Abu Dhabi: Fifty-four people accused of human trafficking were arrested in the UAE in 2015 in connection with 17 criminal cases involving 24 victims, states a new anti-trafficking report released on Sunday.
According to the report’s author, National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking (NCCHT), convictions have been made in three of the cases, resulting in jail sentences of one to five years followed by deportation.
The remaining cases are before the courts.
By comparison, 19 and 15 cases were registered in 2013 and 2014 respectively.
Report author NCCHT said in a statement on Monday that the “UAE is leaving no stone unturned in fighting human trafficking since the country enacted Federal Law 51 in 2006”.
The committee said, “The UAE has made great inroads in containing the crime during the last decade… the government will intensify its campaign with each passing year, with zero tolerance as its moto and in line with international standards.”
Dr Saeed Al Gafli, Assistant Undersecretary, Ministry of State for Federal National Council Affairs and Rapporteur of the National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking, said the body is witnessing growing public awareness about the issue.
“The statistics suggest growing awareness about human trafficking among the public and intensifying counter-measures adopted by various official agencies, ministries and non-government organisations involved in tackling this crime,” he said “The UAE firmly stands against the exploitation of human beings. The resolve to fight trafficking at home and abroad in collaboration with international partners remains central to the country’s anti-trafficking strategy.”
As part of a 5-P strategy — prevention, prosecution, punishment, protection and promotion of international cooperation — the UAE has embarked on a number of efforts to fight trafficking such as a campaign to illustrate dangers of trafficking for sexual exploitation as well as the creation of an anti-human trafficking diploma course to help law enforcement officials.
The UAE also disbursed nearly Dh300,000 from the Fund for Victims, which is a public-private partnership; signed a MoU with Indonesia; and bolstered its online, media and booklet campaigns to educate the public.
The full report can be viewed or downloaded from nccht.gov.ae.
Convictions 2015
Abu Dhabi
Case 1 – One trafficker given three years prison; another trafficker given one year jail, deportation
Dubai
Case 1 One trafficker given five years; jail and deportation
Case 2 Three traffickers given five years; jail and deportation
Source: NCCHT
