Anti-human trafficking drive launched at DXB

Anti-human trafficking drive launched at DXB Amira Agarib / 5 July 2013 Dr Anwar Mohammed Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Minister of State for Federal National Council Affairs and Chairman of the National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking (NCCHT), on Thursday launched an awareness campaign on human trafficking crimes at Dubai International Airport. During the campaign, which was organised by the committee in collaboration with the Dubai Police and Dubai Airports, Dr Gargash said the campaign would strengthen the UAE’s position in the global efforts to control the menace of human trafficking. Dr Gargash said the UAE appreciateed international efforts to fight these crimes, and was fully aware of the multiple challenges and complexities facing countries and governments around the world. “The UAE is, therefore, determined to address all concerns related to this issue affecting humanity and will continue to maintain a constructive dialogue with all members of the international community to eliminate human trafficking,” he said. The UAE had taken major steps in combating human trafficking through the NCCHT following the amendment of the Federal Law No. 51, which had made it possible to better safeguard the victims of such crimes in accordance with the Palermo Protocol ratified by the UAE in 2009. The UAE had issued a legislation to combat human trafficking and set up specialised departments to tackle these cases. Dr Gargash expressed his appreciation for the decision of Shaikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler’s Representative in the Western Region, who issued a resolution for establishing a shelter for adult male victims of human trafficking and sexual abuse in Abu Dhabi a few days ago. He said the shelter, which would be based in Abu Dhabi, was established to prevent exploitation of children in labour, which did not exist in the UAE, adding that during the past five-six years, only two cases of labour exploitation and a few cases of sexual abuse had been reported. He said that male human trafficking was very rare, but the UAE was keen to provide a comprehensive solution to this matter. He said human trafficking cases existed in all countries and that the legal and judicial authorities needed to differentiate between human trafficking and prostitution. During a Press conference organised to launch the campaign, Dr Gargash said the campaign would cover a comprehensive target audience comprising large segments of the UAE’s citizens and residents as well as visitors to the country. “It is for this reason that we thought of Dubai International Airport as the ideal location to launch this initiative, considering that it is one of the busiest airports in the world, having received as many as 57.6 million passengers in 2012,” he explained. He noted that community awareness represented an important factor in combating these crimes and, therefore, this campaign highlighted the significant role played by the UAE in raising the level of awareness among all segments of the society about the threats posed by this criminal activity. And it confirmed the UAE’s determination to tackle these crimes through legislative and executive channels and international cooperation. He praised the proactive role played by the media in supporting the ongoing efforts to control such crimes, and he urged the media to find innovative ways to convey the relevant information to their audience. Dr Gargash toured the airport’s arrival hall and reviewed the posters pasted on the walls that said “Say no to human trafficking”, in addition to distribution of the awareness brochure prepared by the NCCHT. The brochure is in 10 languages, including Arabic, Russian, Chinese, English, French and Urdu, and it includes the toll-free number 8007283 to report human trafficking cases. news@khaleejtimes.com Taylor Scott International