KUWAIT: Kuwaiti Assistant Foreign Minister for Human Rights Affairs Ambassador Sheikha Jawaher Ibrahim Duaij Al-Sabah announced on Monday that the 55th session of the Permanent Arab Committee for Human Rights will be held in Kuwait next February. Sheikha Jawaher said in a statement to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) during the 54th session of the Permanent Committee that the Kuwaiti delegation suggested to the committee to prepare a periodic report every six months that includes the most important activities and achievements and highlights the progress made in the field of human rights as well as the activities they have organized in this field.

She pointed to the intervention she had during the agenda discussions, in which the Committee’s vital role in establishing and spreading the culture of human rights was emphasized through holding events related to human rights and periodic meetings. Regarding the Arab Charter on Human Rights, she stressed that necessary measures are taken in Arab countries through the exchange of expertise and best practices, as well as supporting the role of the Arab Charter Committee in order to carry out its responsibilities and desired goals.

She added that the member states agreed on March 16, 2025, to adopt a slogan of “right to food” in line with the suffering and atrocities in the occupied territories. Sheikha Jawaher thanked the Secretariat of the League of Arab States for preparing the executive plan for the Arab Strategy for Human Rights.

Trafficking is ‘a scourge’

In another development, the Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Jasem Al-Budaiwi, underscored the urgent need to combat human trafficking, describing it as a scourge threatening all of humanity, especially children and women. His statement came on Tuesday, in recognition of World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, observed annually on July 30, and is themed this year as “Leave No Child Behind in the Fight Against Human Trafficking.”

Human trafficking disproportionately affects the most vulnerable, especially children and women, amid global challenges, conflicts, and wars, Al-Budaiwi said, calling it “one of the most heinous crimes that violates human rights.” He went on to say, “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.” “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 criminalize all forms of insulting his dignity, depriving him of his freedom, and exploiting him,” he stated. In conclusion, Al-Budaiwi “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.” — KUNA