The International Organization for Migration (IOM) – UN Migration agency in Kuwait concluded a five-day training on ‘Combatting Human Trafficking,’ in cooperation with the Kuwaiti Ministry of Interior (MoI), and in the presence of Brigadier General, Meshaal Anwar Al-Foudari, Director of the Coordination and Follow-up Department, Ministry of Interior.
The training, which took place on 12th-16th of February, aimed to strengthen the capacity of frontline police officers in their response to human trafficking, and was organized through the MoI Training Department, that brought together 24 participants from various departments.
“Prevention of trafficking, protection and assistance to victims of trafficking, and prosecution of perpetrators in the context of international migration is central to the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM), which was adopted by the State of Kuwait in 2018” said Mazen AboulHosn, the IOM Kuwait Chief of Mission during his opening remarks. “IOM takes pride in its long-standing partnership with the Kuwaiti Ministry of Interior, as this marks the 18th training conducted within the framework of combatting Trafficking in Persons (TiP) in collaboration with the Ministry.”
Among some of the topics covered during the training were ‘Indicators for the Identification of human trafficking cases’, ‘Kuwait’s Trafficking Law No. 91 of 2013’, the ‘National Anti-Human Trafficking Act’, ‘International conventions related to human trafficking and slavery’, the ‘role of information technology investigating cases of human trafficking’ and ‘strategies for interviewing victims and suspects’.
Counter trafficking is aligned with SDG 8.7, which focuses on taking immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking. This topic is also among many objectives of the IOM Gulf strategy that was launched in 2022 and aims to provide support to on several topics of migration governance including migrant protection, labor migration and migration and development.
The training works towards enhancing the pillar of Kuwait’s global status within the framework of the Kuwait National Development Plan (KNDP) 2035, especially with regard to indicators to combat trafficking in persons.
