KUWAIT: The interior ministry yesterday underlined its commitment to combating the crime of human trafficking and has set up various departments solely for this goal. The remarks were made in a speech delivered by the Director of Public Investigations Maj Gen Fahd Al-Dosari at the launch ceremony of an awareness campaign on this issue.

The ceremony was organized jointly by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) under the auspices of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Khaled Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah, in the presence of the Representative of the Secretary-General and United Nations Resident Coordinator Dr Tareq Al-Sheikh, and head of the UN migration mission in Kuwait Eman Erekat.

Dosari added the ministry is keen to preserve human rights and dignity in Kuwait, praising the continuous cooperation between the ministry, IOM, UN and embassies accredited to the country to combat human trafficking. The official noted that Kuwait's achievement in this field constitutes an international recognition in its sincere desire to combat such a crime and reflects real efforts to take all necessary measures to put international laws and conventions into practice.

He pointed out the lifting of Kuwait in the annual report of the US State Department to "the second degree" comes as a culmination of efforts exerted by all concerned parties to combat this humanitarian crime, which is contrary to the teachings of the Islamic religion and international treaties. Dosari said the report by the US State Department is also a positive indicator of the views of the committees that tackle human trafficking cases, whether they are preemptively revealed, received or followed up. Kuwait had also contributed to the enactment of a law on domestic labor and the establishment of its own administration to deal with complaints submitted by workers, which aims at preserving their rights, Dosari noted. - KUNA