Symposium discusses support for human trafficking victims
The national symposium on combating human trafficking, titled ‘Combating Human Trafficking: A Methodology Centered on Victim Support’ began at Sheraton Oman Hotel on Tuesday under the patronage of H E Dr Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Said al Sa’eedi, Minister of Legal Affairs.
The National Committee for Combating Human Trafficking (NCCHT), in cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime - regional office in the GCC region, is organising the two-day event.
It aims at spreading awareness about the issue of human trafficking and training of national cadres to deal with issues of human trafficking.
The symposium also aims at highlighting the national efforts exerted in combating the phenomenon and introducing mechanisms for providing protection, care and referral to victims, which include providing an international and legal perspective to investigate all forms of the crime.
It also seeks to support national cooperation and communication with the authorities concerned with referring victims to promote the sultanate’s efforts at the international level.
The United Nations Office’s experts are giving lectures during the symposium, which involves participation of over 120 individuals from different authorities concerned with the fight against human trafficking in the sultanate. The participants will review experiences of some countries in the challenges faced in combating the crime, which is an opportunity to exchange views and expertise in this area.
Capt Mohammed bin Said al Kalbani, head of the DirectorateGeneral of Inquiries and Criminal Investigations at Royal Oman Police (ROP), and a member of the National Committee for Combating Human Trafficking, said, “The ROP registered 11 cases of human trafficking in 2018. The number of victims in those cases were 27 comprising different nationalities. There were 11 accused as well comprising different nationalities.
“They were all referred to the judiciary. Most of them were convicted to 3-10 year imprisonment, in addition to fines amounting from RO3,000 to RO5,000.”
He added, “Efforts are continuing to investigate human trafficking incidents and bring the offenders to justice.”
The Royal Oman Police registered 11 cases of human trafficking in 2018 Capt Kalbani