Labour ministry sets up special unit in war on trafficking



DUBAI // The Ministry of Labour yesterday became the latest government body to set up a special unit to investigate human trafficking. It joined other agencies, including Dubai Police, the Ministry of Interior and the Abu Dhabi and Dubai public prosecution departments, that already have dedicated anti-trafficking units.

"This is a very good step taken by the Ministry of Labour," said Dr Saeed al Ghufli, the co-ordinator of the National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking. "It is a recommendation that has been discussed for some time and something the committee has been pushing for." The move is part of the Government's overall strategy to tackle the problem, said Dr al Ghufli. "There has been a plan for every authority which is connected with human trafficking matters to have their own unit," he said.

"This shows that the UAE is really trying to work on the prevention, protection and prosecution of trafficking." The new anti-trafficking unit would operate under the ministry's inspections division and would identify and investigate potential trafficking cases in the labour market, WAM, the state news agency, reported. The unit will also monitor compliance with local employment legislation. Saqr Ghobash, the Minister of Labour, described the move as a "pre-emptive strategic initiative", WAM reported.

"The UAE Ministry of Labour firmly believes that human trafficking represents a threat to the welfare and security of our society and national economy and, consequently, to the proper functioning of our labour market," he said. "It threatens the interests of workers and employers alike. That is why we acted to establish a dedicated section in accordance with the federal Government's strategy, in co-ordination and full co-operation with the concerned authorities, especially the National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking."

The new unit will co-ordinate with the other dedicated bodies. Its role will include increased scrutiny of recruitment agents that bring workers to the country. "The ministry would report any suspicions, take action or raise it with the committee," said Dr al Ghufli. In recent years, more focus has been placed on preventing migrant workers from being lured to the UAE by the promise of legitimate employment only to fall victim to human traffickers.

Law 51, the UAE's anti-trafficking legislation, includes punishments of up to life imprisonment for offenders. The law refers to victims trafficked for reasons including sexual exploitation and forced labour. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 79 per cent of victims worldwide are trafficked to work in the sex trade, followed by those who end up in forced labour. The ministry was also working to improve the labour inspections process and was "actively engaged" in the development of standards to improve conditions for workers - something set out during the Abu Dhabi Dialogue, WAM said.

The dialogue was a conference held in 2008 between worker destination countries, including several Gulf countries, and countries of origin, such as India, Nepal and the Philippines. zconstantine@thenational.ae

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German intelligence warnings
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  • 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
  • 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250 

Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

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Our legal advisor

Rasmi Ragy is a senior counsel at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.

Experience: Prosecutor in Egypt with more than 40 years experience across the GCC.

Education: Ain Shams University, Egypt, in 1978.

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