2007 Trafficking in Persons Report - Center for Women Policy Studies

P A P U A N E W G U I N E A
Protection
The Panamanian government sustained its efforts to
assist trafficking victims during the reporting period.
Most services are concentrated in or near Panama
City. The government operates one shelter and funds
an NGO to provide additional shelter and treatment
services to victims. The government also sponsored
training and workshops to educate key officials
about methods for identifying and assisting trafficking
victims. Panamanian authorities encourage
victims to assist in the investigation and prosecution
of their traffickers. Victims’ rights are generally
respected, and there were no reports of victims being
penalized for crimes committed as a direct
result of being trafficked. Panama provides
legal alternatives to the removal of foreign
victims to countries where they may face
hardship or retribution.
Prevention
The government made additional
progress in prevention activities during
the reporting period. CONAPREDES,
the anti-trafficking coordinating agency,
launched the printing of an anti-trafficking message
on lottery tickets nationwide. Together with ILO-
IPEC, CONAPREDES also developed anti-trafficking
brochures and guides to victim assistance, which
were distributed to schools across the country.
Other anti-trafficking media campaigns featured
posters, radio, and television ads. Trafficking prosecutors
also spoke at schools about the dangers of
human trafficking.
PAPUA NEW GUINEA
(Tier 2 Watch List)
Papua New Guinea is a destination country for
women and girls trafficked for the purpose of
commercial sexual exploitation. Internal trafficking
of women and children for sexual exploitation and
domestic servitude occurs. Children are held in
indentured servitude as domestic workers. Women
are trafficked from Malaysia, the Philippines,
Thailand, Indonesia, and the People’s Republic of
China (P.R.C.) for sexual exploitation in brothels
in the capital and at isolated logging and mining
camps. Children are held in indentured servitude
either as a means of paying a family debt or because
the natural parents cannot afford to support the
child. Some children are given to another family of
greater wealth to serve as a housekeeper or nanny
— a practice that can lead to trafficking in persons.
There were isolated cases of Thai women transiting
Papua New Guinea from Singapore on their way to
Japan.
The Government of Papua New Guinea does not
fully comply with the minimum standards for the
elimination of trafficking; however, it is making
significant efforts to do so. Papua New Guinea has
been placed on Tier 2 Watch List because of its
significantly increasing problem of trafficking in
persons. The government should pass and enact
comprehensive anti-trafficking legislation and
collaborate with civil society, religious and tribal
leaders to raise awareness about trafficking, including
the demand aspect. The government should
make efforts to prosecute and convict complicit
officials and exploitative employers.
Prosecution
The Government of Papua New Guinea demonstrated
minimal efforts to combat trafficking in
persons. Papua New Guinea does not prohibit all
forms of trafficking in persons, though its criminal
code prohibits the trafficking of children for sexual
exploitation. Trafficking for labor exploitation,
however, is not criminalized and law enforcement
officials do not actively investigate suspected
cases due to a lack of officers within any branch
of the government who are capable of dealing
with trafficking crimes. There were no reported
prosecutions or convictions of trafficking offenders
during the reporting period. Police arrested a cult
leader known as “Black Jesus” for killing and eating
three young women he recruited as sex slaves.
The police, through the assistance of immigration
officers, stopped six Thai women transiting Papua
New Guinea from Singapore on their way to Japan
and deported them to Thailand on the next flight.
Trafficking-related corruption is a serious problem
and no public officials were investigated or prosecuted
for trafficking-related crimes.
Protection
The Government of Papua New Guinea demonstrated
limited efforts to protect or assist victims of
trafficking. Due to severe resource constraints, the
government relies on services provided by international
organizations or NGOs. The government
does not actively investigate trafficking crimes, and
it does not implement procedures to identify trafficking
victims among vulnerable populations, such
as foreigners detained for prostitution or immigration
violations. No victims presented themselves
to police during the year. The government would
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