UAE has made progress against human trafficking, report shows

Dr Anwar Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, said the UAE used five internationally recognised tactics to combat trafficking.

Dr Anwar Gargash, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, said the UAE would spare no effort to strengthen the people smuggling action plan. Christopher Pike / The National

ABU DHABI // The UAE has made remarkable progress against human trafficking since its official campaign was launched in 2006, said Dr Anwar Gargash on Tuesday at the release of the annual report outlining the country’s efforts against the crime.

Dr Gargash, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Chairman of the National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking, said: “The committee is constantly updating legislation to ensure that the protection of the victims is in line with international standards.”

He added that it also coordinates actions between ministries, departments, institutions and organisations “to achieve advanced efficiency in dealing with such crimes”.

The UAE, he said, tackled human trafficking using five internationally recognised tactics: prevention, prosecution, punishment, protection and promotion of international cooperation. Dr Gargash said the criminal activity can often be traced to source countries and that, as a committed and responsible partner in the international community, the UAE has formed partnerships with source and transit countries – a part of the national committee’s strategic plan.

Using the annual report as an indication of past participation, Dr Gargash said the UAE would spare no effort to strengthen the strategic action plan pursued by the Government.

He said the country was moving forward, cooperating with law enforcement agencies regionally and internationally to prosecute traffickers, adding that the victims have been defrauded and deceived.

Dr Gargash said that as result of effective counter measures, the latest figures show positive progress in the UAE against trafficking. According to the report, 15 cases were reported to the courts last year, compared with 19 in 2013 and with 47 in 2012. Last year, 20 people were identified as victims and 46 were classified as traffickers, compared with figures from 2013 when there were 24 victims and 50 traffickers. The decline is significant: in 2012, there were 75 victims and 149 people classified as traffickers.

“We need to ensure that we have effective communication across all government departments,” said Dr Richard Burchill, the director of research and engagement at the Abu Dhabi-based Trends, Research and Advisory. He is also a specialist in the research of human trafficking. “The government is well aware of that. It’s one of the key dynamic areas that you need to keep working on continuously,” he added while commending the UAE’s efforts.

“It’s always important to ensure that those in the front line of dealing with both trafficking victims and the traffickers have adequate training and plenty of updated information to help them do their jobs,” he said.

“Ensuring there’s effective communication across all departments is a problem that most governments have to deal with.

“It is mentioned in the report how specialised institutions are being set up in each ministry and that’s a fantastic idea, but ensuring that we have appropriate discussions and conversations between police, between immigration, between doctors and between educators is important.”