As a society that is open to the world, we attract the best that is out there: entrepreneurs, families, businesses, investors, tourists and job seekers who are looking for a better life. However, in our openness we also face the challenge of those who come to our shores to exploit our system, those who have forgone their own humanity, and therefore see no sanctity or compassion towards human life, and so for them, human life is something that can be traded.
According to the UN, human trafficking is "The recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation." Human trafficking is essentially modern-day slavery.
Human traffickers target the most vulnerable members of a community, this primarily includes young women and children. Traffickers will trick victims with promises of educational opportunities, employment, marriage, and a better life. What facilitates exploitation is limited access to social services and protection for vulnerable members of society.
Victims of human trafficking are forced into prostitution or other types of involuntary servitude, and in some countries even forced to become child soldiers.
Studies show that "Human trafficking is the third most profitable criminal activity, following only drug and arms trafficking. An estimated $9.5 billion is generated in annual revenue from all trafficking activities, with at least $4 billion attributed to the worldwide brothel industry."
Each year, "an estimated 600,000 to 800,000 men, women, and children are trafficked across international borders ... and the trade is growing." Seventy per cent of the victims of human trafficking are female and 50 per cent are children, with the majority of these victims being forced into the commercial sex trade.
"No country in the world is immune from human trafficking." But what we can do is make life very difficult for those who choose to exploit others, and what we must do is provide shelter and protection for those who are victims.
Firm stand
Our government in the UAE has taken a firm stand against human trafficking, passing a federal Law on combating human trafficking which guarantees stiff penalties against traffickers, ranging from one year to life in prison, and fines of Dh20,000 to Dh1 million.
In addition, a new centre which will be operated by the Red Crescent will be set up in Abu Dhabi to serve victims of human trafficking and exploitation. The centre will provide a safe haven for the victims, and will also provide counselling, medical care and social support.
A federal law was also passed in 2006 to establish a National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking which represented the first law of its kind in the Arab world to address the practice of human trafficking.
This is in addition to a special charitable body which was established in 2007 by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to care for women and children who suffered any form of inhumane practices in Dubai.
We first must acknowledge that human trafficking is a symptom; it is a symptom of a deeper problem, or a greater disease, a disease which is manifested in poverty, the lack of access to education and immorality. If we are to free human societies from the plague of modern-day slavery, we must acknowledge the root causes of this sickness.
The minute you turn your back on the plague of human trafficking, it becomes a chronic disease that threatens us all; you allow people out there who have forsaken their own humanity to infringe on the rights and dignity of each of us. As nations, as societies and as individuals, we should take a stand and make a sustainable commitment to protect human dignity - no matter what.
Najla Al Awadhi is a member of the Federal National Council, Deputy CEO Dubai Media Incorporated and General Manager of Dubai One TV.
