Given the importance of collaborative actions and joint efforts to raise awareness on the plight of millions of people in the country and around the world who are victims of human trafficking, and to direct public opinion to combat and abolish this contemporary form of slavery, Ooredoo Telecom Kuwait, in association with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the UN migration agency in Kuwait, launched an awareness campaign calling for a world free of human trafficking.
The campaign came as a continuation of the success achieved by Ooredoo and IOM in their previous collaborations that shed light on several social phenomena such as protecting human rights, freedom, safety and dignity. As part of the campaign, Ooredoo Kuwait has sent text messages to its customers and published awareness posts on its social media pages to develop a national consensus on the concept of human trafficking and what unlawful practices are included within the concept of slavery. The campaign also came in celebration of the ‘World Day Against Trafficking in Persons’, which falls each year on 30 July.
Human Trafficking is the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of people through force, fraud or deception, with the aim of exploiting them for money. The phenomenon of human trafficking is the third largest crime industry in the world, it is a serious crime and a grave violation of human rights. It is a global phenomenon that calls for concerted action from businesses, individuals and governments to intensify their efforts to address and combat such practices, which are considered as a crime against humanity that promotes concepts of slavery and gender inequality.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Executive Officer of Ooredoo Kuwait, Abdulaziz Yaqoub Al-Babtain, said: “Victims of human trafficking, including women and children are countless. For instance, child labor is a form of human trafficking, even if parents provide their consent for such labor, and there is no violence, threat of coercion involved, the child remains a victim of trafficking. As long as the phenomenon of human trafficking exists, our continuous efforts to fight it and raise awareness among the community about it, will remain a top priority for us at Ooredoo.”
“The text messages that were sent to customers included advice and instructions that ensure and promote educational and societal roles in preventing trafficking, increasing customer awareness, and enlightening customers on various aspects of human trafficking, as well as on how the phenomenon adversely serves the country’s interests and that of its people.”
For his part IOM Kuwait Chief, Mazen AboulHosn, said: “At IOM we adopt a victim-centered methodology that provides assistance to potential victims of trafficking. Today, through our continuous collaboration with Ooredoo, we work hand in hand to shed light on various practices that negatively affect the national health and safety.”