UNODC Regional Office Kenya

S'il dit ne pas oublier que " l'acte terroriste est une atteinte aux droits humains ", l' Attorney General, Rama Valayden a néanmoins plaidé pour le respect des droits humains des présumés terroristes. C'était ce matin à Port-Louis, au Labourdonnais Waterfront Hotel, lors de la cérémonie d'ouverture d'un atelier sous-régional de trois jours de formation pour les Etats membres de la COI sur la coopération judiciaire internationale contre le terrorisme, organisé par l'Office des Nations unies contre la drogue et le crime (ONUDC).

" Il ne faut, certes, pas oublier la protection des droits humains dans la lutte contre le terrorisme. Bien que l'acte terroriste peut être interprété comme une atteinte aux droits humains par rapport aux victimes, il faut aussi respecter les droits fondamentaux de ceux qui sont soupçonnés d'actes terroristes, surtout en ce qui concerne la détention préventive et le gel des avoirs ". C'est ce qu'a déclaré en substance le ministre de la Justice et des Droits humains, Rama Valayden, dans son discours de circonstance.

Le ministre avait auparavant souligné que le terrorisme met en danger non seulement la paix et la sécurité à travers le monde, mais constitue également une menace à l'équilibre social, culturel et économique au niveau national et international. " Aucun pays (grand ou petit) ne peut affirmer être à l'abri des actes terroristes ", a-t-il précisé.

Rama Valayden a plaidé pour que des moyens et stratégies efficaces soient " impérativement " appliqués afin de lutter contre le terrorisme. " Il est bon de faire ressortir que le succès des stratégies visant à combattre le terrorisme requiert la coopération et la coordination nationale, régionale et internationale, surtout avec des moyens logistiques et financiers dont disposent les terroristes, lesquels leur permettent d'exploiter les ressources de divers pays avant de commettre un acte terroriste ", a-t-il ajouté.

L' Attorney General s'est félicité par conséquent de l'assistance technique des organisations internationales, telle l'ONUDC, et celle des Etats qui ont les moyens d'aider les autres Etats qui en ont besoin pour l'application de mesures en vue de lutter contre le terrorisme.

Pour la représentante de l'ONUDC, Maud Olinet, experte en Service de la prévention du terrorisme, le présent atelier s'inscrit dans la continuité des travaux déjà entrepris lors d'un premier atelier qui s'était tenu à Nairobi du 13 au 15 décembre 2005, où les cinq Etats membres de la Commission de l'océan Indien (COI) avaient été réunis pour travailler au renforcement de la coopération entre ces pays dans le domaine pénal, notamment afin de prévenir et combattre le terrorisme. Elle a annoncé qu'outre de son expertise, le présent atelier bénéficie également de la collaboration de Rokayatou Diarra (experte du Service de la prévention du terrorisme basée à Nairobi) et de Rachid Sadouk (consultant et substitut du Procureur Général du Roi près de la Cour d'Appel de Rabat, spécialiste en matière de lutte antiterroriste au Maroc). " Nous vous proposons de travailler concrètement au renforcement de cette coopération dans votre sous-région en travaillant sur les difficultés et les défis que vous rencontrez dans la pratique en matière d'extradition et d'entraide judiciaire au moyen de cas concrets. Nous ne manquerons pas de vous donner un aperçu des derniers développements au niveau international en matière de lutte contre le terrorisme, et en particulier en vous présentant les outils juridiques dont les praticiens disposent ", a-t-elle promis.

Motivational Interviewing skills training, Malindi Kenya, 3-7 December 2007

Five-day (5) training for 30 Government staff and NGO personnel involved in the treatment of drug users, namely medical and para-medical staff, including doctors, nurses, social workers and counsellors from Mathari hospital and Coast Province General Hospital (including Port Reitz and Lamu), Malindi district hospital and NGO personnel from Asumbi treatment centre Nairobi, Reachout and MEWA treatment centres in Mombasa, and Omari treatment centre in Malindi,

The course introduced Motivational interviewing (MI) to increase competencies in communication by professionals in contact with clients dependent on psychoactive substances.

The participants of the training learned new skills to increase their abilities to interact with clients. Practitioners were taught on how to facilitate the communication and to improve their communicational style with substance misusers.

The Training Workshop " International Co-operation in the fight against Terrorism and its Financing: Mutual Legal Assistance" was held on 19-21 November 2007 in Great Rift Valley Lodge, Naivasha, Kenya.

The workshop was attended by Kenya prosecutors, police officers, officers of the National Counter Terrorism Center, Anti-Corruption Committee, and Ministry for Foreign Affairs and others.

UN GLOBAL INITIATIVE TO FIGHT HUMAN TRAFFICKING (UNGIFT) PROJECT

Background to UN.GIFT Project

The Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children (Palermo Protocol) was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly R esolution 55/25 of 14 November 2000, supplementing the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, and entered into force on 25 December 2003 ( The Protocol). As of 2 August 2007 The Protocol had 117 signatories and 114 parties - an up-to-date list of signatories and ratifications is available at: http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/crime_cicp_signatures.html

The Trafficking Protocol is the first global legally binding instrument containing a definition of trafficking in persons. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is the guardian and custodian of The Protocol that provides the definition of a crime of "trafficking in persons" and legal tools to combat human trafficking.

Introducing UN.GIFT Project

In 2007 UNODC started a Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking (UN.GIFT) to focus on this crime and intensify global efforts to bring it to an end. A key objective of the UN.GIFT is to deepen the understanding of human trafficking by providing more and better data collection and analysis. To this aim, a Global Situational Analysis of National Responses to Human Trafficking is being undertaken to assess, based on national and regional inputs, the situation of and responses to human trafficking at the global level. Data collection is currently being carried out by ten Regional Consultants located in UNODC field offices around the world, ensuring global coverage. The collected data will be stored in a central database at UNODC headquarters and will be used for the production of the Situational Analysis report in 2008.

A data collection exercise is currently underway to gather information on National Responses to Human Trafficking (HT) in 13 countries in Eastern Africa including Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia, Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius & Seychelles. Information is being sought from various sources by various means including but not limited to direct country visits, telephone interviews, etc. with government officials, NGOs, CBOs and from Consultants who are already actively involved in Anti-Human Trafficking activities in their respective countries.

The targeted information being sourced for UN.GIFT Project is focused on the following three key areas scrutinizing national attempts to prevent, suppress and punish human trafficking offences. The three areas of current interest include the following: -

LEGISLATION

This includes an assessment of each country's progress towards Domestication of The Protocol as measured by:

§ Drafting and enactment of country-specific Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Legislation

§ Where no TIP Legislation exists, an evaluation of the availability and current utilization of other locally-available alternative legal instruments such as The Penal Code, Constitution and other specific acts applicable in the different forms in which HT presents itself in a given country.

2. CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM (CJS) RESPONSES

The term CJS responses is used here to include available crime statistics on human trafficking offenders who have come in contact with Law Enforcement and prosecution personnel in each country. Of specific interest at this phase of the project is crime data on the number(s), gender, nationalities of offenders charged with Human Trafficking -like offences who have already gone through or are at various stages including suspects, those arrested, investigated, prosecuted, penalties and other sanctions e.g. deportations. Both first time and repeat offenders are of interest in this study as well as the outcomes of any appeals against convictions. This undertaking also seeks to know if each country has an established national Law Enforcement unit charged with the responsibility of countering Human Trafficking activities.

C. HT VICTIM SUPPORT SERVICES

The circumstances in which the victims find themselves dictate call for different needs including shelter, food, counseling, medical treatment, rehabilitation, family tracing and reunification, repatriation, resettlement and reintegration. An analysis of the available victim support services is one of the objectives of GIFT project including their location, capacity and a profile of victims assisted in the last 3 years.

The Situation Analysis of Human Trafficking in Eastern Africa will be concluded in April 2008.

Relevant information on HT in any of the Eastern Africa countries including original research reports and dissertations may be forwarded to:

World Aids Day 2007

Prepared by Dr. Reychad Abdool

UNODC participated actively to the national World AIDS Day celebrations in Kenya in collaboration with its Government and Civil Society Organizations partners. In Mombasa , React Out Trust participated to the National HIV Testing Week, organized by the National AIDS Control Council. They conducted several VCT sessions in several communities, including "moonlight mobile" VCT, starting on 28 November 2007 and culminatinwith VCT testing at the Shimo La Tewa Prison.

The team of 16 outreach workers, 3 supervisors, 30 VCT counselors tested a total of 877 prisoners . Several tents were erected on the prison grounds, with pre-test and post-test counseling. VCT was also conducted in the women prison, in the juvenile facility and for prison staff and their families residing in the neighbouring staff quarters.

On WAD, the inmates played a number of sketches, poems and songs. Two local FM stations broadcasted from the prisons with interviews and educational messages.

Results

Milk and soaps were given to the male prisoners, and juice and biscuits were given to the female prisoners and their children in prison with them. The community VCT sessions were held in high-risk areas. Given the spirit of the National Testing Week, HIV testing was offered to anyone who wanted to be tested. A total of 695 people were tested, including 123 heroin users and 133 women. 29 tested positive.

Total number of people tested by Reach Out during the testing week is 1572, with 73 found to be HIV positive. This represents 1.5% of the national target to test 100,000 people.

In Nairobi , The Kenya National Association of Probation Officers (KNAPO), in collaboration with the East Africa Regional Youth Network hosted two events, namely at Nairobi 's Boys Probation hostel and in Machakos on 1 ^st December 2007 . IEC materials such as brochures, posters, video tapes, caps, T-shirts and booklets were supplied.

Some skits, poem and Short dramas which had AIDS messages and teachings were also performed by various groups. A total of 397 participants were given voluntary counselling. 100 were tested and 2 were found to be positive. 1, 200 condoms were distributed during the events.

News and Events

ANTI-TERRORISME Coopération judiciaire internationale renforcée

Rama Valayden pour le respect des droits des présumés terroristes

Le ministre Valayden, ce lundi, au Labourdonnais Waterfront Hotel, Port-Louis, lors de l'ouverture de l'atelier de l'ONUDC contre le terrorisme