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Awareness campaigns on human trafficking planned

ABU DHABI — The UAE National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking will launch intensive awareness campaigns highlighting the dangers of this illegal practice, according to Dr Anwar Mohammed Gargash, Minister of State for Federal National Council (FNC) Affairs.

The minister said the sixth session of the committee held at the Presidential Court in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday discussed the launch of the drives.

Dr Gargash stressed the need to launch comprehensive campaigns on human trafficking to improve the knowledge about the perils of trading in people among all sections of the community.

He also called upon the committee members to imbibe the spirit of the International Day for Elimination of Violence Against Women, which was observed on November 25.

“This day reminds us that women still suffer widely from violence, including trafficking. Raising public awareness about human trafficking is a key component of the committee’s strategy,” said the minister.

“A scheduled course of action is being planned to enhance public and professional knowledge about the issue, thereby build an informed culture that will drive our efforts towards combating this crime against humanity,” added Dr Gargash.

He said the setting up of the Dubai Women and Children Foundation this year was an excellent initiative towards achieving this goal, noting that the foundation could serve as a model for the UAE to establish further social support centres.

Meanwhile, the committee approved an extensive schedule of training workshops for federal and local law-enforcement agencies. It also gave the nod to a schedule organised by the Ministry of Interior, which includes a lecture about security risks related to human trafficking, a training programme for law-enforcement agents on human rights to be held in January 2008, a training programme on prevention and control of human trafficking slated for February, in addition to a training programme about human trafficking investigation methodology to be held in March 2008.

The Dubai Police would organise a five-day training workshop for police officers and officials of the Ministry of Interior in the same respect in January 2008.

The committee also endorsed a data collection system to establish a central database on human trafficking.

Dr Gargash announced that the committee would conduct a workshop next month, in collaboration with Johns Hopkins University, US, titled “Human Trafficking Legislation within the GCC states”.

The UAE National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking was established under the federal law no 51 of 2006. It is also tasked with developing an effective mechanism for implementing the laws to curb human trading and improving the existing laws. Raising awareness on human trafficking issues and coordinating efforts of the government departments to curb the practice are also part of the responsibilities of the committee.

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