Oman hosts Mideast human trafficking forum

The fifth Government Forum to Combat Trafficking in Persons in the Middle East was held in Muscat on Wednesday focusing on strengthening labour legislation and procedures to combat human trafficking.

The forum, attended by experts and delegates from many countries, highlighted the need for periodic reviews of existing laws to address the evolving nature of this crime.

H E Dr Mahad bin Said bin Ali Ba'owain, Minister of Labour, emphasised the forum's goal to create a unified approach to combat human trafficking in line with recent criminal trends. "It is vital to ensure our efforts are sustainable and effective, enhancing the skills of those working to combat human trafficking," he stated.

The forum recommended the formation of a technical working group comprising representatives of the participating nations, the Permanent General Secretariat of the forum, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, and other relevant UN bodies. This group will develop a roadmap for implementing the forum’s recommendations and monitor progress towards set goals.

Key strategies discussed included leveraging the experiences of participating countries in labour inspection, regulatory enforcement, and facilitating police and judicial cooperation between countries that host labour forces and those that supply them. The importance of preserving workers’ rights to legal recourse with simplified procedures was also underlined, along with the provision of legal and technical support in partnership with judicial entities.