Doha, October 12 (QNA) - The Ministry of Labor, represented by the National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking, in cooperation with Hamad International Airport (HIA) and the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC), launched a campaign inside the airport building to raise awareness of human trafficking issues and announced the hotline dedicated to reporting abuses and violations regarding these issues.
The announcement of this awareness campaign came as part of the efforts undertaken by the Ministry of Labor in terms of raising levels of societal awareness of combating human trafficking and its impact on society, based on the state's commitment to human rights and within the framework of Qatar National Vision 2030.
The Ministry launched, since the beginning of 2022, a hotline to receive complaints about abuses related to cases and crimes of human trafficking by calling the number 16044, and the e-mail: Ht@mol.gov.qa.
Assistant Undersecretary for Labor Affairs and Secretary of the National Committee for Combating Human Trafficking, Mohammed Hassan Al Obaidli stressed on this occasion that this campaign comes within the framework of the State of Qatar's keenness to combat human trafficking crimes, raise awareness and publicize the role of the committee, and work to prevent cases of human trafficking crimes during the State of Qatar's hosting of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, and after the end of this global sporting event, in cooperation with the management of Hamad International Airport and the National Human Rights Committee.
HE Secretary-General of NHRC, Sultan bin Hassan Al Jamali, stressed the importance of the campaign to combat human trafficking and its role in the process of spreading and raising societal awareness and preventive work to avoid cases of human trafficking crimes, especially since the State of Qatar will host in less than two months millions of official delegations and fans and those wishing to participate in the World Cup in Qatar as a global sporting event hosted by the State of Qatar for the first time in the region.
His Excellency stressed that NHRC remains supportive of the efforts of the state, represented by the concerned authorities, aimed at promoting a human rights-based approach to combating trafficking in persons.
He referred to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) recommended guidelines on Human Rights and Human Trafficking, which aim to help those involved in anti-trafficking efforts to fully integrate human rights into their analysis and response to trafficking.
He noted the meetings held by NHRC with international organizations and offices concerned with combating human trafficking and reviewed common issues and the need to activate cooperation mechanisms and exchange experiences and expertise in human rights fields in general and combating human trafficking in particular.
He pointed out that the State of Qatar combats human trafficking crimes in all its forms, and addresses this phenomenon regionally and globally, through basic pillars that include legal frameworks, prevention and prohibition, prosecution, punishment, protection of victims, and strengthening international cooperation, pointing out that several concerned authorities in the country provide care and rehabilitation for victims of human trafficking.
Al Jamali pointed to the role of the National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking in protecting migrant workers from violations of these crimes, stressing that such campaigns contribute significantly to the systematic awareness-raising process, the application of official procedures, and their routine dissemination on a large scale, to proactively identify victims of all forms of human trafficking.
For his part, the Vice President of Security of HIA, Saeed Yousef Al Sulaiti, said that the safety and security of passengers is one of the airport's priorities. He added that HIA cooperates with the Ministry of Labor and the National Human Rights Committee in spreading awareness of combating human trafficking. He pointed out that HIA's role - as a global travel center - necessitates spreading and raising awareness among travelers to prevent human trafficking cases. (QNA)