The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Chairman of the National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking Crimes, Dr. Anwar bin Muhammad Gargash, stressed the importance of what the UAE is doing in enhancing cooperation with partners and expanding partnerships to combat this transnational organized crime and protect its victims.
During the launch of its 2019 annual report, the National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking stressed the continuation of the commission's efforts in light of the current circumstances related to the implications of the spread of the emerging corona virus (Covid 19) and the intention of the concerned authorities to provide all support to victims of human trafficking to protect them and alleviate their suffering as a result of trafficking in them.
In the context of prevention and prevention efforts, His Excellency pointed out that the concerned authorities in the state have made vigorous efforts to implement awareness programs for all groups of society in general and potential victims in particular, taking into account the cultural diversity and the different nationalities living in the state, and therefore these campaigns were launched in a number of languages The main benefited more than 1,436,971 people, especially from the category of employment and auxiliary employment, as the concerned authorities, including the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, paid great attention to educating this important group of society about the rights guaranteed by the national legislation in the state to sensitize them through pain Rakiz affiliate as a condition of the issuance of residencies to work in the country.
He emphasized that among the priorities of the National Committee is also the preparation of a qualified elite of cadres working in the various authorities in the state, by offering many training programs for specialists to acquire the skills and scientific and practical experiences necessary to enable them to deal with all kinds of human trafficking issues and ensure the protection of victims, in 2019 Training of 6209 specialists, including those working in state outlets, in programs related to detecting forgery and identifying victims of human trafficking to contribute to the implementation of the country's obligations in its national legislation and international agreements that it has ratified in this regard.
He pointed out that the committee, in addition, highlighted the implementation of a diploma in combating human trafficking in its fifth session in cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, which is the first specialized professional program of its kind at the Arab and regional level that deals with the scientific and exclusive treatment of a specific crime Criminal, as for the first time this program is implemented with the participation of a number of associates from the sisterly states of the Gulf Cooperation Council, which contributes to the exchange of experiences, which is an opportunity to enhance joint action among them.
He also praised the efforts of the concerned authorities in the state in issuing the "National Assessment of the Risks of Money Laundering" which aims to set the priorities for the investigation of a number of crimes, including trafficking in human beings, which contributes to stressing the tracking of illicit funds returning from those crimes or allocated for their confiscation, to become less Profitability to traffickers and thus limiting its spread.
With regard to case statistics .. He affirmed that, according to Federal Law No. 51 of 2006 regarding combating human trafficking crimes and its amendments, law enforcement and public prosecution offices in the country were able to address 23 cases of human trafficking during the year 2019, which contributed to referring 67 accused to the judiciary Aiding 41 victims of human trafficking, registering a decrease from last year, when the number of cases reached 30.
In some of these cases, the penalties have reached life imprisonment and deportation from the state, while some cases are still circulating in the courts.
In support of the victims of human trafficking, His Excellency stated that the National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking Crimes managed to disburse financial aid in the amount of AED 207,500 from the Human Trafficking Victims Support Fund, noting that the fund is one of the most important initiatives of the National Committee, which aims to support victims In small projects, or the completion of education, and other programs that contribute to ensuring access to employment and thus their financial independence, as destitution and poverty are one of the reasons leading to the exploitation of victims in human trafficking cases. Thus, the National Committee has been able to provide about 970,200 dirhams of total aid since the initiative was launched in 2014.
In order to enhance its efforts in the field of international cooperation, Gargash pointed out that the National Committee sought to sign a number of bilateral memoranda of understanding in the field of cooperation in combating human trafficking crimes and the protection of its victims, up to 7 memoranda of understanding, the last of which was with the Philippines, in addition to bilateral meetings to activate memoranda of understanding With the Republic of India, Indonesia and the Kingdom of Thailand, which contributed to defining frameworks and areas of cooperation through the exchange of information and experiences between the two parties.
He stressed that the state has a wide range of policies and practices that enable it to combat human trafficking firmly and effectively through strengthening partnerships, pointing to the state's commitment to work at the national and international levels to combat this crime of human dignity and free its victims from the restrictions of exploitation.
It is worth noting that the National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking Crimes has been issuing this report since 2008, which contributes to highlighting the efforts undertaken by the relevant authorities in the state to combat this crime with determination and determination through its national strategy based on the five pillars of prevention, prevention, and judicial prosecution, Punishment, protecting victims, and strengthening international cooperation.