Qatar calls for collective actionto combat human trafficking
Vienna
The State of Qatar has emphasized that combating cross-border human trafficking requires a collective response based on partnership and coordination, with a well-distributed division of roles and responsibilities to ensure tangible and sustainable results on the ground.
This came in a statement delivered by Qatar's Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations and international organizations in Vienna, HE Jassim Yacoub Al Hammadi, during the high-level Gulf event held on the sidelines of the 34th session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in Vienna, titled 'Enhancing cooperation between source and destination countries in preventing human trafficking'.
In his remarks, he said that human trafficking is a crime that violates human dignity and exacerbates developmental, economic, and social challenges. 'This is not just a national issue but a global one, with severe consequences, particularly in less-developed countries or those suffering from humanitarian crises, describing it as a gross violation of human rights as enshrined in religious teachings and international conventions.'
He added that from this perspective, Qatar has made combating this crime a national priority, in line with its National Vision 2030, which emphasizes social justice and the protection of all individuals from all forms of exploitation.
The envoy explained that Qatar has translated this commitment into institutional and legislative actions, most notably the establishment of the National Committee For Counter Trafficking. This committee serves as the national coordinator for monitoring and preventing human trafficking in collaboration with relevant state authorities. It is also responsible for implementing a comprehensive national strategy, based on four main pillars: prevention, protection, prosecution, and international partnership. He noted that the committee recently launched its National Plan (2024–2026), which aims to unify national efforts across government institutions and civil society organizations to combat all forms and types of human trafficking. This initiative is rooted in Qatar's commitment to Islamic law, the constitution, and laws that prohibit any form of degradation of human dignity and emphasize respect for human rights.
Al Hamadi also highlighted the committee's dedication to developing an effective system for protecting victims, including identifying and providing necessary support, establishing specialized shelters, training relevant personnel, and launching multilingual awareness campaigns targeting at-risk groups.
He continued that believing that the fight against human trafficking can only succeed through cooperation between both source and destination countries, Qatar has placed special emphasis on building partnerships based on mutual respect, knowledge exchange, and the enhancement of best practices - particularly in cooperation with United Nations agencies and relevant entities.
He reaffirmed that addressing this crime is inseparable from the sustainable development agenda, particularly Goal 8.7, which calls for the eradication of forced labor, human trafficking, and child labor in all its forms. He stressed that there can be no sustainable development without the protection of human rights, and no justice without safeguarding the most vulnerable from exploitation.
He renewed Qatar's commitment to continue working with international partners to develop an effective collaborative approach that contributes to promoting justice, protecting human dignity, and building a safer, fairer world.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Jazeera
3 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
Amnesty slams Israel for ‘deliberately starving' Palestinians in Gaza
The human rights group Amnesty International has accused Israel of enacting a 'deliberate policy' of starvation in Gaza as the United Nations and aid groups warn of famine in the Palestinian enclave. In a report quoting displaced Palestinians and medical staff who have treated malnourished children, Amnesty said: 'Israel is carrying out a deliberate campaign of starvation in the occupied Gaza Strip.' The group accused Israel of 'systematically destroying the health, wellbeing and social fabric of Palestinian life'. 'It is the intended outcome of plans and policies that Israel has designed and implemented, over the past 22 months, to deliberately inflict on Palestinians in Gaza conditions of life calculated to bring about their physical destruction – which is part and parcel of Israel's ongoing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza,' Amnesty said. Israel has killed nearly 62,000 Palestinians and turned Gaza into rubble since it launched its military offensive on October 7, 2023. Campaigners and rights organisations have called it a war of vengeance and identified Israeli actions as a genocide. The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes . The report is based on interviews conducted in recent weeks with 19 displaced Palestinians in Gaza sheltering in three makeshift camps as well as two medical staff members in two hospitals in Gaza City. 'I fear miscarriage, but I also think about my baby. I panic just thinking about the potential impact of my own hunger on the baby's health, its weight, whether it will have [birth defects] and, even if the baby is born healthy, what life awaits it, amid displacement, bombs, tents,' Hadeel, 28, a mother of two who is four months pregnant, was quoted as saying in the report. A 75-year-old woman told Amnesty International that she wishes to die. 'I feel like I have become a burden on my family. … I always feel like these young children, they are the ones who deserve to live, my grandchildren. I feel like I'm a burden on them, on my son,' Aziza said. Erika Guevara Rosas, senior director for research, advocacy, policy and campaigns at Amnesty International, said in a statement: 'As Israeli authorities threaten to launch a full-scale ground invasion of Gaza City, the testimonies we have collected are far more than accounts of suffering, they are a searing indictment of an international system that has granted Israel a license to torment Palestinians with near-total impunity for decades.' Nearly one million Palestinians in Gaza City, many of whom have been displaced multiple times in the past two years, face forced displacement as Israel has intensified its attacks on the enclave's main urban centre. Call for truce Rosas called for 'an immediate, unconditional lifting of the blockade and a sustained ceasefire' for reversing 'the devastating consequences of Israel's inhumane policies and actions' in Gaza. Rosas concluded: 'The impact of Israel's blockade and its ongoing genocide on civilians, particularly on children, people with disabilities, those with chronic illnesses, older people and pregnant and breastfeeding women is catastrophic and cannot be undone by simply increasing the number of aid trucks or restoring performative, ineffective and dangerous airdrops of aid.' The Israeli military and Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not make statements about Amnesty's findings at the time of publication. Israel, while heavily restricting aid allowed into the Gaza Strip, has repeatedly rejected claims of deliberate starvation. More than 250 Palestinians, including 110 children, have died of malnutrition during the war due to the Israeli blockade. The enclave – home to 2.1 million people – had already been under an Israeli land, air and sea blockade since 2007, but since the war began, Israel has tightened it, at times stopping all aid from entering and now allows only a trickle of supplies into the Strip. In a report issued last week, the Israeli military body overseeing civil affairs in Palestinian territory rejected claims of widespread malnutrition in Gaza despite widespread condemnation from the UN and the international community in general. 'Famine unfolding before our eyes' Britain, Canada, Australia, Japan and several of their European allies have called on Israel to allow unrestricted aid into Gaza, stressing that the humanitarian crisis has reached 'unimaginable levels'. 'Famine is unfolding before our eyes. Urgent action is needed now to halt and reverse starvation,' the foreign ministers of about two dozen countries and the European Union's top diplomat said in a joint statement last week. In April, Amnesty accused Israel of committing a 'livestreamed genocide' against Palestinians by forcibly displacing Palestinians in Gaza and creating a humanitarian catastrophe in the besieged territory, claims that Israel dismissed at the time as 'blatant lies'.
Al Jazeera
21 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
Kuwait arrests 67 over illegal alcohol production after 23 deaths
Kuwaiti authorities have arrested 67 people accused of producing and distributing locally made alcoholic drinks that killed 23 people in recent days, including a Bangladeshi national said to head the criminal network, the Interior Ministry has said. In a statement on X late on Saturday, the ministry said it seized six factories and another four that were not yet operational in residential and industrial areas. A Nepali member of the criminal group told authorities how the methanol was prepared and sold. Kuwait, a Muslim nation, bans the import or domestic production of alcoholic beverages, but some are manufactured illegally in secret locations that lack oversight or safety standards, exposing consumers to the risk of poisoning. The arrests come after the Ministry of Health said on Thursday that cases of methanol poisoning linked to the tainted drinks had reached 160, with 23 deaths, mostly among Asian nationals. At least 51 people required urgent kidney dialysis while 31 needed mechanical ventilation, the ministry said. The Embassy of India in Kuwait, which has the largest expatriate community in the country, said around 40 Indian nationals in Kuwait were hospitalised in the last few days, without specifying the cause. 'There have been some fatalities, some are in a critical condition while others are recovering,' it said in a statement on X. Methanol, a toxic colourless alcohol used in industrial and household products, is hard to detect. Symptoms of poisoning are typically delayed and include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, hyperventilation and breathing problems. It is reported that thousands of people suffer from methanol poisoning every year, especially in Asia. If not treated, fatality rates are often reported to be 20 percent to 40 percent, according to the medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF).
Al Jazeera
a day ago
- Al Jazeera
Israel intensifies Gaza City attacks, forcing starving Palestinians to flee
Israel's military has stepped up attacks on Gaza City as part of its expanded operations aimed at seizing the last major population centre in the enclave, forcing tens of thousands of starving Palestinians to flee again. The Gaza City neighbourhoods of Zeitoun, Sabra, Remal and Tuffah have particularly borne the brunt of the Israeli bombardments in recent days as a spokesperson for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said Israel's plans to forcibly displace Palestinians to southern Gaza would increase their suffering. Thousands of families have fled Zeitoun, where days of continuous strikes have left the neighbourhood devastated. At least seven people were killed on Sunday when an Israeli air strike hit al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City. Also on Sunday, the Israeli military said tents and equipment to erect shelters will be provided to the Palestinians who have been displaced multiple times in 22 months of war, which has been called an act of genocide by multiple rights organisations. Al Jazeera's Hind Khoudary, reporting from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, said artillery fire and air raids have forced many from their homes. 'The Zeitoun neighbourhood is a very densely populated area, home to many families, including those who have been sheltering there. Residents were surprised when the artillery shelling and the intensive air raids started. Some people stayed. Others started moving. As the violence escalated, many were forced to evacuate – hungry, devastated and displaced yet again, leaving behind everything they had,' Khoudary said. 'New wave of genocide' Israel last week announced plans to push deeper into Gaza City and remove its residents to the south, a move that has drawn international condemnation. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes, said civilians would be moved to 'safe zones' even though these areas have also been repeatedly bombed. Nearly 90 percent of the 2.4 million Palestinians in Gaza remain displaced, and an overwhelming number of them are now facing starvation. At least seven more Palestinians died of starvation in Gaza in 24 hours, Gaza's Ministry of Health said on Sunday, raising the war's hunger-related death toll to 258, including 110 children, as a result of Israel's ongoing siege of the enclave. On Sunday, Israel killed nearly 40 Palestinians, half of them aid seekers, taking the total number of Palestinians killed since the war began in October 2023 to 61,827. Hamas denounced Israel's plan to set up tents in the south as a cover for mass displacement. The group said in a statement that the measure amounted to a 'new wave of genocide and displacement' and described it as a 'blatant deception intended to cover up a brutal crime that the occupation forces prepare to execute'. There was an atmosphere of despair in Gaza after Israel's latest forced displacement order, Maram Humaid, Al Jazeera's online correspondent from Gaza, posted on X. 'There are no words to describe how people in Gaza feel right now. Fear, helplessness, and pain fill everyone as they face a new wave of displacement and an Israeli ground operation,' she posted. 'Family and friends' WhatsApp groups are full of silent screams and sorrow. God knows people have suffered enough. Our minds are almost paralysed from thinking.' Displaced and desperate Palestinians are scrambling for scraps of food as they face more bombardment from Israeli forces. The UN says one in five children in Gaza is malnourished as tens of thousands rely on charity kitchens, whose small portions of food can be their only meal of the day. 'I came at 6am to the charity kitchen to get food for my children, and if I don't get any now, I have to come back in the evening for another chance,' said Zeinab Nabahan, displaced from the Jabalia refugee camp, told Al Jazeera. 'My children are starving on small amounts of lentils or rice. My children haven't had bread or any breakfast. They've been waiting for me to leave with whatever I can get from the charity kitchen.' Another resident, Tayseer Naim, told Al Jazeera that 'had it not been for God and charity kitchens', he would not have survived. 'We come here at 8am and suffer to get lentils or rice. We suffer a lot, and we leave at midday and walk for about a kilometre.' 'Man-made famine' On Sunday, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) warned that Gaza is facing a 'man-made famine' and urged a return to a UN-led distribution system. 'We are very, very close to losing our collective humanity,' Juliette Touma, the agency's communications director, said in a post on X. She said the crisis had been fuelled by 'deliberate attempts to replace the UN-coordinated humanitarian system through the politically motivated 'GHF'.' She warned the alternative system promoted by Israel and the United States 'brings dehumanisation, chaos, and death' and stressed: 'We must return to a unified, UN-led coordination and distribution system based on international humanitarian law. The abomination must end.' The Government Media Office in Gaza said Israel was deliberately starving Palestinians by blocking essential goods, including baby formula, nutritional supplements, meat, fish, dairy products, and frozen fruits and vegetables. In a statement on Telegram, it said Israel was carrying out 'a systematic policy of engineered starvation and slow killing against more than 2.4 million people in Gaza, including more than 1.2 million Palestinian children, in a complete crime of genocide'. It warned that more than 40,000 infants face severe malnutrition while at least 100,000 other children and patients are in a similar condition. Amjad Shawa, director of the Palestinian NGOs Network in Gaza City, told Al Jazeera that aid workers were struggling to respond as resources collapse. 'We are trying to do our best. We are … part of this social fabric. We are linked to the people here, and we are staying with them while Israel threatens to apply its plans to forcibly evacuate Gaza City and destroy the rest of Gaza. There are 1.1 million people here, most of them elderly, women, children and people with disabilities,' Shawa said. He said workers continued to provide limited meals, medical care and education but warned that 'the humanitarian system is collapsing' as Israel strikes aid facilities and restricts supplies.
