BySCEME
A seven-day mission to examine the situation of trafficked individuals and the impact of anti-trafficking measures in the United Arab Emirates
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| Joy Ngozi Ezeilo |
Ms Joy Ngozi Ezeilo, the UN Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children, arrived in Abu Dhabi yesterday as part of her first official visit to the UAE to examine the situation of trafficked individuals and the impact of anti-trafficking measures in the country. The UAE is known as a destination country for men, women and children trafficked for the purposes of labor and commercial sexual exploitation.
The UAE requested her visit last year, just one of three Middle East states to do so (the others being Saudi Arabia and Kuwait). In the last two years, the UAE has made impressive efforts to prevent human rights’ violations: The country welcomed the UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, and the UN special Rapporteur on the Sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. Their reports were really positive on the country’s efforts to uphold, respect and protect human rights.
The UAE has joined the UN Convention against Transnational Organised Crime (UNTOC) and its Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children. Dr Al Awadi, Assistant Foreign Minister for Legal Affairs, noted that the UAE was the first Arab country to adopt legislation on combating human trafficking: the Federal Law No 51 of 2006, which prescribes penalties ranging from one year to life imprisonment. He also told the UN envoy that the National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking, established in 2007, is aggressively implementing a four-part anti-trafficking plan, designed to prevent the crime, enforce the law and provide necessary support to victims.
“During my mission I wish to reach out to a wide range of stakeholders and trafficked persons themselves, so that their voices are heard and can be considered in the development of national laws, policies and measures related to trafficking in persons” Ms. Ezeilo said last week. She will also assess the progress made and the remaining challenges in the fight against trafficking in persons in the United Arab Emirates. According to The National, a newspaper published in Abu Dhabi, this visit should be seen as an opportunity to accelerate implementation of victim-orientated approaches.