2007 Trafficking in Persons Report - Center for Women Policy Studies

ing law, Article 182, prescribes penalties of 7 to 10
years’ imprisonment, which are sufficiently stringent,
and commensurate with those for other grave
crimes. However, current and proposed laws do not
adequately prohibit the trafficking of adults or children
for forced labor. During the reporting period,
the government investigated 24 trafficking cases, all
involving sexual exploitation — a three-fold increase
from seven known investigations reported in 2005.
Of these, the government prosecuted four cases,
obtaining convictions of five defendants who were
sentenced to a range of 4 to 10 years’ imprisonment.
However, the government experienced difficulties
in other cases. For example, in a prosecution in
Bluefields, a judge convicted two of three defendants
for trafficking a 15-year-old girl, but the defendants
fled before their jail sentences were imposed.
Additional training for judges and prosecutors would
likely aid prosecution efforts.
In 2006, the government rescued seven Nicaraguan
children from trafficking situations in Guatemala
and El Salvador. Police also raided 22 nightclubs
and other establishments catering to Nicaragua’s
sex trade in an effort to rescue exploited children.
However, there were reports that some police turned
a blind eye to potential trafficking activity. Known
corruption in the court system and lack of witness
protection may deter some trafficking victims from
seeking justice. Credible evidence also indicates that
sensitive sex trafficking cases involving senior government
officials may not be investigated or pursued. In
2006, Nicaraguan authorities made concerted efforts
to extend anti-trafficking training to more than
700 law-enforcement officials across the country.
However, the recent resignation of Nicaragua’s director
of anti-trafficking programs is of concern; her
strong commitment to combating human trafficking
led the government’s actions on this issue.
Protection
The government’s protection efforts remained
inadequate during the reporting period. Nicaraguan
authorities continued to rely on NGOs and international
organizations for the bulk of victim services,
although the Ministry of the Family operates a
shelter for child victims of abuse and commercial
sexual exploitation. There are no government-run or
—financed shelters for adult victims of trafficking.
Social stigma and anti-victim bias may be discouraging
some victims from assisting in the investigation
and prosecution of their traffickers, although
Nicaraguan authorities do not prevent victims from
doing so. Greater support services for victims and
sensitization campaigns (especially for judges, police,
and prosecutors) would help in this area. There
were no reports of victims being jailed or otherwise
penalized for unlawful acts committed as a direct
result of being trafficked Nicaragua has no formal
procedures for identifying trafficking victims among
vulnerable populations, such as persons detained for
immigration violations. The government does not
provide temporary or permanent residency or other
relief from deportation for foreign adult victims of
trafficking.
Prevention
The government increased efforts to raise public
awareness during the reporting period. High-level
government officials, including the newly-elected
vice president, have condemned human trafficking;
the vice president was a key player in moving
anti-trafficking legislation before the National
Assembly. The government also worked closely with
international organizations and the Ricky Martin
Foundation to launch a broad anti-trafficking
education campaign and a 24-hour anti-trafficking
hotline in November 2006; the government
provides resources and personnel to operate the
hotline. Within two months of operation, 690
calls related to child trafficking were received. The
government continued to sponsor an anti-child trafficking
education program in Granada, a suspected
site of child sex tourism. The government also
installed closed-circuit televisions to show anti-trafficking
videos at immigration centers in Managua;
the government estimates these videos reach 1,000
travelers per day during peak periods.
NIGER (Tier 2)
Niger is a source, transit, and destination country
for children and women trafficked for the purposes
of forced labor and sexual exploitation. Children
are trafficked within Niger for forced begging,
domestic servitude, mine labor, sexual exploitation,
and possibly for agricultural labor. Nigerien
children are also subjected to commercial sexual
exploitation along the border with Nigeria and are
trafficked to Nigeria and Mali for forced begging
and manual labor. Women and children from
Benin, Burkina Faso, Gabon, Ghana, Mali, Nigeria,
and Togo are trafficked to and through Niger for
domestic servitude, sexual exploitation, and forced
labor in mines, on farms, and as mechanics and
welders. Nigerien women and children are trafficked
from Niger to North Africa, the Middle East,
and Europe for domestic servitude and sexual
exploitation. Caste-based slavery practices rooted
in ancestral master-slave relationships continue
in isolated areas of the country. At least 8,800
Nigeriens live in conditions of traditional slavery.
The Government of Niger does not fully comply
with the minimum standards for the elimination of
trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts
to do so, despite limited resources. The Nigerien
government increased its modest anti-trafficking
law enforcement efforts and drafted an improved
trafficking law. To strengthen its response to traffick-
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