He pointed out that the UAE was working to tackle the global menace of human trafficking by adoption of a national strategy based on the five pillars of prevention, protection, judicial prosecution, punishment and international co-operation.

Dr Al Awadhi added that the UAE has been able to achieve major milestones in the fight against human trafficking, particularly in regard to the protection and care for victims of trafficking.

?The UAE provides shelter homes for victims of trafficking in our efforts to rehabilitate such victims and ensure their safe return to their respective countries in co-ordination with competent authorities in the country of their origin,? Dr Al Awadhi said.

It is worth mentioning that one of the main recommendations of the ministerial conference is the adoption of a programme sponsored by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, to record information and share data on human trafficking. The members agreed to work on the programme in the forthcoming period by adopting a hotline for reporting human trafficking within the Bali Process.