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The Arab Initiative For Building National Capacities
To Combat Human Trafficking
Doha Foundation Forum
Introduction:
Over the past recent years, the human trafficking phenomenon emerged on the international level as one of the most serious challenges facing the international community, after a large number of countries became strong hubs of human trafficking which is run by organized crime gangs and network.
That trade was encouraged by profits gained from such crimes which became no less than profits of weapon and drugs trade. That ugly trade turned into an octopus that hit poor and rich countries on equal footing, with millions of children, women and immigrants labours falling victims of that trade annually. As a result outcries escalated by international governmental and non-governmental organizations and at international conferences condemning such ugly crimes and calling for fighting them firmly to limit their serious repercussions and for handing out the harshest punishments to their perpetrators. Subsequently attention by world countries, governmental and non-governmental organizations has increased. They showed keenness on confronting that phenomenon after becoming aware of its serious effect which went beyond the respect of human rights and freedom. The United Nations and its specialized agencies, in addition to a number of world countries, issued ethical regulations matching a set of international laws and charters and established resolutions concerned with human trafficking. Constitutions of individual states also included rules incriminating all forms of human trafficking and calling for the respect of human rights. Moreover, many international and regional conferences were held to study the phenomenon to reach means of ending it, in addition to the enactment of necessary laws to fight it, to draw up plans and to hold workshops and training programmes for building the capacities of personnel in different specializations and fields that contribute to fighting that phenomenon in order to qualify them, develop their performance and enable them carry their duties in the best possible way.
Sensing its humanitarian responsibility, the State of Qatar has been keen on caring for people and on respecting their rights and maintaing their freedom and dignity as the highest objective and the upper hand for the achievement of the comprehensive development objectives. That was materialized by the State’s permanent constitution which the following:
The Qatari society shall be based on justice, kindness, freedom, equality and morals.
The State shall preserve the principles of the society and maintain security, stability and equal opportunities to the citizens.
The family shall be the foundation of the society. Its pillars shall be religion, morals and love for the nation. The law shall organize means of protecting the family, supporting its principles, bolstering its ties, preserving ideals of matrimony, childhood and the elderly.
The State shall extend care to the young generation and protect them from influences of corruption, from exploitation, from physical, mental and spiritual negligence, and provide adequate circumstances for developing creativity in different fields with improved education.
The high directives of H.H. the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al- Thani – May the Almighty Allah bless him – supported these humanitarian principles and values and enhanced their application on the ground. That was materialized on the overall rational policy adopted by the state in various fields; including the comprehensive development drawing up of the plans, strategies, and projects aimed at achieving those noble objectives, in addition to the state’s keenness and incessant endeavors to implement the binding international charters and agreements to this effect and the spread of awareness in the society about these noble principles and valves.
The State of Qatar’s endeavours to be a leading country in the combat of this serious phenomenon and to take all necessary precautionary and necessary measures to prevent it from spreading into the society, and to maintain Qatarclean and free from crime, especially human trafficking crimes. The state prepared Qatar national strategy to combat human trafficking in all their forms, including human trafficking – related organized crime and human trafficking crimes. Law No 14.of which regulates work and protects labours rights and the Qatar penal code no. 11 of 2004 hands out harsh punishments against human trafficking crimes perpetrators, in addition to the law banning the employment and using of children as jockeys in camel races no. 22 of the year 2005 and others. Moreover a number of human rights protection – related offices including the national Which was approved by the council of ministers in 2003. The strategy is linked with accurate mechanisms to ensure the effective implementation of its directives and recommendations on the ground, as well as the formation of a committee to follow up its recommendations in association with all the concerned parties. Among the fruits of the strategy was the enactment of many new legislations pertaining to the protection of man’s freedom and human rights, and the combat of all forms of crime, including the human trafficking- related organized crime, human trafficking crimes, labor law No. 14 of 2004 which regulates work and protects labor rights, Qatar panel code law No.11 of 2004 which hands down harsh punishments against human trafficking crimes perpetrators and the law banning the employment and use of children as jockeys in camel races No. 22 of the year 2005 and others. Moreover a number of human rights protection- related offices including the National Office of Combating Human Trafficking, established by decision No. 8 of 2005, issued by the Supreme Council for Family Affairs, and the earlier the establishment of the Qatari House for Lodging and Human Care which became an affiliate of the office and later the national office was renamed Qatar foundation for Combating Human Trafficking in accordance with a decision issued by the President of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs No.12 of 2008 as a private foundation of public benefit as per the rules of law No. 21 of 2006 on the private foundation of public interest. It was the first institutionalized entity to be established in region on both Gulf and Arab levels to care directly for human trafficking and to practice its functions in accordance with a long-term comprehensive national level in fighting human trafficking, and a scientific system based on planning, research and the adoption of advanced systems to address and combat that phenomenon. It is also open in its relations to similar Arab and international governmental and non-governmental organizations in a spirit of joint cooperation and coordination to benefit from the pioneering experiences and experiment of the advanced world countries. It also spares no effort in passing on its experience to other foundations cooperating with it in this field.
Moreover, the state of Qatar endorsed many international charters and conventions including the Child Rights Convention and other agreements related to the protection of children and women from all forms of violence and ugly exploitation, whether pertaining to sex trade crimes, banned pornographic practices, exploitation of children in wars and armed conflicts, protection of expatriate labors from unpaid for work, forcible paid or unpaid for work and other agreements.
While believing that the combat of human trafficking is a common ethical humanitarian responsibility of concern to the whole international, regional and local parties that should contribute to it as one of the most serious challenges facing our contemporary world and threatening the very being of human communities. It lies within the scope of the trans-national organized crime, stipulated in the Protocol to Protect, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime 2002.
The situation requires an ongoing and earnest joint cooperation and coordination among all world countries, international, regional and international organizations, in addition to intensive national efforts within the borders of countries and their concerned governmental and non-governmental organs, including civil society organizations, to curb the problem, its exacerbating magnitude and expanding effect on human individual countries and communities worldwide including the Arab world.
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