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Chief of Saudi human rights body reaffirms nation’s resolve to combat trafficking
The President of Saudi Arabia’s Human Rights Commission, Dr. Hala bint Mazyad al-Tuwaijri, has reiterated the country’s commitment to countering human trafficking through various national initiatives that seek to deter traffickers and protect the victims.
In a press statement issued on the eve of World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, observed on July 30, Dr. al-Tuwaijri highlighted the Kingdom’s National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking 2021-2023, a key component in the country’s fight against trafficking, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Saturday.
The anti-trafficking initiative, a part of Saudi Vision 2030, is built around the four pillars of prevention, protection, prosecution and partnership to strengthen the country’s response to trafficking, particularly to protect women and children.
The Kingdom has partnered with international organizations such as the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the International Organization on Migration (IOM), and signed agreements with several NGOs, including the National Committee of Workers, to prevent human trafficking.
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For decades, economic opportunities in Saudi Arabia have attracted migrant workers from neighbouring countries. Around 10 million migrants are employed in the country across a wide range of sectors, providing valuable services, while supporting their families and communities back home.
While such an arrangement is usually beneficial to both, the expatriate as well as the host country, some migrants are vulnerable to human trafficking, according to UNODC.
To address this scourge and bring the vulnerable under a safety net, Saudi Arabia routinely organizes meetings with key source countries of labor. In addition, it has incorporated its Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education into the National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking, according to the government’s website outlining the Kingdom’s anti-trafficking initiatives.
A 40 percent reduction in human trafficking was reported in the Middle East and North Africa region in 2022 compared to 2019, according to the 2022 UNODC Global Report on Trafficking in Persons. The number of victims fell for the first time in 20 years.
The number of victims of cross-border trafficking in the region fell by 70 percent and that of victims trafficked for forced labor decreased by 73 percent. A 16 percent increase was reported in the number of people prosecuted for human trafficking and related crimes.
According to al-Tuwaijri, the theme for 2023, ‘Reach every victim of trafficking, leave no one behind,’ is one of the strategic objectives of the Kingdom to protect and assist all victims of trafficking through an integrated national system that complies with international standards and strengthens prosecution of traffickers.
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