Monday, July 11, 2011

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS REPORT 2011 COUNTRY REPORT: SEYCHELLES (Tier 2)


Seychelles is a source and possibly destination country for Seychellois children and foreign women and girls subjected to sex trafficking. In January 2011, a local NGO released a qualitative report on the perception of prostitution in Seychelles. Though the findings were anecdotal, respondents agreed that child prostitution exists  –particularly on Mahe, the main island  – and appears to be increasing. While the magnitude of the problem is unknown, local observers indicate that girls and, to a lesser extent, boys between 13 and 18 years of age are induced into prostitution, including by peers, family members, or pimps. 

Young drug addicts are at particular risk of being forced into prostitution. Seychellois children are exploited in prostitution in nightclubs, bars, guest houses, hotels, brothels, and on the street. 

Foreign tourists reportedly contribute to the demand for commercial sex acts in Seychelles. Foreign part-time residents in Seychelles reportedly have created a demand for the import of young women from Eastern Europe and Australia to serve as “party hostesses” in resort hotels and provide sexual services; it is possible that some of these women experience conditions indicative of forced prostitution.

                          
               
In March 2010, a Seychellois man was arrested in Madagascar for allegedly engaging in child sex tourism.The Government of Seychelles does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. 

During the reporting period, the government acknowledged that child prostitution was a problem in the country and took initial steps to better understand and raise awareness of the phenomenon.

                            
It also established district task forces comprised of government and civil society stakeholders to prevent and respond to, in part, child prostitution; drafted amendments to strengthen existing penal code provisions on child prostitution; and produced proposals for the creation of organizations and processes to combat child prostitution. 

The government, however, made no efforts during the year to take legal action against the exploiters of children in prostitution or to provide victims with protective services.

Recommendations for Seychelles:  Expand existing campaigns to educate government officials and the general public about the nature and dangers of human trafficking; finalize amendments strengthening the penal code’s provisions regarding child prostitution; increase prescribed penalties for forced labor offenses in Section 251 of the Penal Code Act; over the longer-term, consider the feasibility of drafting comprehensive anti-trafficking legislation that clearly defines human trafficking offenses and prescribes sufficiently stringent punishments; utilize existing legislation to investigate and prosecute trafficking offenses, and convict and punish trafficking offenders; strengthen penal code penalties prescribed for forced labor and forced prostitution offenses; employ the existing district task force structure to increase the identification and referral of victims of child prostitution to protective services, particularly to safe shelters and counseling; and designate an official coordinating body or mechanism to facilitate anti-trafficking communication and coordination among the relevant ministries, law enforcement entities, working groups, and NGOs.

Prosecution

The government made no known efforts to address trafficking crimes through law enforcement action during the reporting period. Seychelles law does not specifically prohibit human trafficking, though existing penal and labor code statutes prohibit slavery, forced labor, pimping, and brothel keeping, under which traffickers could be prosecuted.

Section 251 of the Penal Code Act prohibits and prescribes a punishment of three years’ imprisonment for forced labor, penalties which are not sufficiently stringent. Section 249 of the penal code outlaws slavery and prescribes sufficiently stringent penalties of 10 years’ imprisonment. 

Sections 155, 156, and 138 of the penal code outlaw brothel-keeping, pimping, and procuring women or girls to engage in prostitution within Seychelles or abroad, prescribing punishments of three years’, five years’, and two years’ imprisonment, respectively. 

None of these penalties are commensurate with those prescribed for  other serious crimes, such as rape. In 2010, the Attorney General’s Office conducted a review of the penal code’s sections relating to child prostitution and drafted amendments to strengthen these provisions.

To date, police have not investigated suspected situations of child 
prostitution, forced prostitution, or forced labor – either proactively or on the basis of complaints. This is attributed to the likelihood that awareness of human trafficking is extremely low. 

Laws against exploiting women and girls in prostitution do not appear to be enforced unless accompanied by other criminal acts. The government did not provide any specialized training for its officials in how to recognize, investigate, or prosecute instances of trafficking. 

In October 2010, two police officers and two attorneys from the Public Prosecution Office attended a foreign government-funded anti-trafficking training in Botswana.

                                 

Protection

The government made few efforts to identify trafficking victims or provide them with protective services during the reporting period. Although there are no organizations working to specifically combat trafficking in Seychelles, in 2010 the government provided an unknown amount of funding to NGOs that would care for victims of prostitution or labor exploitation; there is no indication that any NGOs cared for children in prostitution during the reporting period.

The government has neither developed a system for proactively identifying human trafficking victims among vulnerable populations, nor created a referral process to systematically transfer such victims to service providers for care. 

Social workers and police  – both members of the district task forces  – are responsible for conducting home visits to the families of vulnerable children. The government did not encourage victims’ assistance in the investigation and prosecution of trafficking crimes. 

There were no reports that victims were inappropriately incarcerated, fined, or otherwise penalized solely for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of being trafficked.

                               
                 
Prevention

The government made initial efforts to prevent the exploitation of individuals in prostitution during the year, particularly through the implementation of its national action plan against social ills. There exists no main coordinating body for collaboration and communication between government agencies or any other organizations on trafficking matters. 

The Immigration Division of the Ministry for Home Affairs, Environment, and Transport serves as the government’s lead on addressing  human trafficking, and the Department of Social Development (DSD), part of the Ministry of Social Development and Culture, is responsible for implementing policies to address child prostitution. In 2009, a multi-sectoral task force, chaired by the DSD, drafted a “Plan of Action to Tackle Social Ills in Seychelles (2009 – 2010)” to address the country’s increasingly visible sex and drug trades, that called for, among other things, conducting research, reviewing existing legal statutes for sufficiency, creating a police Minor’s Brigade to respond to crimes against children, launching public awareness campaigns, and establishing rehabilitative services for victims.

                              

This plan was endorsed by the cabinet in late 2009 and, in December 2009, the National Assembly earmarked funds for its implementation. In 2010, the DSD established 25 district task forces on social ills  – comprised of social workers, police, community nurses, youth workers, school counselors, NGOs, religious organizations, and other civil society groups  – throughout the country to respond to specific situations of concern in each locality; it is unknown whether any of these task forces intervened in known cases of child prostitution during the reporting period. 
               

In May 2010, the DSD commissioned a study to assess the root causes, extent, and nature of prostitution in the country – as called for by the plan – and dedicated $8,656 to the completion of this research, which was made public in January 2011. 

During the reporting period, the DSD also spent $1,739 to conduct two sensitization campaigns on three islands targeting high school youth at risk of exploitation in prostitution and drug abuse.

                                 

 The government drafted a proposal for the creation of a “Minor’s Brigade,” but a lead agency has yet to be selected to implement the proposal. 

In February 2010, during the State of the Nation address, the president appealed to all stakeholders to intensify efforts to protect children and called for harsher sentences for crimes against children. 

                                   

The government neither made efforts to discourage its citizens from participating in international child sex tourism, nor took law enforcement action against foreign nationals suspected of perpetrating such crimes in Seychelles.















34 comments:

Brigitte said...

pls see link bellow, re the above, human trafficking & child prostitution back home.

http://photos.state.gov/libraries/mauritius/320773/PDF_documents/TIP2011_SEYCHELLES.pdf

Brigitte said...

shame, i didn't realise u had printed the whole article,
many thanks

Anonymous said...

There it is.

The whole article.

We do not waste time.

Brigitte said...

No-one's going to comment now, you watch!! slip it under the carpet!!

Anonymous said...

Perhaps a naked picture of Jean Paul Adam in the first issue of Seselwa Magazin to bring down the government ?

Anonymous said...

Adam will bring down the government of James Michel.

When we are finished exposing him, he Michel will realize what a mistake he made to be swept by this young chap that sounds smart with his global ideas that fall off the bridge of Cascade.

Michel will take the heat for Adam being off the beat!

If Michel had half a brain, he would tell Adam to go prove himself in the real world for a few years.

Brigitte said...

See, off the subject straight away.
We're cursed i tell you, cursed.

Brigitte said...

Titalber indeed!!!!

Anonymous said...

Come on all of you watch the news the pictures are the cause of shamlaye being there to defend the bogus seychelles government.

He said the report is short and even looked fully in denial, the pictures have sparked a few issues but why hide the faces??

This will be a start to expose the people that enhances prostitution and the trafficking of young girls by Rich Arabs to kepinski ex plantation club or sheikh khaliffa's brothel's.

More should be exposed raw pictures should be used i believe that society will not accept these foul act's and sanctioned or condone them, in this youths will think twice before fornicating in pictures and using their body for Arab's amusement.

What is Mitcy Larue's son doing in the picture is that dude Gay???

Anonymous said...

So like Parti Lepep to defend the undefended on Television.

Who ever have read this report must know that Seychelles is in total dissonant when it comes to drugs prostitution crime and lately honesty and truth.

A"Nouvo Sesel just a la Michel".

Anonymous said...

allied builders director is used to force indians to work when they would refuse he would openly use his belt to beat them up in the hotel lobby on praslin and mahe in front of seychellois workers.

Anonymous said...

What about sa bann malbar sheikh khaliffa ki ti vinn par container e demarke lo premises sheikh la misere li menm??

Eski sa pa traffic imen sa??

Bernard Samlaye i devret bous son boyo e pa vin fer kwar i pe defann i devret, vin dir nou ki mezir ki zot pour pran pour deal avek sa e anpes sa arive. James Michel pe fer repitasyon sesel perdi son plas parmi pei a latrezan menm bann pti leta zil kot jean paul adam ti pe promet lesyel ek later kot zot pe al fer tande zot lavwa dan en gran konferans.

Anonymous said...

Eski minis adam i kwar lezot ti leta zil pour le asosye avek sesel si sesel i kontinyen pe ganny trouve dan milye tou bann deal sal parey trafik dimoun li menm.

Eski bann zenn ki pe vin dan zwe dezil zot paran pour kontan repitasyon nou pei pour les zot zanfan al partisip dan en tel sitiasyon. Zis get sa bann portre sa enn plantation club ek piti mitcy. Degoutan vreman degoutan!!

Brigitte said...

JJ Spirit = NYS = nearing child prostitution. That's not a fact, that is just my view. With time we will see it becoming a fact.

Anonymous said...

You missed a trick. You should hide James Michel's face too.

Anonymous said...

Michel is the head of the mafia gang who is allowing all that to happen on our shores so very body must see the face of the culprit.This is what Michel calls the new Seychelles colonialsation,prostistution,Human trafficking,crimes,drug fleo and so.And as always Pp does not have solutions to the problems it created,thus they will put the blame on others.

Sesel pou Sesela!
Jeanne DÂrc

Anonymous said...

I understand that you need pictures to illustrate a point but some of the pictures posted here have nothing to do with prostitution. Some are clearly erros commited by adolescents (up to mischief), i wish more discernment could have been shown.

The report is probably targetting the prostitutes brought over for the enjoyment of the arabs of plantation club and elsewhere.

Vox

Anonymous said...

Amen to that Vox! Well said, those pics were all over the internet when some drunk International School kids did skinny dipping, the same type we've all done. The other girl is alledged to be FAR's daughter who's naked shots were all over the net taken with a NOKIA cell phone.

But yes, there is a very valid point here and that is the fact that organized crime has already got a grip on Seychelles, ref article posted by Patrick X a while back, an article which nobody seemed to be bothered with(or simply couldn't believe it). Organized crime came the likes of Radovan Krejcir and other charmer from East Europe, but it started already back in the early 80s with Ricci & Co, and all that with the blessing of FAR. Today our saviours(Sheiks & Co) are getting loads of upper class whores flown in to shake their booties and excite those hypocrites inbetween morning and afternoon calls to Allah. And that with the blessing of JJ.

Anonymous said...

It brings shame on International School. I wonder what action was taken.

Anonymous said...

All that with the knowledge and approval of Parti Lepep.Why Pl does not change its name to something like Partie L`eclavage.

Jeanne D'Arc

Anonymous said...

The article is suppose to be about trafficking, and yet you publish some pics about some irresponsible kids naked, some rent boys, and a pic of albert rene daugther, big deal - all which had nothing to do with the actual subject of trafficking in persons. So please in future be a bit more professional and stick the facts as there are other more valid points you could have used to publicise this serious issue, rather than print some innocent soft porn pictures to beef up the post. Naked swimmers, rent boys , incest, prostitution all existed in Seychelles from way back to the days of Mancham and the british rule. Next time stick to the facts, and if you want to be taken seriously be a bit more professional and produce proper investigative journalism rather revert to gutter politics and insults, which seems to be the norm in Seychelles.

Anonymous said...

For your information the naked boys are at plantation club during the time ki government of seychelles was taking over to sell to the arab which hosted the event were these boys and girls attended to be used and forced through extecy to do the naughties.

As for albert rene's daughter she was forced into this because she was frustrated after an army guy she was with was murdered at albert residence thats another form of indirect trafficking.

Another is mna mitcy larue's boy or should i say girl that is seen with the gay master a foreigner that comes almost once every year flashing money around and forcing young boys along with larue's son to perverse themself the other pictures were to raw produce but available all over the internet were it was retrieved.

Believe me this mna even hid this trafficking from the general public but not from internet surfurs.

Plantation club now kepimski resort is still under the same arab management and girls are still being imported or seychellois school girl bought with phones and money only to be forced into sexual acts when they refuse.

All of this allowed by this current government whom aided to get them the hotel to buy.

Anonymous said...

You know what, whether it was at Plantation club,at La Misere ,at Eden Island it is still on our shores and we ask Pp to come forward and expalin to Seychellois what the hell is going on in our land.it seems Pp as given foreigners,pedophile the green light to use our shores as brothels to foreign sex mafias.

Jeanne DArc

Anonymous said...

Nouvo Sesel
Is a fantasy which Michel dreamt of in his nightmares.Michel wants to turn Seychelles into a sort of fantasy land made up of foreigners who have been illegal granted our nationality and gifted our patrimony.Mariton is a good example of Pp neo-colonilism politic.The latter who looks more like a represenative of Russia in Seychelles was honored by Russian colonizators probably for his involvement in helping,facilitating the invasion of Russain mafias to our land.

Jeanne D'Arc

Anonymous said...

james michel i fer sa li osi in bez lize bastienne en lot vant e menm les son mari konnen.

Thats high end human trafficking.

Anonymous said...

I do not know if Michel does it or not ,but one call reasonably says that a dictaotr is capable of any crimes including sexual perversion .after all if he accepted it on our shores then we call assume that though he does not practice it himself due to his position as President he also does not dinounce it,so somehow he approve it.

Jeanne D'Arc

Anonymous said...

I am sure someone can take Gill's photo to photoshop and remove that blanket he is wearing. See how he feels being shown naked on SFP's blog.

Anonymous said...

If photoshop can remove clothes that style then nobody is safe, the picture you have seen are the ones which we can safely say is decent compared to the shit that i see here in england happening in seychelles posted on youtube H.I.5 friends profile.

these pictures i have checked they are authentic and the blog has made its point clear and i can live with that, that minister which was lieing his arse off on Seychelles TV has failed big time to hide reality. I Guess that blog deserves to be called seychelles reality.

Amen to you Gill, next do it with Drug traffikers take there houses and properties splash it online show them for what they truly are expose them so they cannot poison our youths again.

Anonymous said...

You'll be surprised what photoshop can do. It will whip off that blanket effortlessly. Your worse nightmare will come true.

Anonymous said...

Reply-

1. I did not write this article. The US State Department wrote this.

2. I did not post it or add the photos. I am not the Admin for this blog or star.

3. I suggest if anyone has an issue with the photos to contact the admin. to resolve the issue.His number is on the blog.

4. These photos I understand came from facebook.

Seselwa Unite!

Sesel Pou Seselwa!

Christopher Gill

Anonymous said...

I am greatly alarmed to see the pictures of underage children associated with this article. It is a criminal offence to collect nude pictures of underage children and distribute it on the internet. This appears to be the case here.

This blog has been reported to the FBI, Internet Monitoring Foundation and the website owner Blogspot.

IP addresses viewing this blog will be of interest to law enforcement agencies acting against child pornography.

Anonymous said...

Don't be silly. You might as well report Gill for wearing a blanket in town.

Anonymous said...

IP,
How did you come to the conclusion that these ladies are under age?Any factual proof to support your allegation?Pornography and hexibitionist is the same thing.And have ever since tourists walking without a Bra on Beauvallon beach?i personally have seen it millions of time.You is your problem seeing a pair of tits we not in an islamic state ?

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