His Excellency Mr Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), confirmed on the occasion of the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, which is annually observed on July 30, and is themed this year as "Leave No Child Behind in the Fight Against Human Trafficking", that this scourge threatens all of humanity and has always had consequences on the most vulnerable people, especially children and women, in light of the regional and international challenges, conflicts and wars that our world is witnessing, stressing that this phenomenon is considered one of the most heinous crimes that violates human rights.
His Excellency said: “Choosing this year's theme focuses on the importance of protecting children from trafficking in persons, due to the vulnerability of this group and taking rapid international measures to end their trafficking. Children still suffer from exploitation in forced labor, criminality, begging, assault and sexual exploitation, and through modern means of communication.”
His Excellency also stated that the GCC countries have paid great attention to the issues of combating trafficking in persons, and this stems from their commitment to the provisions of Islamic Sharia, its laws, and procedures, which preserve human dignity and prohibit and criminalise all forms of insulting his dignity, depriving him of his freedom, and exploiting him. He explained that this is affirmed in Article 3 of the GCC Declaration of Human Rights, which states: "Slavery, servitude, forced labor, and human trafficking in all its forms and manifestations are prohibited, especially that which occurs against women and children."
Elaborating further, HE the Secretary General stated that in light of the interest of the GCC states in combating cross-border crimes and trafficking in persons, and to prevent this from occurring and being practiced on their territories, the GCC Supreme Council adopted in its 27th session in 2006 the Abu Dhabi document on the Unified Law to Prevent Human Trafficking in GCC countries. This law aims to prevent and end the misuse of human beings in any form of exploitation, including prostitution, sexual assault, forced labour and services, slavery, organ removal, and trafficking.
He said: “This is what the leaders of the Cooperation Council countries emphasised on the Islamic approach upon which their honourable countries were founded in launching an ambitious vision for sustainable development, which made human dignity and respect a top priority, and their interest in combating crimes of trafficking in persons, enacting internal regulations and laws, and joining many international instruments related to combating human trafficking.'"
In conclusion, His Excellency stressed that the international efforts made in this regard cannot succeed without concerted national and regional efforts, and benefiting from best practices to eliminate trafficking in persons.