Kuwait insists on combating human trafficking
NEW YORK: Kuwait underlined the need to combat human trafficking by implementing relevant UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions, holding perpetrators accountable and bringing justice to victims. This was mentioned in a speech by Member of the Kuwaiti permanent mission to the UN headquarters in New York Tareq AlBannai, before the UNSC session on the ArriaFormula meeting, which was held on Friday under the topics; human trafficking for sexual exploitation during conflict and postconflict situations, the integration of a comprehensive approach to deal with human trafficking within women, and executing the peace and security agenda in UNSC.
Human trafficking is a violation of human rights and causes conflict, he said, adding that violations are mainly towards women and girls. Crimes of human trafficking are horrendous in nature and are increasingly horrific and brutal, where the rights of innocent and vulnerable people are violated and used to feed a war to which they are victims, he stressed. The suffering of victims of human trafficking is compounded by their forced recruitment, forced marriage and sexual slavery, he said, adding that the UN reports perpetrators of these atrocities, which are continuing and the use of human trafficking as a source of financing terrorism. It cannot be overlooked that human trafficking crimes have a disproportionate impact on women and girls, and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) report indicates that over 70 percent of victims of human trafficking during conflict are women and girls, showing areas where gender inequality is most affected by crimes, he underscored.
Implementation of UNSC resolutions work to empower women before the outbreak of conflict, during conflict and post-conflict situations would contribute to address this, Bannai stressed. Addressing human trafficking and its role in feeding the conflict requires a humanitarian response and serious steps on national, regional and international levels, where UNSC addressed the issue of human trafficking in Resolutions 2331 and 2388, calling for concerted efforts to implement these to end violations and ensure accountability of the perpetrators. UNSC can combat human trafficking by strengthening the mandates of peacekeeping missions within the framework of women, peace and security agenda, ensuring the provision of the necessary training to enable peacekeepers to combat conflict-related human trafficking, Bannai noted. International community had put in place other mechanisms to combat human trafficking, such as the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNCTOC), he explained.
The world is witnessing an increase in the number of human trafficking cases, which also requires building the capacity to deal with this, Bannai said. The primary responsibility for protecting populations during conflict rests with Member States, who welcomes partnerships, share the best practices and strengthens security and judicial systems in countries to combat and end human trafficking, he underscored. Solutions to end violations of human rights and human trafficking during conflicts are to end the conflicts themselves and address the root causes, resolving them peacefully through applying resolutions of international legitimacy and the UNSC resolutions, he underlined. — KUNA