Doha Third Doha Forum on Combating Human Trafficking Opens

Doha, January 22 (QNA) - The Third Doha Forum on Combating Human Trafficking opened here today under the theme "Contemporary Trends in Combating Human Trafficking" with the 350 consultants, experts and specialists in this field from all over the world taking part. HE the Minister of Justice Hassan bin Abdullah Al Ghanim said in an inaugural speech that the State of Qatar, under the wise leadership of HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, attaches great importance to consolidating the values and principles of human rights, and upholding the supremacy of law which confirms the commitment of the State of Qatar to combating crime in general and to fighting the phenomenon of human trafficking in particular, saying that became evident through Qatar National Vision 2030 which was developed in order to ensure a bright and prosperous future for the country. He added that the State of Qatar continues its persistent efforts to address the phenomenon of human trafficking through building bridges of international and regional cooperation in this area, and activating the application of the relevant regional and international conventions which the state has jointed, and also by having a set of legislative and institutional systems specializing in this regard, such as Law No. 15 of 2011 on combating human trafficking and other relevant national legislations, in addition to the enhancement of the role of national institutions active in this field. The latest national initiatives in this regard, represented in the establishment of Qatar's National Alliance against Human Trafficking which achieves partnership between the public and non-governmental sectors in the State of Qatar in order to work together to implement Qatar National Strategy to combat human trafficking. In his speech HE the Minister of Justice renewed the commitment of the Ministry of Justice to the establishment of this new national alliance in order to achieve the aspired goals, expressing the ministry's welcome of cooperation with all brotherly Arab states and national and international partners, within the framework of the exchange of the best experiences, experiments and training programmes in the field of combating human trafficking. He noted that the real and effective fighting of human trafficking, requires greater synergy of international and national efforts towards that important communal issue, adding that it had become necessary to deal with this serious issue from its societal, legal and economic roots, and through the development of radical solutions to the causes leading to the spread of this phenomenon, by confronting the problems of poverty, marginalization, unemployment and ignorance, while providing the necessary care for the most needy groups such as women and children. HE the Minister of Justice underlined the need to work to devote national efforts towards revitalizing international conventions and relevant national legislations, indicating that the activation of all the advanced efforts needs the development of strategies, as well as clear and comprehensive plans of action through the prevention of the crime and also pursuing and punishing its perpetrators. The application of these strategies and plans of action, requires mechanisms that ensure the enactment of updated and specialized legislations that take into account the balance between incrimination and criminal prosecution, protection and rehabilitation of the victims of these crimes, possession of qualified personnel to address this crime in all its communal aspects, and enable the application of relevant legislations, besides the creation of the necessary alliances between law enforcement authorities and the civil society in order to achieve a coordinated and effective partnership to address the causes of this phenomenon and to provide all forms of assistance to the victims of these crimes through rehabilitation and reintegration into society, in addition to care for the entrenchment of religious and ethical factor, along with community awareness of the seriousness of this phenomenon and to strengthening of international cooperation in all its forms and manifestations between states and international and regional organizations in the fight against human trafficking crimes. "All heavenly religions urge us to respect freedom and human dignity, and prohibit slavery, oppression of human beings and discrimination," HE the Minister of Justice added, noting that several international conventions and national legislation appreciated these religious and humanitarian values, banned human trafficking that turns humans into commodities, and criminalized such inhumane acts as a flagrant violation of religious values and human rights. He highlighted the U.N. Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children (UN TIP Protocol), as one of the most important international conventions that addressed the phenomenon of human trafficking, and set an effective mechanism to deal with this dangerous phenomenon and its legal and societal aspects. HE the minister pointed to the alarming fact that human trafficking is still on the rise despite all the efforts made by the international community, whether countries or organizations, adding that every year around 600,000 to 800,000 men, women and children are trafficked across international borders. "Some international and non-governmental organizations put the estimate at a much bigger number. The trade is still growing, and added to this are the unspecified numbers of those who are trafficked within each individual country," the Justice Minister said. He noted that human trafficking is starting to take more sophisticated criminal patterns, adding that committing such a crime through organized crime or using the Internet are clear examples of the difficult challenges that face those involved in combating the phenomenon. The U.N. estimates that international criminal organizations involved in human trafficking make the third highest income for organized crime, after drugs and arms trafficking, said HE the minister. Addressing the Forum, H.E. Mr. Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, the High-Representative for the UN Alliance of Civilizations and President of the 66th session of the UN General Assembly stated that the main focus of the conference which is being held in cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the League of Arab States is means of combating Human Trafficking by strengthening regional efforts in the Arab region towards that end. H.E. Al-Nasser reviewed the efforts made with the aim to fight Human Trafficking during his tenure as President of the 66th session of the UN General Assembly during which he held at the General Assembly two High-Level Meetings in New York on March 23, 2012 and on April 3rd, 2012. Drawing on his experience as a veteran diplomat at the United Nations, H.E. Mr. Al-Nasser stressed that Human Trafficking is considered a crime against humanity. He said that across the globe, almost 2.5 million people endure this crime at any one time with women and children being the most vulnerable. Noting the 2012 report on Human Trafficking issued by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, H.E. Mr. Al-Nasser said that between 2007 and 2010, 27% of the victims of this crime were children most of them girls. According to the same report, 68% of the victims were from Africa and the Middle East, 39% from South East Asia and the Pacific, 27% from North and South America and 16% from Europe and Central Asia. 50% to 60% of these were women. H.E. Al-Nasser pointed out that while the report raises concerns over the decreasing rates for penalizing the culprits responsible for this crime, 154 countries, including the State of Qatar have endorsed the UN Protocol for Fighting Human Trafficking which had been effective since 2003. Adding that 83% of countries have now legislations criminalizing human trafficking according to that Protocol. He also referred to the efforts undertaken by the United Nations to combat this scourge. In the 2005 World Summit Outcome Document, the UN Member States expressed grave concern at the negative effects on development, peace and security and human rights posed by trafficking in human beings. And in 2010, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a Global Action Plan to Combat Trafficking in Persons. According to that Plan, the UN Voluntary Trust Fund for the victims of Human Trafficking especially women and children was established. The State of Qatar was the first and biggest donor to the Trust Fund. H.E. Al-Nasser reviewed the important role played by the State of Qatar in supporting that Trust Fund during his tenure as President of the 66th session of the General Assembly. He said that in April 2012, he convened at the UN, a High-Level Interactive Dialogue in cooperation with the UN Office for Drugs and Crime and the Group of Friends United against Human Trafficking which includes the State of Qatar and which was represented at this meeting by H.E. Ms. Mariam Al Maliky, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation for Combating Human Trafficking. The discussions highlighted the importance of the regional and non-regional dimension of this issue and the various relevant mechanisms and initiatives. H.E. Al-Nasser noted that the outcome of the high-level dialogue culminated in 7 main points as follows: 1. Coordination : It is incumbent on all Member States to work very closely with the various stakeholders at the local, regional and international levels with the aim of obtaining reliable information on human trafficking networks across the globe. 2. The Legal Aspect : The need to review and amend laws and legislations to guarantee its compliance with international conventions as there are still a number of countries which do not criminalize human trafficking. 3. Women : Women especially those who are survivors of this crime should have a leading role in negotiations and policies relevant to combating human trafficking. 4. Demand : Encouraging governments and the private sector in adopting and implementing a zero-tolerance policy towards culprits of and those implicated in this crime. 5. Victims : Continuing to provide support for the victims and survivors of human trafficking through a number of sustainable, time-realistic programs . 6. Inclusion : It is necessary to include combating human trafficking in UN programs. Combating this crime could be done through economic and social development and the rule of law and strengthening security institutions. 7. Funding : All aforementioned goals will not be attainable in the absence of political will and continuous funding. Concluding, Al-Nasser concluded by saying that the Arab region would benefit from these experiences and the efforts made by the UN and the various regional and international arrangements in that regard. He pointed out to the importance of cooperation among regional organizations such as the League of Arab States as well as other non-regional organizations with the United Nations in combating human trafficking. In that respect, he commended the efforts undertaken by the League of Arab States in combating human trafficking such as the Arab Initiative for Building National Capacities to Combat Human Trafficking and the establishment of the Coordination Unit for Combating Human Trafficking which works on data gathering and analysis on the status of human trafficking in the Arab region, providing support for national plans of action and modernizing national legislations as well as strengthening regional cooperation in combating human trafficking. For his part, Chairman of the Board of Directors Qatar Foundation for Combating Human Trafficking Abdullah Al-Mal said in a speech during the opening session that the phenomenon of human trafficking in human has become in the modern world a major problem and a serious challenge facing nations and human societies and individuals in general on different levels of rich, developing and poor countries. "The phenomenon of human trafficking has become a threat to the security and entity of states, and also a major obstacle hampering the implementation of states' plans and development projects and even a disaster and serious transgression and flagrant violation of human rights, freedom and dignity, Dr. Al-Mal adding that the Doha Third Forum on Combating Human Trafficking is taking place today under the theme" "Contemporary Trends in Combating Human Trafficking", acquires a new dimension, and is particularly important because its motto was to discuss important and serious issues and to display new trends in the fight against human trafficking in line with the current events and the latest changes on both international and regional arenas, and the extent of their impact on the magnitude of the phenomenon, seriousness and dimensions. He noted that on the global and regional level became human trafficking takes new patterns new forms associated with many crimes that lead to the exploitation of innocent people as a commodity in the arms and drugs trade, organ removal, sex trafficking, cybercrimes, smuggling, sale of , recruitment in wars, armed conflicts, and the exploitation of thousands them in illegal immigration, or the exploitation of children at an early age in exchange for low wages, and stressful work beyond their physical abilities. Dr Malallah referred to Qatar's preparedness to sponsor the Arab initiative for building national Arab cadres to fight human trafficking and starting to implement it in partnership with the UN office in charge of fighting drugs and crime, and with the Arab League. Malallah said implementation of the program for the year 2013 will be on the level of Gulf countries and Qatar and will coincide with inter-Gulf cooperation that involves both governmental and non-governmental organizations. He expressed his appreciation of the care given by HH Sheikh Moza Bint Nasser in support of Arab initiatives to build local cadres to fight human trafficking in Arab countries. The Arab League representative Suad Al Saehi said the League has laid down a comprehensive Arab strategy for combating human trafficking , endorsed by the Arab ministerial council. She called for using the strategy as a guideline and for activating it through cooperation between the League and the UN office in charge of fighting drugs and crime and special Arab commissions. The Arab strategy has laid down the general framework for combating human trafficking in the Arab area and left the choice for individual countries to implement the strategy according to national policies and work plans, she said. Al Saehi added that the human trafficking phenomenon is one of the major challenges facing the international community this century. Hence the Arab League was giving due consideration to fighting the phenomenon through many initiatives facilitating cooperation among concerned Arab organizations , encouraging the exchange of information and increasing awareness of the phenomenon. Representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) regional office for the Middle East and North Africa Hatim Ali also gave a speech before the opening session in which he said human trafficking is a serious violation of human rights. "Every year, thousands of men , women and children fall into the hands of traffickers, in their own countries and abroad, explaining that every country in the world, including the Arab region is affected by trafficking, whether as a country of origin, transit or destination for victims. UNODC as guardian of the United Nation Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC), assists States in their efforts to implement the protocol to prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons. "Human Trafficking requires a strategic and multidisciplinary approach based on cooperation between government institutions, as well as civil society. This phenomenon can only be overcome if all anti trafficking partners, inside and outside governments, within countries but also across borders, can work together on the basis of sound information and data about the phenomenon, how it evolves and how it is effectively combatted. "Within the framework of our international partnerships versus human trafficking , UNDOC is proud to be supporting member states develop strategic response and technical expertise to combat human trafficking. ''UNDOC undertakes data collection, analysis and dissemination, with the view to strengthening evidence-based responses to transnational organized crime including trafficking in persons, Information on the strategies , legislation and structures in place is collected on an ongoing basis across the globe to counter organized crime. Country, regional and international crime and threat assessments are also carried out by UNDOC and made publicly available. Such assessments are useful for state parties to mount criminal justice responses, and are crucial to informing UNDOC's design of training and other technical assistance materials and activities in accordance with the identified needs of beneficiaries. UNODC published its latest Global Report on Trafficking in persons in December 2012," Ali said. He added that under UNDOC's regional programme for the MENA region, UNDOC works closely with the league of Arab State in order to support member States in their fight against human trafficking. Our principal aim in our joint work is to strengthen regional, inter-agency and operational cooperation amongst the relevant authorities, and to assist Arab States in harmonizing their national legal frameworks to the requirements of the relevant international legal instruments, while at the same time building the capacities of criminal justice practitioners in order to more effectively investigate and prosecute the crime, while ensuring the adequate protection of the rights of trafficking victims. "Based on the strong consensus of partnership UNDOC has additionally supported the establishment of the Anti-Human Trafficking Coordination Unit within the Secretariat of the Arab League with the purpose of coordination the implementation of the Comprehensive Arab Strategy for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings'. reporting on the activities conducted in Member states to counter trafficking in persons; and enabling them to improve their ability to collect and analyses date on human trafficking and translate those into national strategies, I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere thanks to the LAS Legal Department for their continuous collaboration and commitment to combat this crime, UNDOC representative said. "On behalf of UNDC, I wish to assure you not only our sustained cooperation, but also of our desire to continue strengthening our partnership with you to fight Trafficking in persons in this region with full dedication and commitment, On behalf of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, I wish to close my remarks by expressing my sincere thanks and continuous gratitude to the Qatar Foundation for Combating human Trafficking for all their efforts , and to express my appreciation all the efforts undertaken under here outstanding leadership, and I look forward to furthering collaboration between our two organizations, " Ali said. For her part, Director General of Qatar Foundation for Combating Human Trafficking Maryam Al-Malki said in a working paper submitted at the first session of the Forum entitled 'the alliance and its role in promoting the system against human trafficking' that the relevant authorities that cooperate to activate the system against human trafficking need an effective and wise management for all programmes, projects and activities for which cooperation is needed for their implementation and completion on the hand, and also need a real and sound coordination for all its interventions on the other. In this context comes the alliance as a regulatory form and a contemporary approach that takes into account the specificities of the work of bodies concerned with human trafficking to enhance the role of anti-human trafficking system to become more efficient. Al-Malki touched on the alliance as contemporary approach to combat human trafficking, its general principles against the fight against human trafficking, the general concept of the alliance, in addition to the general tasks of the Alliance in the system against human trafficking and its components.(QNA)