Minister of Justice and Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Dr. Fahad Al-Afasy said Saturday the US-based 2019 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report has upgraded Kuwait from Tier 2 Watch List to Tier 2 in anti-human trafficking efforts.
Justice ministry’s continued efforts and cooperation with other state bodies led the country to acquire a trustworthy international status in anti-human trafficking field, Al-Afasy, also head of the national committee to prevent trafficking in persons, told KUNA.
The US report showed that the Kuwaiti government demonstrated overall increasing efforts in anti-human trafficking compared to the previous reporting period, in addition to its increasing efforts to offer protective services to potential trafficking victims, he said. It also showed the government demonstrated overall increasing efforts by deploying its specialized trafficking unit to initiate more criminal investigations of potential trafficking crimes and more prosecutions under the anti-trafficking law, added Al-Afasy.
The US government considers the TIP report as one of the policies and decisions making tools on the international level, the minister noted, adding it shows advancement levels in countries that carried out intensified procedures to combat trafficking in persons. Meanwhile, Al-Afasy mentioned that the Justice ministry, through a specialized committee for drafting Law (91/2013) on combating trafficking in persons and immigrants, and providing protection to victims of such crimes, has authorized the Public Prosecution to refer those victims to health and social care centers and provide them with all services they need. The ministry has also contributed to the legislative drafting of Law (68/2015) on information technology (IT) and cybercrimes, he noted, adding the law firmly punishes individuals who launch websites and publishes information using the Internet or any other IT source for the purpose of trafficking in persons or facilitating business with them.
Furthermore, the ministry has also drafted the national strategies to combat trafficking in persons, Al-Afasy mentioned, noting the Cabinet has commissioned the minister of justice to form a committee, under his presidency, that include in its membership various bodies tasked with making a national strategy to prevent trafficking in persons and immigrants.
The ministry has prepared this strategy, which included three main axes; prevention, protection, and international cooperation, and referred it to the Cabinet, the minister said, adding the Cabinet has officially approved the strategy and commissioned the justice ministry in coordination with the foreign ministry to implement it in cooperation with other bodies in the country. Thus, the justice minister’s decision (1902/2018) was issued to establish the permanent national committee to implement the strategy under his presidency and membership of several national bodies in Kuwait, noted Al-Afasy. He commended the great efforts made by the permanent committee’s members in boosting the national strategy to combat trafficking in humans and making it successful.
Read Today's News TODAY... on our Telegram Channel click here to join and receive all the latest updates t.me/thetimeskuwait
