KUWAIT: Kuwait commits itself to international criteria for combating human trafficking, migrant smuggling and protecting victims, said a Kuwaiti official on Sunday. Undersecretary of the Kuwaiti Justice Ministry Hashem Al-Qallaf made the remark while launching a campaign entitled: "Together against Human Trafficking”, co-organized by the Permanent National Committee concerned with Implementing the National Strategy to Prevent Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants and the International Organization for Migration (IMO).
The campaign was launched to mark the ‘UN World Day against Trafficking in Persons’ which falls on July 30. The crime of human trafficking has lately become the prime concern of the international community since it is deemed a breach of the basic principles of human rights and freedom, said Qallaf, who is deputy head of the committee. This crime is not restricted to specific countries and its differs in its forms and manifestations according to how countries define the concept of human trafficking and their compliance with, and respect of, the basic principles of human rights, he added.
The well-established values of the Kuwaiti society, notably tolerance, togetherness and respect of others, have reflected on all Kuwaiti pieces of legislation pertinent to human rights and prevention of human trafficking and persecution of basic human rights, he said. Kuwait promulgated Law 91/2013 for fighting human trafficking, with penalties ranging from 15 years in jail to death penalty, he pointed out.
The Kuwaiti government, with all its sectors, has spared no effort to take all necessary measures to fight this crime and provide the largest possible protection for victims mainly by means of creating the Permanent National Committee concerned with implementing the National Strategy to Prevent Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants in 2018, Qallaf added.
Head of the IOM’s Mission in Kuwait Mazen Aboulhosn commended Kuwait for having been in the forefront of the region’s countries that enacted laws in the field of fighting human trafficking. He particularly spoke highly of Law 91/2013 and its amendments to cover technological means and to incriminate anyone involved in human trafficking, appreciating the national committee’s role in this regard. The IOM seeks to enable concerned government agencies to combat this crime, update relevant legislation and laws and organize workshops for personnel training in dealing with n dealing with cases, he added. – KUNA