Dubai: The ‘Combating Human Trafficking Through Mediation Agencies and Employing Proper Capabilities’ conference at the JW Marriott Marquis Hotel concluded yesterday with recommendations from a few experts on how to curb human trafficking and forced labour.

“We always hear about awareness programmes being conducted to prevent human trafficking, but we need more than just programmes, we need a system,” Obaid Muhair Bin Surour, Deputy Director of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai, said.

“We should integrate a mandatory system for work visa applicants to build awareness, just like we have a compulsory medical exam in our visa applications,” he said. “The system can cover the country’s legislations. That way workers can understand their own obligations and duties as well as their employer’s. It will also tell them how to contact authorities if they are being exploited or maltreated.”

Bin Surour also said the system should seek the cooperation of companies in the private sector to maximise results.

He also noted the tendency of human trafficking victims to use fake passports and called for advanced training among government personnel to spot counterfeit documents.

“In 2013, we confiscated tens of thousands of fake passports,” he said. “If we keep a keen eye on spotting false documents we will surely save a lot of trafficking victims from forced work.”

Ali Hameed Bin Khatam, Chief Prosecutor of the Department of Naturalisation and Residency in Dubai and Head of the Judicial Audit Unit in the Technical Office of the Public Prosecutor in Dubai, insisted that recruitment companies should not charge workers placement fees.

“Intermediaries should not seek placement charges from migrant workers,” he said. “Those who do are usually implicated in human trafficking and forced labour crimes.”

He also pointed out a few cases where migrant workers arrived to the country to find out they would be working in jobs they had not agreed to.

“There was a case where three Filipinas arrived in the country under the assumption that they would work as stylists in a women’s hair salon,” he said. “However, when they arrived in the country they were employed in a men’s barber shop. They did not object as they were scared to speak up. The employment company faced the repercussions and were fined Dh30,000.”

He emphasised how certain laws were drafted after noticing a trend in unethical labour practices.

“We drafted a law in 2013 prohibiting any employment companies from hiring out their employees to other companies. It is important that we educate the public on the various laws so as not to have them unknowingly participate in a crime.”

Nadia Abdul Aziz Khan, CEO of Dulsco, insisted that a standard be set for human resources and labour supply companies.

“Dulso is considered a temporary labour supply company. We currently have over 9,000 employees and 17 labour accommodations which have supermarkets, medical centres and sports facilities,” she said. “Transparency is vital. Migrant workers should be fully aware of what they are signing up for. It is the duty of the agent to inform them of the wages and the nature of the job they will be working in. We ensure that when workers are brought in, they pay no placement fees to the agents. Employers should pay those charges. We also supply plane tickets and airport pick-ups to the workers we hire.”