Human trafficking in the United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates is a destination country for men and women that are mostly trafficked for the purposes of labor and prostitution. U.S. State Department's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons placed the country in "Tier 2" in 2017.[1]
The situation
Women from India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan, Pakistan, and the Philippines travel willingly to the U.A.E. and Arab states of the Persian Gulf to work as domestic servants, but some subsequently face conditions of involuntary servitude such as excessive work hours without pay, unlawful withholding of passports, restrictions on movement, non-payment of wages, and physical or sexual abuse at the hands of their employers.
Ansar Burney Welfare Trust reported in 2001 about thousands of young boys being trafficked from Pakistan and other impoverished, generally Muslim countries, to the UAE. Ansar further claimed that there the boys would be subjected to working as camel jockeys, underfed, crash diets to reduce weight and less pay.[2]
Similarly, men from India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Pakistan are drawn to the U.A.E. to work in the construction industry, but are often subjected to similar conditions of coercive labor and to debt bondage as they work to pay off recruitment costs sometimes exceeding the equivalent of two years’ wages.
Many countries, especially the home countries of laborers, have turned a blind eye due to the economic wealth exported from the U.A.E. to the home countries because without the flow of income their economic position would be troubled.
Government efforts
The government increased prosecutions, convictions, and sentences for sex trafficking offenders; trained law enforcement officers on anti-trafficking methods; opened a shelter for victims of trafficking; and continued its efforts to support former child camel jockeys and reached agreements to provide compensation to them. Nonetheless, the U.A.E. did not aggressively prosecute or punish acts of trafficking for forced labor, since the rule of wasta over law despite potential of a widespread problem among domestic and low skilled foreign workers. The only rule is "show that the government is fighting against trafficking" but they are organizing everything to make the traffic work[3]
Prosecution
The U.A.E. government made progress in prosecuting acts of sex trafficking over the last year, but showed limited efforts to punish forced labor. The U.A.E. prohibits all forms of trafficking through Federal Law No. 51, which prescribes penalties ranging from one year to life imprisonment. Prescribed penalties under this law are sufficiently stringent and commensurate with those for other grave crimes, such as rape. The U.A.E.’s labor law, however, does not sufficiently protect workers in domestic service, making them vulnerable to forced labor. During this reporting period, the U.A.E. prosecuted and convicted 15 individuals for sex trafficking; their sentences ranged from nine months’ to 10 years’ imprisonment. The U.A.E. government also reported investigating an additional seven trafficking suspects and filing charges against six others for sex trafficking. . Nonetheless, criminal law enforcement efforts against trafficking for forced labor remain severely inadequate; despite continuing reports of widespread and prevalent conditions of labor exploitation, the government referred only one recruitment agent for prosecution, but reported no convictions or punishments for such crimes. To improve their capacity and technical skills, the government trained law enforcement officers, prosecutors, and judges on anti-trafficking investigation and prosecution techniques. The government also hired over 200 new labor inspectors, bringing the total to approximately 425 inspectors to enforce labor laws; these inspectors went through three-month training courses in labor law and other key skills in identifying and addressing labor violations, including trafficking-related offenses.[3]
Protection
During the reporting period, the Government of the U.A.E. made noticeable, but uneven, efforts to protect victims of trafficking. In July,
Prevention
The U.A.E. has made efforts to prevent trafficking this year. To address the issue of non-payment of wages, which contributes to the debt bondage of some workers, the
See also
- Human rights in the United Arab Emirates
- Slavery in the United Arab Emirates
References
- ^ "Trafficking in Persons Report 2017: Tier Placements". www.state.gov. Archived from the original on 2017-06-28. Retrieved 2017-12-01.
- ^ "Kidnapped children sold into slavery as camel racers". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 June 2001.
- ^ a b c d Department Of State. The Office of Electronic Information, Bureau of Public Affairs (2008-06-10). "Country Narratives -- Countries S through Z". 2001-2009.state.gov. Retrieved 2022-12-29. This article incorporates public domain material from this U.S government document.
External links
- Human Trafficking Plagues UAE video report by Al Jazeera, July 31, 2009