Dubai: The number of human trafficking victims in Dubai fell dramatically in 2013, said Major General Dr Abdul Quddus Al Obaidli, Assistant Commander for Quality and Excellence at Dubai Police.
According to a human trafficking report released at a police press conference yesterday, the number of victims in Dubai was reduced from 37 in 2012 to 13 in 2013.
“Thanks to the efforts and hard work of Dubai police in fighting crime, the number of human trafficking cases has dropped from 21 in 2012 to 11 cases in 2013, (a decrease of 47 per cent),” said Major General Al Obaidli.
The number of people accused with human trafficking also decreased from 62 in 2012 (41 males and 21 were female) to 28 (18 males and 10 females) in 2013. The report showed that out of the 11 cases in 2013, nine of the accused people were from the same nationality as the victims. The age group commonly abused was those who are above 26 years old according to the reported cases, while in three cases the victims were below 18 years old.
Major General Al Obaidli said sexual abuse was the number-one motive for these human trafficking crimes. Out of the 11 cases, nine involved sexual abuse and one of the cases involved a woman trying to sell her illegitimate child.
The report showed that the majority of the victims entered the country on a residency visa (six cases), five cases entered using a tourist visa and one was born out of wedlock in the country.
Dubai police has helped victims of human trafficking, 20 were helped financially and 13 were helped legally. Public campaigns about the issue were also launched in the city.
Labour strikes
Labourer strikes statistics were also shared and discussed at the press conference. Al Obaidli said the number of labourer strikes decreased from 45 in 2012 to 34 in 2013, thanks to the measures taken to ensure that they receive their rights.
“The number one cause of labourers going on strike is not receiving their salaries on time. Following that is salary deductions, bad housing services and wanting to go back to their home countries.”
Al Obaidli said the number of strikes decreased because specialised police units have succeeded in resolving their problems.
“Since late salaries are the number one cause we made sure that Dh29.7 million worth of salaries were received by labourers.”
These specialised units also made regular visits to labourers housing to make sure that their living conditions are within required standards.
They also provided them with a platform where they can complain via phone or online. Around 1,005 complaints were received in 2013, yet there were only 34 strikes, the majority of them peaceful, because police succeeded in resolving them, said Obaidly.
The majority of the complaints came from Asian labourers. To ensure that they were aware of their rights, 1,500 labourers were given lectures about their legal rights.
