    DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/NB:SWHEELER, G/TIP, G, INL, DRL, PRM, AND
    EUR/PGI
    STATE PASS USAID

    E.O. 12958: N/A
    TAGS: PHUM KCRM KWMN ELAB SMIG ASEC KFRD PREF IC
    SUBJECT:  EIGHTH ANNUAL ANTI-TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS (TIP) REPORT FOR
    ICELAND

    REF:  08 STATE 2731

    ¶1. (SBU) Embassy point of contact on the trafficking in persons
    (TIP) issue is Political Officer Brad Evans, tel.
    +354-562-9100x2294, fax +354-562-9139, unclassified e-mail
    EvansBR@state.gov.

    Hours spent on preparation:
    - Pol Officer (FS 02) 12 hrs
    - Pol Assistant  50 hrs
    - DCM (FE-OC)    1 hrs
    Total:    63 hrs

    The following questions and answers correspond to the format
    provided reftel.

    ¶2. (SBU) Overview of a country's activities to eliminate
    trafficking in persons:

    -- A. Is the country a country of origin, transit, and/or
    destination for internationally trafficked men, women, or children?
    Provide, where possible, numbers or estimates for each group; how
    they were trafficked, to where, and for what purpose.  Does the
    trafficking occur within the country's borders?  Does it occur in
    territory outside of the government's control (e.g. in a civil war
    situation)?  Are any estimates or reliable numbers available as to
    the extent or magnitude of the problem?  What is (are) the source(s)
    of available information on trafficking in persons or what plans are
    in place (if any) to undertake documentation of trafficking?  How
    reliable are the numbers and these sources?  Are certain groups of
    persons more at risk of being trafficked (e.g. women and children,
    boys versus girls, certain ethnic groups, refugees, etc.)?

    There were no confirmed cases of trafficking in the reporting
    period. There were a handful of alleged victims. There were isolated
    cases of destination. Putative cases include mainly underpaid and/or
    mistreated workers in nightclubs and massage parlors, but possibly
    undocumented Eastern European workers in construction and
    manufacturing as well. There was no evidence of trafficking in
    children.

    The only information available on TIP is anecdotal in nature, though
    government officials' and NGOs' accounts of the problem are largely
    consistent.  Post's sources - especially NGOs - maintain that they
    have seen several concrete examples of trafficking.  At an informal
    meeting of government and non-governmental institutions in January
    2008, the attendees said that each of them had come into contact
    with 6-20 trafficking victims over the last four years. While all
    believed that most of the examples overlapped, no distinction was
    made as to what kind of trafficking victims they were.   The meeting
    included representatives from three NGOs (the Icelandic Counseling
    and Information Center for Survivors of Sexual Violence (Stigamot)
    and the Women's Shelter) and four government agencies (the police,
    the state prosecutor's office and the Reykjavik municipal social
    services).

    Post considers this to be a credible estimate of the scope of the
    problem, though we are concerned over the lack of a formal,
    comprehensive study of TIP in Iceland.  Even the harshest critics of
    government policy concede that there are likely only a handful of
    victims each year.

    In a media interview in August 2007, the chief of the Sexual
    Violence Department of the Metropolitan Police stated that at least
    five foreign prostitutes had come to Iceland through foreign escort
    services in 2007. They were of Portuguese, Brazilian, and Eastern
    European origin.

    Undocumented foreign workers - mostly Baltic and Eastern European -
    in Iceland's construction sector may be exploited, but most sources
    opine that these are cases of immigrant and employment law
    violations rather than trafficking in persons. Most sources stress
    that the men willingly work illegally, and live in sub-standard
    housing, in Iceland in order to make up to four times the normal
    income in their home countries. Press accounts of such cases have
    drastically decreased during the reporting period compared to the
    previous year; post's contacts in the government confirm this
    decline.

    Legal measures to clamp down on the number and operations of strip
    clubs in the Reykjavik Metropolitan Area -- the predominant loci of

    REYKJAVIK 00000036  002 OF 007

    TIP cases, according to post sources -- have been somewhat
    successful. NGO representatives and police say that rumors continue
    to circulate regarding prostitution and illegal nude shows and lap
    dances in the handful of the remaining establishments.

    -- B. Please provide a general overview of the trafficking situation
    in the country and any changes since the last TIP Report (e.g.
    changes in direction).  (Other items to address may include: What
    kind of conditions are the victims trafficked into?  Which
    populations are targeted by the traffickers?  Who are the
    traffickers/exploiters?  Are they independent business people?
    Small or family-based crime groups?  Large international organized
    crime syndicates?  What methods are used to approach victims?  (Are
    they offered lucrative jobs, sold by their families, approached by
    friends of friends, etc.?)  What methods are used to move the
    victims (e.g., are false documents being used?).  Are employment,
    travel, and tourism agencies or marriage brokers involved with or
    fronting for traffickers or crime groups to traffic individuals?

    As in previous years, suspected trafficking cases are spoken of
    anecdotally rather than as part of a broader trend of confirmed
    cases. Tougher local regulations and laws have contributed to making
    the operations of strip clubs in Iceland a difficult task. Media
    reports of undocumented foreign workers living in less-than-optimal
    living conditions declined considerably during the reporting period,
    in contrast to recent years. Successful measures by the Directorate
    of Labor and Icelandic unions to have employers properly document
    the workers may have played a part in reducing the problem, though
    government sources are reluctant to claim full success on the
    problem. There are indications that the inflow of Eastern European
    and Baltic citizens who have been coming to Iceland in search of
    employment is decreasing, due to better job prospects in their home
    countries.  This would reduce the risk of labor trafficking to
    Iceland from these countries.

    Political will: There appears to be political will at the highest
    levels of government to combat trafficking in persons. Municipal
    councils have, through regulation, effectively put numerous strip
    clubs out of business, and severely hampered the operations of the
    remaining ones.  During the reporting period, the government's prior
    focus on the judicial and law enforcement aspects of TIP moved
    towards victim protection and assistance.

    The Ministry of Justice is currently preparing legislation for
    Iceland's ratification of the Council of Europe Convention on Action
    against TIP and the Palermo Protocol (see 5F), and continues to keep
    tabs on the problem in the broader scheme of efforts to deal with
    the threat of transnational crime. The Minister of Social Affairs
    requested in the fall of 2007 that the ministry become the lead
    agency on TIP. The minister was also quick to announce that an
    action plan to address trafficking in persons (see 5F) would be
    drafted by the end of April 2008. The Ministry of Justice designated
    its Head of Legal Affairs as the primary government point of contact
    on TIP issues in 2006, but since the Ministry of Social Affairs is
    now the lead agency of TIP, this position has become somewhat of an
    ambiguity.

    -- C. Which government agencies are involved in anti-trafficking
    efforts and which agency, if any, has the lead?

    The following agencies are involved in anti-trafficking efforts:
    -- Ministry of Social Affairs (including the Equal Rights Office and
    Directorate of Labor): lead agency.
    -- Ministry of Justice (including the Directorate of Immigration,
    State Prosecutor's Office, and National Commissioner of Police and
    local police forces.
    -- Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

    -- D. What are the limitations on the government's ability to
    address this problem in practice?  For example, is funding for
    police or other institutions inadequate?  Is overall corruption a
    problem?  Does the government lack the resources to aid victims?

    Iceland is consistently ranked in independent surveys as one of the
    world's least corrupt societies.  Funding for police and other
    institutions that are on the TIP front lines is adequate for a
    reactive approach but inadequate to fund active measures to prevent
    potential new cases. The January 2007 launch of an intelligence and
    analytical unit within the office of the National Police
    Commissioner, intended to strengthen proactive measures to combat
    international organized crime, has improved National Police and
    Ministry of Justice awareness of organized crime problems.  However,

    REYKJAVIK 00000036  003 OF 007

    some local police commissioners have noted to post that they have
    seen little direct benefit from the intelligence and analytical
    unit, and that cooperation between national and local levels on TIP
    and other organized crime issues could be improved greatly.

    Programs to provide emergency shelter and crime victim compensation,
    which in theory could be used to help TIP victims, have rarely been
    tested in the trafficking context.

    An NGO representative stated that Icelandic police do not question
    possible TIP victims - such as foreign prostitutes purportedly
    employed by a third party - to find out if they are trafficking
    victims, but instead quickly deport them on other grounds.  Post
    considers this source reliable but has been unable to corroborate
    this claim.

    -- E. To what extent does the government systematically monitor its
    anti-trafficking efforts (on all fronts -- prosecution, victim
    protection, and prevention) and periodically make available,
    publicly or privately and directly or through regional/international
    organizations, its assessments of these anti-trafficking efforts?

    There is no systematic government monitoring of anti-trafficking
    efforts as such - i.e., none beyond ordinary recordkeeping as to
    laws proposed and passed.  Primary responsibility for
    anti-trafficking work currently lies with the Ministry of Social
    Affairs, which oversees victim protection and assistance.

    Post expects that the national anti-TIP action plan currently being
    drafted (see 5F) will include measures to systematically monitor
    government anti-TIP efforts.

    ¶3. INVESTIGATION AND PROSECUTION OF TRAFFICKERS:

    -- A. Does the country have a law specifically prohibiting
    trafficking in persons--both for sexual and non-sexual purposes
    (e.g. forced labor)?  If so, please specifically cite the name of
    the law and its date of enactment and provide the exact language of
    the law prohibiting TIP and all other law(s) used to prosecute TIP
    cases.  Does the law(s) cover both internal and external
    (transnational) forms of trafficking?  If not, under what other laws
    can traffickers be prosecuted?  For example, are there laws against
    slavery or the exploitation of prostitution by means of force, fraud
    or coercion?  Are these other laws being used in trafficking cases?
    Please provide a full inventory of trafficking laws, including
    non-criminal statutes that allow for civil penalties against alleged
    trafficking crimes, (e.g., civil forfeiture laws and laws against
    illegal debt).

    Passed into law March 10, 2003, Article 227a of Iceland's General
    Penal Code outlaws trafficking in persons.  The law states:
    Anyone becoming guilty of the following acts for the purpose of
    sexually using a person or for forced labor or to remove his/her
    organs shall be punished for slavery with up to 8 years
    imprisonment:
    ¶1. Procuring, removing, housing or accepting someone who has been
    subjected to unlawful force under Art. 225 or deprived of freedom as
    per Art. 226 or threat as per Art. 233 or unlawful deception by
    awakening, strengthening or utilizing his/her lack of understanding
    of the person concerned about circumstances or other inappropriate
    method.
    ¶2. Procuring, removing, housing or accepting an individual younger
    than 18 years of age or rendering payment or other gain in order to
    acquire the approval of those having the care of a child.
    The same penalty shall be applied to a person accepting payment or
    other gain according to clause 2, para. 1.

    The government has not yet brought any prosecutions under Article
    227a, choosing instead to use General Penal Code Articles 57 and
    155, which outlaw alien smuggling and document forgery,
    respectively.

    -- B. What are the prescribed penalties for trafficking people for
    sexual exploitation?  What penalties were imposed for persons
    convicted of sexual exploitation over the reporting period?  Please
    note the number of convicted sex traffickers who received suspended
    sentences and the number who received only a fine as punishment.

    Trafficking of persons for sexual exploitation is punishable by up
    to eight years in prison.

    -- C. Punishment of Labor Trafficking Offenses: What are the

    REYKJAVIK 00000036  004 OF 007

    prescribed and imposed penalties for trafficking for labor
    exploitation, such as forced or bonded labor and involuntary
    servitude?  Do the government's laws provide for criminal punishment
    -- i.e. jail time -- for labor recruiters in labor source countries
    who engage in recruitment of laborers using knowingly fraudulent or
    deceptive offers that result in workers being trafficked in the
    destination country?  Are there laws in destination countries
    punishing employers or labor agents in labor destination countries
    who confiscate workers' passports or travel documents, switch
    contracts without the worker's consent as a means to keep the worker
    in a state of service, or withhold payment of salaries as means of
    keeping the worker in a state of service?  If law(s) prescribe
    criminal punishments for these offenses, what are the actual
    punishments imposed on persons convicted of these offenses?  Please
    note the number of convicted labor traffickers who received
    suspended sentences and the number who received only a fine as
    punishment.

    Trafficking of persons for forced labor is punishable by up to eight
    years in prison.  The laws provide for criminal punishment for
    anyone who procures, removes, houses or accepts someone who has been
    subjected to unlawful restraint, deprived of freedom, threat, or
    unlawful deception by awakening, strengthening or utilizing his/her
    lack of understanding of the person concerned about circumstances or
    other inappropriate method.  The same penalty shall be applied to a
    person accepting payment or other gain.

    -- D. What are the prescribed penalties for rape or forcible sexual
    assault?  How do they compare to the prescribed penalties for crimes
    of trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation?

    Rape is punishable by up to 16 years in prison, but even especially
    brutal rapes rarely draw sentences of more than six years, with one
    or two years' imprisonment more common.  As there have been no
    prosecutions for sex trafficking in Iceland it is impossible to
    compare actual penalties.

    -- E. Is prostitution legalized or decriminalized?  Specifically,
    are the activities of the prostitute criminalized?  Are the
    activities of the brothel owner/operator, clients, pimps, and
    enforcers criminalized?  Are these laws enforced?  If prostitution
    is legal and regulated, what is the legal minimum age for this
    activity?  Note that in many countries with federalist systems,
    prostitution laws may be under state or local jurisdiction and may
    differ among jurisdictions.

    In March 2007 parliament passed a bill that legalized prostitution
    even as a main source of income, yet banned its advertisement. The
    new law also made it illegal for a third party, or pimp, to profit
    from prostitution or procurement of sex, as well as the renting of
    facilities for prostitution. The activities of clients are not
    criminalized.

    -- H. Does the government cooperate with other governments in the
    investigation and prosecution of trafficking cases?  If possible,
    can post provide the number of cooperative international
    investigations on trafficking during the reporting period?

    No such cooperation took place in the reporting period, but
    cooperation on narcotics trafficking cases, which police sources
    believe may be connected to the same organized crime networks, did
    take place.

    -- L, M: Not applicable.

    ¶4. PROTECTION AND ASSISTANCE TO VICTIMS:

    -- A. Does the government assist foreign trafficking victims, for
    example, by providing temporary to permanent residency status, or
    other relief from deportation?  If so, please explain.

    In 2007 a Kenyan woman was granted a residence permit on
    humanitarian grounds. Prior to coming to Iceland she had been
    trafficked as a domestic servant in Great Britain and subsequently a
    British intermediary provided her with a job as a strip dancer in
    Iceland. Upon arrival to Iceland Icelandic border police found her
    travel documents to be false unbeknownst to her. She applied for
    asylum in Iceland and was granted the residence permit, which is the
    first time that a residence permit has been granted to a purported
    TIP victim.

    There is no de jure provision for government assistance to TIP

    REYKJAVIK 00000036  005 OF 007

    victims.  In theory, municipal social services and medical care are
    available to victims as to other citizens and, thanks to
    reimbursements to municipalities from the Ministry of Social
    Affairs, foreigners.  In cases involving unaccompanied children,
    municipal and state child protection services are responsible for
    assistance. The national and local governments may also refer to
    NGOs that provide food, shelter, legal advice, and health care.
    While there is also no de jure provision for grants of residence to
    TIP victims, in practice the Immigration Authority has used its
    discretion to offer permits to foreign women escaping abusive,
    exploitative marriages.

    Members of the working group charged with drafting the first
    Icelandic national action plan against trafficking in persons (see
    5F) said one of the focal points of the action plan will be to call
    for witness and victim protection for trafficking victims, possibly
    including special procedures on granting residence permits to
    trafficking victims.

    -- C. Does the government provide funding or other forms of support
    to foreign or domestic NGOs and/or international organizations for
    services to trafficking victims?  Please explain and provide any
    funding amounts in U.S. dollar equivalent.  If assistance provided
    is in-kind, please specify exact assistance.  Please explain if
    funding for assistance comes from a federal budget or from regional
    or local governments.

    The primary NGOs that provide services to victims of what may be
    trafficking receive considerable financial assistance from the
    government. The 2008 state budget allocates IKR 39.5 million (US
    $607,700) to the Women's Shelter and IKR 32.4 million (US $498,500)
    to the Icelandic Counseling and Information Center for Survivors of
    Sexual Violence (Stigamot). Other NGOs have varying allocations from
    the state budget. One of those is the Women's Advice Center, a legal
    clinic that will receive IKR 800,000 (US $ 12,300) in 2008. These
    funds are not specially earmarked for services to TIP victims. The
    government does not provide funding to foreign NGOs for services to
    victims.

    -- E. For countries with legalized prostitution: Does the government
    have a mechanism for screening for trafficking victims among persons
    involved in the legal/regulated commercial sex trade?

    The government does not possess any mechanism for screening for
    trafficking victims among prostitutes. As mentioned above,
    prostitution in Iceland has been legalized as of March 2007.
    However, the advertisement of prostitution and any intermediation by
    a third party, or pimp, to profit from the prostitution or
    procurement of sex, is illegal.

    -- F. Are the rights of victims respected?  Are trafficking victims
    detained or jailed?  If detained or jailed, for how long?  Are
    victims fined?  Are victims prosecuted for violations of other laws,
    such as those governing immigration or prostitution?

    While there were no identified trafficking victims in the reporting
    period, in the past possible trafficking victims have been
    prosecuted under laws governing immigration.  Typically they were
    detained and jailed for from 30 to 45 days in advance of
    deportation.  Some of them were offered residence permits on
    humanitarian grounds, but they always turned down the offer,
    according to police. Keflavik Airport border police note that
    provisions for free labor movement within the European Economic Area
    and Schengen zone limit their ability to reach what they believe to
    be possible TIP victims upon arrival.  Instead, police are forced to
    rely on customs provisions allowing them to question travelers
    fitting the profile of narcotics traffickers.

    The Sudurnes Police Commissioner (covering Keflavik International
    Airport) reported that on average police stopped four women per
    month were stopped for questioning on arrival at Keflavik
    International Airport during the reporting period. In the vast
    majority of cases, the purpose of their traveling to Iceland was to
    work in the strip club industry, and a number of them were suspected
    to have been sent to Iceland by a third party.  In the absence of
    evidence of other crimes, police released the women but advised
    potential trafficking victims to seek assistance and information at
    the Information Center for Survivors of Sexual Violence in Reykjavik
    (Stigamot).

    -- G-K: not applicable.

    REYKJAVIK 00000036  006 OF 007

    ¶5. (SBU) PREVENTION:

    -- A. Does the government acknowledge that trafficking is a problem
    in the country?  If not, why not?

    Post concurs with the Icelandic government and NGO community
    assessment that there are not a significant number of trafficking
    victims to, through, or from Iceland.  (See 1A above.)

    -- B. Are there, or have there been, government-run anti-trafficking
    information or education campaigns conducted during the reporting
    period?  If so, briefly describe the campaign(s), including their
    objectives and effectiveness.  Please provide the number of people
    reached by such awareness efforts if available.  Do these campaigns
    target potential trafficking victims and/or the demand for
    trafficking (e.g. "clients" of prostitutes or beneficiaries of
    forced labor)?

    There has been no Icelandic government public outreach or
    information campaign on TIP in the reporting period beyond the
    government's announcement that the Ministry of Social Welfare would
    take the lead in drafting an anti-TIP action plan.

    -- C. What is the relationship between government officials, NGOs,
    other relevant organizations and other elements of civil society on
    the trafficking issue?

    NGO representatives have historically complained that the government
    does not invite their participation in the early stages of
    legislative drafting and policy planning. Government officials
    express the view that inviting civil society to comment on
    fully-drawn proposals ought to be sufficient. In spite of this
    tension, individual relationships within the small circle of those
    who regularly work on this issue are cordial and professional.

    NGO representatives note that two events during the reporting period
    improved relations with the government: first, the designation of
    the Ministry of Social Affairs -- which has historically had good
    relations with the NGO community -- as the lead agency on human
    trafficking; and second, that ministry's decision to appoint a
    working group to draft the first Icelandic national action plan
    against trafficking in persons.  This working group includes a
    number of NGO representatives.

    Formal NGO-government relations on TIP also take place in a
    three-person working group under the auspices of the European
    Women's Lobby's Nordic Baltic Task Force.  The group includes one
    representative from the sexual abuse crisis center "Stigamot," one
    from the country's sole Women's Shelter, and a representative from
    the Ministry of Social Affairs.  The group also has 12 associate
    members from other NGOs and government agencies, including
    representatives from the Sudurnes Police Commissioner's office whose
    jurisdiction includes Keflavik International airport (Iceland's only
    international airport).  Though the associate members caution that
    they do not speak on behalf of their respective institutions, the
    group has served as a useful forum for information flow and
    coordination.

    -- D. Does the government monitor immigration and emigration
    patterns for evidence of trafficking?  Do law enforcement agencies
    screen for potential trafficking victims along borders?

    The government monitors immigration and emigration patterns for
    evidence of trafficking; and screens for potential trafficking
    victims at Keflavik International Airport. The country has no land
    borders. The Sudurnes Police Commissioner's office is currently
    cooperating with Stigamot on a pilot project to identify and reach
    women entering Iceland deemed likely to be coming to the country to
    work in the strip club industry.

    Schengen rules limit the government's monitoring of immigration and
    emigration from other Schengen countries. As a backup measure,
    suspected TIP victims have been stopped by customs, where they are
    screened for narcotics, often a concomitant of human trafficking,
    according to police.

    -- E. Is there a mechanism for coordination and communication
    between various agencies, internal, international, and multilateral
    on trafficking-related matters, such as a multi-agency working group
    or a task force?  Does the government have a trafficking in persons
    working group or single point of contact?  Does the government have
    a public corruption task force?

    REYKJAVIK 00000036  007 OF 007

    See 1B above or next question below.

    -- F. Does the government have a national plan of action to address
    trafficking in persons?  If so, which agencies were involved in
    developing it?  Were NGOs consulted in the process?  What steps has
    the government taken to disseminate the action plan?

    The Government of Iceland, more specifically the Ministry of Social
    Affairs, is currently drafting a national plan of action to address
    TIP. The action plan is expected to be completed by April 2008.
    Post understands that at the behest of several NGO representatives,
    the Minister of Social Affairs asked the Minister of Justice, who
    previously had the lead on TIP, to take over the portfolio in
    November 2007. Shortly thereafter, the Minister of Social Affairs
    announced that she had appointed a 10-person working group to draft
    Iceland's first ever action plan to address TIP. The working group
    consists of representatives from the government and the NGOs. In
    previous years, the Justice Minister had demurred on creating an
    action plan, noting that "actions speak louder than action plans."

    Members of the working group expect to model the action plan to some
    extent upon TIP action plans developed in Norway and Denmark.
    Members of the working group expect the final plan to focus on:
    --Codifying a working definition of trafficking in persons in order
    to be able to devise a strategy to identify TIP victims;
    --Reaching out to the Icelandic population with a public awareness
    campaign, and educating the professions that come into contact with
    possible trafficking victims - such as public officials, the police,
    and health workers - about the characteristics of TIP so that they
    can better identify victims and inform them of what options they
    have, such as protection programs;
    --Passage of the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish
    Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children, supplementing
    the UN Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime and the
    Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human
    Beings; and
    --Calling for victim and witness protection programs specifically
    for TIP victims.

    The duration of the action plan has not been determined.  NGO
    representatives said that the action plan will most likely target
    women in dire conditions such as those who work in the sex
    industry.

    -- G. For all posts: As part of the new criteria added to the TVPA's
    minimum standards by the 2005 TVPRA, what measures has the
    government taken during the reporting period to reduce the demand
    for commercial sex acts?  (see ref B, para. 9(3) for examples)

    In March 2007 the parliament passed new licensing laws on the
    operations of entertainment establishments, which in effect outlawed
    strip shows as well as lap dances.  This has forced the closure of
    some establishments, though others have exploited some gaps between
    national and municipal-level law to remain in operation.  NGO
    sources maintain that prostitution likely occurs or is brokered in
    these establishments.

    -- H, I: Not applicable.

    End of TIP report submission.

    VAN VOORST

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