Experts discuss human trafficking in region
MUSCAT: The meeting of Arab experts to discuss the menace of human trafficking due to conflicts in the region began on Sunday morning at the Sheraton Hotel under the patronage of Hamad bin Khamis al Ameri, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Manpower for Labour Affairs.
The 2-day meeting is being hosted by the Sultanate, represented by the National Commission for Human Trafficking (NCHT) in collaboration with UN Office on Drugs and Crime for GCC States.
The meeting comes within the framework of the Arab initiative to build a national capacity to combat human trafficking in Arab countries, which aims to support and develop the Arab system involved in combating this phenomenon, according to United Nations related standards and conventions.
The meeting aims provide standards, guidelines, statistics and studies by the United Nations about the human trafficking crimes and mechanism to address the new forms for these crimes because of ongoing conflicts. The meeting also aims to support the to national, regional and non-regional cooperation and communication, among the concerned authorities and law enforcement agencies and the concerned victim-referring authorities. The meeting covers several topics, including the global framework of the phenomenon, human trafficking and the impact of conflicts based on migration and displacement in Arab areas, the impact of migration and migrants on the growing phenomenon of trafficking in persons and related to the protection and support of the people and the victims of trafficking of displaced groups, and to identify the victims of human trafficking within the displaced groups. The meeting targets national commissions that care for fields related to combating human trafficking, law enforcement authorities and the agencies in charge of referring victims.
The meeting hosts 16 participants from various Arab countries and 10 experts to exchange views on best ways to deal with the new forms of the phenomenon of human trafficking due to existing conflicts, and best practices for referral of victims, according to the best systems.