Doha: The Governmental Forum to Combat Trafficking in Persons in the Middle East has recommended increasing the role of sports clubs and tourism sector in combating human trafficking.
The two-day forum organised by the Ministry of Labour under the theme “Combating Trafficking in Persons in Tourist Seasons, a Focus on Sports Events”, concluded yesterday. The closing session was attended by Assistant Undersecretary at the Ministry of Labour Mohammed Hassan Al Obaidly and the ministers and heads of the authorities concerned in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, UAE, Bahrain, Jordan, Egypt, the USA, the UK and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, as well as ILO.
The forum recommended the need to activate the role of the International Center for Training and Research on Combating Trafficking in Persons, which is intended to be established in Qatar in cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, in advancing knowledge and capabilities within efforts to combat human trafficking. It called for the preparation of a regional vision through a comprehensive study in cooperation with international organisations to discuss the exploitation of tourism for crimes of trafficking in persons and the development of appropriate mechanisms. It is needed to enhance the benefit of member states from the training programmes provided by the Regional Center for Training and Capacity Building to combat Trafficking in persons in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
The forum stressed the need to benefit from the experiences and best practices in the countries of the region, especially Qatar, in the field of combating trafficking in persons during the seasons of attracting tourism in the sports field.
It also recommended to educate community about crime of trafficking in persons in the fields of tourism and sports through an awareness week to be observed from July 24 to 30 and during the global observance for combating trafficking in persons.
Furthermore, the forum called for the activation of sports clubs and the tourism sector’s role in combating human trafficking and enhancing the capacity of workers in this field.
It also recommended developing a tailored guideline specific to the Middle East region. This guideline would encompass appropriate control mechanisms and tools to address the unique nature of human trafficking practices in the region. The forum was organised by the Ministry of Labour, represented by the National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking.
