At the start of the meeting, Gargash welcomed the committee members and stressed that it has played a vital role, since its establishment, in coordinating joint actions of authorities to fight human trafficking.
The committee presented the UAE?s human rights developments, including a workshop on the Arab Charter on Human Rights that was held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, in partnership with the Arab Human Rights Committee, to highlight the country?s human rights situation. It also discussed related forecasts and the difficulties facing the implementation of its recommendations.
The committee was briefed about the visit of Lord Tariq Ahmed, British Secretary of State for the Commonwealth and the United Nations, who has praised the UAE?s efforts to combat human trafficking and protect its victims. It also discussed developments related to a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, as well as the meetings of joint committees in charge of implementing the MoU.
Dr. Gargash praised the UAE?s efforts to promote cooperation with several countries, which is essential to combatting this cross-border crime.
During the meeting, the committee also discussed its plans to raise awareness and organise training, in coordination with its member authorities.
The Secretariat of the Committee presented the desire of friendly countries to explore the UAE?s experience in combatting human trafficking.
The committee then discussed the importance of implementing an awareness campaign in 2019, which will include advertisements in the country?s airports.
Gargash lauded the efforts of its members and various national authorities to combat human trafficking, as well as the UAE?s leading stature in this area. /WAM
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The first stage of the app was launched today by Lt. General Saif Al Shafar, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, with the attendance of Alia Mohammed Saeed Al Kaabi, Head of the Family and Children Prosecution in Abu Dhabi, Colonel Faisal Sultan Al Shoaibi, Director-General of Strategy and Performance Development at the Ministry, and several of the ministry?s officials.
It was also attended by Dr. Hammad Abdullah Ali, Representative of the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development, and Sarah Suhail, Director-General of Ewaa Shelters, along with several officials from various government agencies.
The app includes a “smart call” system, which will assist in searching for missing children.
The partnership between the two parties will enable the system to utilise the notification function on Facebook. The Child Protection Centre of the Ministry of Interior will firstly receive a report from authorities about missing children, including from the police general commands in the areas where a child was reported missing.
The centre is working with Facebook to adopt the system in the UAE.
Lt. General Al Shafar considered the launch to be a leading step in strengthening the ministry?s efforts to maintain security and safety, by benefitting from emerging technologies and social media applications.
He said that the UAE has a leading international reputation in dealing with child protection, which is one of the main priorities of its social policy. The ministry aims to further this approach, according to its working competencies, as well as to employ international expertise to promote child protection in the country, he added.
“The launch of the first stage of Neda is part of the ministry?s strategic initiatives that aim to promote child protection and utilise modern technologies. We will work on managing calls from police general commands in the country, and after taking the required measures, we will circulate their reports in the form of a call through Facebook in the areas where children have gone missing,” he added. /WAM
The specially curated exhibition showcased the works of many artists selected=”true” following an open call across the UAE for submissions of proposals or completed artworks.
Alkhamis-Kanoo said “In the past decade, the UAE has made great strides in the promotion and sharing of creative and artistic knowledge. Abu Dhabi?s cultural identity is built on the importance of safeguarding our heritage and development for the future, and ?Soft Power? has played an integral role in the development of our nation. In keeping with the commemoration of Sheikh Zayed?s legacy in this Year of Zayed, ADMAF is proud to dedicate its Abu Dhabi Art Pavilion theme to celebrating ?Zayed: The Soft Power?, which features eight unique and diverse masterpieces inspired by his core values: Wisdom and Peace, Tolerance and Respect, Unity, Sustainability and the Environment, Human Development and Knowledge. The foundation?s unwavering support and nurturing of Emirati and UAE-based talent continues to be a force for good in delivering on the promise of culture.”
During the fair, ADMAF also displayed an emotive and unique piece of art by the Ewa’a Shelters for Victims of Human Trafficking in Abu Dhabi. Conceptualised by the artist Jennifer Simon in collaboration with ADMAF, Skittles, was the result of an intense two years of work by more than 20 survivors of human trafficking. It featured 10 individually painted and decorated, human-sized bowling pins standing before a ball featuring the word ?life? in English and Arabic. The artwork embodies the struggles of the survivors, inspiring them to rise up in the face adversity. /WAM
During a visit paid to Ewa’a Shelter in Abu Dhabi in tandem with a delegation from the United Kingdom Embassy to the UAE, in the presence of Mr. Mansour Al-Jowaed, the Head of the National Committees Department at the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MoFAIC) and Rapporteur for National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking (NCCHT), Lord Ahmad strived to take cognizance of the activities of the shelter, and to learn about the great efforts that are being exerted to serve the victims as well as the rehabilitation programs introduced to them.
Sara Shuhail, Director General of Ewa’a Shelters, highly appreciated the visit of Lord Tariq Ahmad. She rendered an explanation for the establishment of the shelters as well as the vision and mission thereof, how to receive victims, the rehabilitation programs and the memoranda of understanding concluded with the stakeholders in this regard. The victims are to be granted attested certificates that help them find job opportunities when they return voluntarily to their homelands or alternative countries.
Shuhail dwelled upon the financial aids provided to the victims from the shelters and the Victim Support Fund of the NCCHT, so that the victims can implement small enterprises for a better future. There was further a presentation for the awareness-raising programs of the NCCHT at some airports, along with familiarization with the memoranda of understanding concluded by the UAE with some countries in this respect.
Lord Tariq Ahmad, who is visiting the UAE to participate in the World Summit for Tolerance in Dubai, is the UK Prime Minister’s representative in the field of combating sexual violence in conflict situations. His functional duties include human rights, freedoms of religions and beliefs as well as modern slavery. He was earlier appointed as the Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Major General Al-Obaidli said the meeting was aimed at a series of goals aimed at coordination and constructive cooperation. And improve joint operations and duplication in joint action, and share new ideas that help improve joint action in the United Arab Emirates legal system to combat these crimes and practices and those who are exposed to them see, to provide adequate support.
He stated that trafficking in human and child related crime is at the forefront of the proportion of victims of human dignity. According to United Nations estimates, 51% of the victims are women and 71% are children.
He points out that forced labor is third in illicit international trade after arms and drug trafficking and generates $ 150 billion in illegal profits and $ 99 billion annually. Of commercial sexual exploitation, another $ 51 billion resulted from economic exploitation of people in housework, agriculture and other economic activities.
Colonel Saleh Al-Hamrani examined the topics and topics of the meeting, which included four main axes: Women’s Rights and Extermination. “He pointed out that the dialogue sessions aim to unify efforts and prevent duplication of work between relevant committees and committees and find a way to work with those affected and those involved in the fight against trafficking in human beings and related parties, as well as various sectors and sectors of society and their institutions, to achieve the goals of the national agenda The United Arab Emirates 2021
At the center of the fight against human trafficking, they discuss ways to strengthen coordination and constructive cooperation between Dubai Police partners in operations and the crimes of Dubai au show trafficking in human beings, treatment of victims of trafficking, analysis of financial crime, money laundering and international cooperation in support of the fight against trafficking in human beings and the training and qualification of trafficking in human beings.
The section “Women and Children’s Rights” defines the roles and responsibilities of stakeholders and ways to support women and child victims. And educating children’s and women’s rights in collaboration with all those involved, while at the same time discussing the axis of the feeling of security while traveling alone outside the home mechanism at night to develop and develop improvements that will benefit all partners Added value.
Officers had received a tip-off from an informant that the defendants were exploiting underage girls.
?We sent an undercover police officer to pose as a customer,? a police lieutenant told the hearing.
?After he was taken into the flat and offered to have sex with one of the teenagers, he gave us the signal and we raided the place.?
At a court hearing in May last year, six male defendants admitted to human trafficking charges as well as facilitating prostitution.
One female defendant denied human trafficking but admitted to facilitating prostitution. She said her only role in the case was to book airline tickets for the girls. A further defendant remains on the run and was convicted in absentia.
Following the raid of the brothel, police shutdown the apartment and confiscated cash, mobile phones and other items.
One of the girls told prosecutors she had been contacted by the female defendant and asked if she wanted a job as a sex worker.
?I agreed and they forged my documents and passport so I could come,? she said.
?I worked for three months and then returned home.? She added that she later returned to Dubai on a tourist visa to work for a further three months.
The second girl told officers she had worked as a prostitute for six months while the third worked for three months before they were all arrested.
Subject to appeals, the court ordered each of the seven defendants caught in the raid be deported after serving their prison terms. (The National)
Eighteen parliamentary delegations participated in the event including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Jordan, Palestine, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Russia, Cyprus and Turkey.
The UAE delegation reviewed the UAE’s efforts in combatting human trafficking, protecting the rights of expatriate workers, providing all means of a decent life for them, as well as the country’s concrete and effective efforts in the fight against terrorism and extremism through the establishment of the Hedaya and Sawab Centres.
The delegation, comprising members of the FNC, included Hamad Abdullah bin Ghaleita Al Ghafli and Azza Sulaiman bin Sulaiman. They presented the proposals and views on a draft resolution on the protection and promotion of the rights of labour in Asia.
It also emphasised that the UAE plays an important role in combatting human trafficking through the establishment of national committees and institutions to combat it, as well as its efforts to ensure the provision of all rights guaranteeing the rights of migrant workers, from the right to human dignity through economic, social, health and educational rights, and finally to make all legislative arrangements to ensure the protection of their wages.
The meeting also discussed a number of issues and proposals on its agenda.
? Speaking about Ewa’a Shelters’ efforts in helping victims of human trafficking, what would you say?
? Within just a few years, Ewa’a Shelters managed to translate its ambitious vision into a reality. This vision aims at enhancing its pioneering role in the field of caring for and rehabilitating victims to maintain human rights ? in an effective collaboration with its strategic partners, with the purpose of making the Emirati community free of crimes that bear on human dignity. This is carried out through successive stations of success and excellence that have made the shelters today at the vanguard of humanitarian organizations, locally, regionally and internationally.
? What is the number of cases received by the shelters and the number of those whom the shelters managed to deal with?
? Since the opening of the shelters in 2009, it received 293 victims of various nationalities, ranging in age between 5 and 45 years old, knowing that we handled all these cases successfully.
? How do you deal with the victims of human trafficking, considering the privacy and sensitivity of this issue?
? The shelters maintain full confidentiality, observing international standards in dealing with victims of human trafficking, and ensures all the steps of safety and security.
Efforts and impact
? How would you assess the impact of the UAE in terms of combatting human trafficking on the international level?
? Statistically speaking, the numbers of traffickers diminished since the state has exerted tremendous efforts to protect the vulnerable victims, enacted laws for their sake, and signed international agreements in this regard. Hence, the UAE was the first country to enact an anti-human trafficking law, which was amended in 2015 to deter criminals.
? How far are you worried because of the increase in human trafficking operations? And are you satisfied with the efforts exerted to solve this problem?
? Considering the relevant statistics given by official authorities, I am not worried at all, since this crime is not a phenomenon in the UAE. However, it is a problem that needs to be firmly, relentlessly and consciously combatted, especially that it is a border-crossing crime that bifurcates in several countries as a result of poverty or wards or natural disasters.
Humanitarian cases
? What are the strangest case that you have come upon during your work?
? I cannot call it strangest. Rather, it was the most impressive case that had an impact on me as a human being and as a mother. When the victim is a child or one of the people of determination, they would be incapable of conceiving the extent of the calamity, defending themselves or expressing themselves or that which they would have gone through. Besides, the process of rehabilitating them would be more complicated, especially regarding some cases when the traffickers are the parents of the victims.
A march that instills a sense of pride
? What are the most significant responses to your efforts, which left their marks on you?
? On top of these responses came from the UN Office at Vienna, when they called our shelters the “Safe Paradise” given the role our shelters play, in terms of the efforts they exert and the services they provide to the victims. I was also personally impressed by the stance of one of the victims who changed her name to Sara, after me, expressing her desire to maintain a sense of hope and optimism, due to the humane treatment she received from me. Added to these are the messages of appreciation and gratefulness we constantly received from the victims who have been deported, as tokens of thankfulness to us for giving them the change to start a new life.
? What are the most significant achievements that make you feel proud on both personal and public levels?
? I feel proud when I see my children pursue my course and tread the path of serving our homeland, setting as excellence at work as their target. I have implanted in their minds the saying of our late founding father, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (may Allah shower his soul with mercy) that “the prime duty of the citizen is to work night and day towards self-improvement since this would entail improvement all over the nation. The citizen should not suffice with sheer obtainment of a certificate and acquisition of a job without doing anything else”. On the public level, and through my work in the field of education, I take pride and sense honor when I see my female graduate students assume leading positions in the state. Through my work in the field of combatting human trafficking, I take pride in seeing almost 300 vulnerable victims receive health and legal care and rehabilitation that end up in their reintegration as active individuals in their community.
Nature of work
? What is your secret recipe for today’s mothers on how to reconcile domestic and work duties?
? The nature of a woman’s work should be going well with her responsibilities as a mother and a wife. This was one of the firm principles preached by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (may Allah shower his soul with mercy) for women, as he said, “I encourage a woman to assume job positions that suit her nature in a way that preserve her dignity and respect as a mother and as a maker of generations”. I also would like to refer to the unlimited support given by HH Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chair of the General Women’s Union, Supreme President of Family Development Foundation, and President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood (Mother of the Emirates). She underscores the principles preached by Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (may Allah shower his soul with mercy) regarding woman’s right to education and to work, and in light of the state’s need for women to fill senior positions. However, I personally deem that a woman needs to identify her own priorities to be able to undertake her primary task as a maker of generations.
Titles and Awards
? Sara Shuhail worked in the pedagogical field and contributed in disseminating education over 31 years.
? She ranked 79 on the list of CEO’s ? Arabian Business’ twin magazine ? 100 Most Powerful Arab Women, in 2013, and then ranked 59 on this list in 2015.
? She won the PetroChem Award, humanitarian category, in 2012.
? She won the Inspiring Woman award due to her achievements in Ewa’a Shelters, as part of L’Officiel Arab Woman of the Year Awards ? Abu Dhabi 2012.
? She is an Arab Woman of the Year Award Committee member ? 2013.
? She is titled an ‘expert’ by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, in the field of combatting human trafficking.
? She obtained a Specialized Diploma in Human Trafficking, the first of a kind in the Arab world, in 2016.
(Zahrat Al Khaleej Magazine)
The Shelters highlighted the gapless success in undertaking their duty, especially that it is the first time for Ewaa to provide shelter to male victims in such a number.
Director-General of Ewaa Shelters for Victims of Human Trafficking, Sara Shuhail, pointed out the financial support offered by H.H. Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women’s Union, President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, and Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation, to the victims who expressed their desire to establish, upon their return, small projects in their home countries that help eliminate their destitution, and secure sustenance and living requirements for their families.
Sharjah Police Criminal Investigation Department praised the major role played by Ewaa Shelters and the fruitful mutual collaboration between Ewaa and the Department regarding all human trafficking cases.
By the end of the meeting, the two parties agreed that Ewaa shall submit recommendations made at the meeting to the National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking, to take necessary action towards enforcing such recommendations.
The Director-General of Ewaa Shelters for Victims of Human Trafficking, Sara Shuhail, was granted a plaque from the General Directorate of Sharjah Police. (Al-Ittihad)
Al Mazrui commended the NCCHT?s initiatives, especially those that aim to involve the youth in raising awareness about human trafficking crimes and how to deal with them while highlighting the importance of improving the overall abilities of the youth to protect human rights.
She also noted the futuristic vision of the UAE Government to prepare promising youth who can defend human rights while asserting their readiness to take on available opportunities, through the projects of the Federal Youth Authority, which will help develop their expertise and creativity.
Al Jarman said that the NCCHT, during its 42nd meeting that was chaired by Dr. Anwar bin Mohammed Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Chairman of the NCCHT, has decided to improve its cooperation with the youth, to spread awareness about human trafficking among this key segment of the community, which will also help implement the committee?s strategy based on protection and prevention, prosecution, punishment, protecting victims, and strengthening international cooperation.
During the meeting, Al Jarman presented the country?s efforts to combat human trafficking, especially its awareness programmes, which are key to limiting this crime. Both sides also presented several initiatives that aim to involve the youth and promote their role, as well as the voluntary and creative efforts of the NCCHT to implement relevant awareness campaigns and other activities, which target the general public and possible victims.
Both sides agreed to create a small team that will work together to develop a series of initiatives, which will be studied, adopted and implemented in the future. (WAM)
