DUBAI // The UAE has been invited to take part in an International Labour Organisation initiative to combat human trafficking and forced labour.
The fair recruitment initiative aims to foster fair recruitment practices, prevent human trafficking and reduce the costs of labour migration.
It is based on four pillars: to enhance the global knowledge on national and international recruitment practices, to strengthen laws, policies and enforcement mechanisms, to promote fair business standards and practices and to empower and protect workers.
“The fact that there are many people here today shows the significance the UAE attaches to what the ILO calls the underside of globalisation, which is the growing trend of trafficking in human beings,” said Beate Andrees, head of the ILO Special Action Programme to Combat Forced Labour, at a Dubai conference on human trafficking.
“In many countries, there are high rates of unemployment, especially among the youth, but, at the same time, we see a growing demand for labour, in particular for skilled labour, and an imbalance between supply and demand.
“The ILO launched this year a new initiative, called the fair recruitment initiative, which resonates with the objectives of the UAE, and we invite the UAE to join the initiative and to contribute with its particular expertise.”
Ms Andrees said the initiative was all about sharing best practice. “It is a multi-stake initiative meant to serve as a platform for governments and for other stakeholders to exchange good practice on laws and policies to look into possibilities to transform business and to provide justice for workers,” she said.
Dr Saeed Al Ghafli, of the UAE’s National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking, said that the country recorded 19 cases of human trafficking in 2013, 74 in 2012 and 37 in 2011.
“The UAE is keen to combat human trafficking and has launched a number of initiatives and awareness campaigns in addition to five existing shelters to help victims of human trafficking,” he said, adding that the committee had this year established a fund to help victims make a fresh start and reintegrate with the community.
Meanwhile, Dubai Police chief Maj Gen Khamis Al Muzeina said that the issue of human trafficking remains one of the force’s top priorities.
“Dubai Police has a department dedicated to combating human trafficking under its human rights unit. This department aims to prevent such crimes and offer strategic solutions to fight it,” he said.
Maj Gen Al Muzeina also announced the launch of a programme, in which candidates receive diplomas in the field of combating human trafficking.
The UAE is party to nine International Labour Organisation conventions aimed at protecting workers’ rights, and in 2006 was the first country in the region to enact a comprehensive anti-human trafficking law.
dmoukhallati@thenational.ae
