Women, Child Sex Abuse Rife: Report ‘Human Trafficking On Rise’

According to the latest report released by the Committee of Experts on the application of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights at the International Labor Organization (ILO), several expatriate women, who arrived in Kuwait to look for decent jobs, have been forced into hard labor and prostitution. The report said Kuwait has also become a destination for children trafficked from Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Pakistan and other Asian countries for sexual exploitation.

Meanwhile, Human Rights Association Chairperson Ali Al-Baghli said if the report is true, it will be another black mark in Kuwait’s human rights records. He asserted the report is unacceptable and it shocked every single person in Kuwait. They are now asking how such things could happen in this country, he added.

Al-Baghli blamed the ministries of Interior, Social Affairs and Labor for the spread of negative phenomena in the country. He claimed the Interior Ministry has neglected a number of issues, including the trafficking in of women and children; thereby, encouraging the traffickers to continue their activities. He called on the interior minister and his undersecretary to look into the report of the committee to uncover the truth.

On the other hand, Labor Relations Administration Monitor at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor Hadi Al-Enezi pointed out the report talks about an organized crime that does not exist in Kuwait. He went on to say that if such incidents happened in the country those were isolated cases and not as prevalent as what has been implied in the report.

Al-Enezi believes the report may have been based on the exaggerated news published on blogs and front pages of daily newspapers to get the attention of readers. He explained some unscrupulous individuals may have kidnapped housemaids, who escaped from their sponsors, and forced them into prostitution, reiterating that these are just isolated cases.

He also stressed the need to laud the efforts exerted by the Interior Ministry in controlling the phenomenon and arresting a number of people involved in various crimes, including the trafficking-in of women and children.

(2012-07-31/arabtimesonline)