HRSD Highlights Its Anti-Trafficking in Persons Efforts to Mark World Day Against Trafficking in Persons

Riyadh, July 30, 2023, SPA -- The government of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz and HRH Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman strives to protect human rights and dignity, and to that end, it has issued the anti-trafficking in persons law and the national strategy in support of this law. The strategy is carried out in cooperation with several governmental entities.
The Kingdom also created a national committee to combat trafficking in persons and issued several regulations in this regard.
At regional level, the Kingdom signed the Arab Protocol to Prevent and Combat Trafficking in Human Beings, Especially Women and Children, alongside the Arab Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime.
At international level, the Kingdom maintained the second place in the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Index, according to the US State Department report, which reflects the Kingdom's relentless work in support of human rights.
The Kingdom also ratified the Palermo Protocol of 2007 to prevent, suppress and punish trafficking in persons, especially women and children, and the supplementary protocol to the forced labor convention of 2014, which is one of the International Labor Organization protocols.
The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (HRSD), greatly involved in the labor market and playing a developmental role, has executed and activated the national plan for anti-trafficking in persons, which is built on four pillars: prevention, protection and assistance, prosecution, and national, regional and international cooperation.
HRSD also increased, in the first quarter of 2023, its efforts to raise awareness about the seriousness of human trafficking by launching multiple campaigns informing of workers’ rights as well as of the rights of domestic workers. The HRSD monitoring task force conducted over 1,500 inspections in the first quarter of 2023, as part of the anti-trafficking in persons campaign.
HRSD anti-trafficking in persons department has received 539 reports about: labor disputes, abuse, including sexual abuse, forced labor and violation of labor laws. These reports were treated with confidentiality by the concerned authorities, which treated 49 of these complaints as cases of suspected trafficking in persons.
The ministry, in collaboration with the Saudi Chambers of Commerce, held 16 training workshops for 565 employees from call centers, field monitors, employers, employees and individuals working in worker shelters on trafficking in persons indexes, legal aspects, means of protection, and dealing with reports about trafficking in persons, and directed them to the concerned authorities.
To activate the role of non-profit organizations, HRSD approved the creation of the first specialized anti-trafficking in persons association, and held several workshops to raise awareness about the issue and support the victims.
The ministry launched many programs and initiatives to combat trafficking in persons, including the contractual relationship improvement initiative, wage protection program, contract documentation, electronic friendly settlement service and the Musaned platform. It also initiated the labor attache program in countries that send laborers to Saudi Arabia, to raise workers' awareness of Saudi laws and recruitment policies.
The ministry has made many channels of communication available to target groups, like social media or the ministry’s app, enabling people to contact and file complaints, and calls upon any individual who suspects there is a case of trafficking in persons to file a report, through the official communication channels, for it to take the necessary action.
--SPA