For many years the UAE Government has been instrumental in protecting the interests of its citizens and those who reside in the country.
Principal among its concerns has been those incidents which involve human trafficking and rights abuses. It has not needed international agreements, whether under UN auspices or not, for the UAE to act - the teachings of the Quran more than adequately provide guidance on what should be done to protect those in need.
Guided under the wisdom of the Holy Book, the UAE has done much to provide succour to its own people, as well as nationals of other countries both near and far.
The latest in a long line of actions taken by the UAE Government is to provide shelter for women and child victims of human trafficking.
Uniquely, these shelters, or more precisely care centres, will provide safe havens for women and children where they will receive healthcare and social support.
To ensure a measure of independence the centres will be registered as corporate bodies, having financial and administrative independence, yet operate under the auspices of the Red Crescent Authority (RCA).
In creating this measure of independence, it will ensure that the care centres are not hampered by unnecessary administrative delays that can often stultify decisions and actions.
The decision to proceed in this manner was taken by Shaikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the RCA, and represents a pioneering development in social services across a broad spectrum of requirements.
While the UAE is relatively free of victims of human trafficking, it is true that some persons eventually find their way into the country, and are in desperate need of assistance in one form or another. It would therefore be uncharitable to ignore these people at such times.
