VZCZCXRO4222
PP RUEHDE RUEHDIR
DE RUEHAD #0379/01 0851517
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 251517Z MAR 08 ZDK
FM AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0617
INFO RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 0237
RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO 0154
RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA 0316
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 1656
RUEHJA/AMEMBASSY JAKARTA 0110
RUEHKT/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU 0048
RUEHKH/AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM 0040
RUEHML/AMEMBASSY MANILA 0678
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 0439
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 1380
RUEHNK/AMEMBASSY NOUAKCHOTT 0060
RHMFIUU/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON DC
RUEHUNV/USMISSION UNVIE VIENNA 0052
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHINGTON DC
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0168
RHMFIUU/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 09 ABU DHABI 000379 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/ARP AND G/TIP/GAYATRI PATEL 
ALSO FOR G, INL, DRL, PRM, L/DL, AND NEA/RA 
 
 
   //////ZFR////     ZFR     ZFR    ZFR      ZFR 
 
   **********DISREGARD ABU DHABI  379  ******* 
 
  ///////ZFR     ZFR    ZFR //////// 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PHUM PREF KCRM KWMN ASEC ELAB SMIG AE
SUBJECT: TIP REPORT FOR UAE MARCH 2008 
 
 
ABU DHABI 00000379  001.2 OF 009 
 
 
 
/////  ZFR  ///ZFR////     ZFR/////    ZFR 
 
/////  ZFR  ///ZFR///      ZFR////     ZFR 
 
 
 
 
ABU DHABI 00000379  002 OF 009 
 
 
domestic workers 200,000 (according to various source 
country embassies), the actual number of trafficking 
victims among them is unknown.  Construction workers, 
particularly from India and Pakistan, often arrive in a 
state of debt bondage having voluntarily paid as much as 
USD 2,700 (10,000 dirham) to an agent in the source country 
to arrange an employment contract.  These workers might 
receive a salary of between USD 135 to USD 200 (500 to 750 
dirham) per month, while interest continues to accrue on 
their debt.  Trapped in these conditions for 2 to 3 years 
(on average), bonded labor victims could easily number in 
the tens of thousands according to a prominent U.S. NGO. 
Like construction labor, domestic workers generally came to 
the UAE voluntarily, but often had their passports withheld 
upon entry, or came with the understanding that they would 
work in a more-skilled profession instead of the one 
available to them upon arrival.  There were reports that 
women -- primarily from Sri Lanka and the Philippines -- 
were lured to the UAE to work as domestic workers but were 
later sent to work in other countries, including Oman. 
Women trafficked to work in the commercial sex industry 
came from a myriad of countries spanning from Eastern 
Europe to Africa to East Asia.  There is no reliable data 
on the number of women involved in the sex industry; rough 
estimates go as high as 10,000.  Similarly, there is no 
reliable information as to how many of those involved were 
trafficking victims. 
 
-- 27B.  The UAEG has made qualitative strides in its 
anti-TIP efforts in 2007, expanding awareness of the 
problem and working actively to combat it.  Nonetheless, 
the complex phenomenon persists in an international 
environment in which economic incentive continues to draw 
vulnerable workers into opportunities abroad. 
 
The UAE economy is heavily dependent on foreign labor. 
Over 80 percent of the total UAE population, and roughly 98 
percent of the private sector workforce, is expatriate. 
The majority of unskilled workers are from poor source 
countries and came to the UAE for economic opportunity. 
Some became trafficking victims after their arrival in the 
UAE.  Female victims, for example, from South and Southeast 
Asia (particularly India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Indonesia, 
and the Philippines), may have been brought as domestic 
laborers and later trafficked into other work; men from 
India, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan who came to the UAE to work 
as laborers, primarily in the construction sector (but also 
in agriculture), may face similar challenges.  Labor 
conditions in the UAE can be harsh for unskilled workers in 
any circumstance, but more particularly when enduring 
excessive work hours, nonpayment of wages, verbal, mental, 
physical, or sexual abuse, or restriction of movement.  One 
cannot know how many incidents of such treatment occur, 
although all are reported anecdotally from time to time. 
Trafficking victims most often arrive in the country 
voluntarily, having entered into employment contracts in 
their home country with an agent who is usually of the same 
nationality as the victim.  (Regarding freedom of movement, 
many employers hold the passports of their workers, in 
spite of the practice having been outlawed in 2003.  The 
UAEG organized public relations campaigns to inform both 
workers and employers that the practice is illegal.  There 
were numerous instances, widely reported by the media, in 
which UAE courts and embassies or consulates successfully 
intervened to compel an employer to return a passport to an 
employee.  Nonetheless, the practice remains widespread.) 
 
Transient workers are also susceptible to contract 
switching.  Domestic workers were sometimes made employment 
offers to work as a secretary or in another office job and 
 
ABU DHABI 00000379  003 OF 009 
 
 
travel to the UAE on a visit visa with the promise that the 
contract would be signed in the UAE, but upon arrival the 
worker was informed that he/she would be working as a 
domestic worker or in the hotel or restaurant sector. 
There were further reports from source country embassies 
that some domestic workers who ran away from abusive 
employers and sought assistance from the recruitment 
agencies that brought them to the UAE were coerced into 
transferring their contracts and were sent to work in other 
countries (e.g. Oman). 
 
Employees who sought assistance from their respective 
diplomatic missions were reportedly almost always able to 
resolve their complaints to the employees' satisfaction. 
Source country labor attaches report good relations with 
Ministry of Interior (MoI) and immigration officials, and 
state that although domestic workers are not covered under 
the labor law, MoI officials routinely offer similar 
dispute resolution processes and protections as the labor 
law provides, but on an informal basis.  In March 2007, the 
UAEG announced a standardized work contract for all 
domestic workers that took effect on April 1, 2007.  The 
new standard contract stipulates benefits but not wages, 
and formalizes a dispute resolution process through each 
emirate's Naturalization and Residency Department.  It is 
unclear whether the UAEG has enough labor inspectors to 
sufficiently monitor compliance, although the Ministries of 
Interior and Labor have expended considerable effort to 
prevent and resolve these problems.  MoI took action 
against hundreds of employers who abused or failed to pay 
their domestic employees.  According to current 
regulations, MoI officials can ban an employer from further 
sponsorship of domestic employees after receiving four 
reports of abuse. 
 
Police officials, particularly in Dubai, assisted 
trafficking victims once they identified themselves as 
such.  However, victims were often reluctant to approach 
police due to their illegal status and the risk of losing 
their jobs and being arrested and deported.  Source country 
officials have stated that the Ministries of Labor and 
Interior, and the Immigration Departments of both Abu Dhabi 
and Dubai, significantly increased their efforts at 
addressing the labor complaints of domestic workers. 
Additionally, the numbers of UAE officials trained to 
recognize signs of coercion and potential trafficking 
increased. 
 
Construction workers, the largest single work force in the 
UAE, often worked under the harshest conditions.  The media 
regularly reported on strikes by construction workers 
protesting adverse working conditions and unpaid salaries. 
There were several strikes involving more than 1,000 
workers; the striking workers claimed they had not been 
paid for periods up to six months.  (Unpaid construction 
workers in the UAE often continue working without pay, 
fearing that if they protest they may have no chance to 
recover wages owed to them.  With their room and board 
provided by their employer, the amount of time that they 
are willing/able to keep working without pay is much longer 
than would be the case in a typical work situation, where 
the salary would be needed to cover the expenses of daily 
life.)  The Ministry of Labor resolved these disputes 
quickly when they became known.  Legally employed 
construction workers are covered by the existing UAE labor 
law, with a clear mediation procedure.  The UAEG also 
offered an extensive amnesty program in 2007 for those in 
irregular status to legalize their visas or return to their 
home countries.  A reported 341,958 persons took advantage 
of the amnesty program. 
 
ABU DHABI 00000379  004 OF 009 
 
 
 
-- 27C.  Both federal ministries and local emirate 
departments are involved in anti-trafficking efforts.  On 
the federal level, the Ministries of Interior, Foreign 
Affairs, Justice, Health, and Labor are involved actively. 
On the local level, police and immigration departments, 
public prosecutors, and social services departments are 
also involved.  Police and other government officials have 
worked more closely with members of the media to increase 
public awareness. 
 
The 2006 anti-trafficking legislation created a new 
anti-trafficking committee, led by then Minister of State 
for Federal National Council Affairs (who was recently made 
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs but presumably 
retains the TIP portfolio).  That committee has been active 
since its April 2007 formation in drawing together involved 
agencies to coordinate UAEG efforts.  Article 12 of Federal 
Law #51 stipulates participation on the committee by the 
Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Interior, Justice, Labor, 
Social Affairs, and Health, along with State Security and 
the UAE Red Crescent Society.  Other participants can be 
added by Cabinet decision. 
 
-- 27D.  The UAE has both structural and cultural 
impediments to combating trafficking, but corruption does 
not seem to be a significant contributing problem.  Complex 
issues such as TIP tax the human resources of the UAEG, 
which lacks institutional depth due to the country's young 
age and small national population.  Training at all levels 
of the law enforcement community, for example, is time 
consuming when nuanced and complex offences like TIP are 
involved.  Additionally, a loose federal structure and 
requirement for consensus often prevent quick action on 
matters with any level of controversy, such as TIP.  For 
example, the federal Ministry of Interior oversees the 
Police General Directorates in each of the seven emirates; 
however, each emirate maintains its own police force and 
supervises the police stations in that emirate.  While all 
emirate police forces theoretically are branches of the 
MoI, in practice they operate with considerable autonomy, 
particularly in Dubai.  Civil courts are generally part of 
the federal system and accountable to the Federal Supreme 
Court, with the notable exceptions of Dubai, Abu Dhabi and 
Ras Al Khaimah emirates, which have independent 
judiciaries.  Reaching all government entities uniformly 
with cohesive and comprehensive training programs is 
challenging for the UAEG. 
 
Some cultural characteristics also hamper the Government's 
ability to address TIP.  For example, as a conservative 
Muslim country, public discussion of sex is culturally 
taboo, which makes it difficult to address sex 
trafficking.  Similarly, due to a cultural emphasis on 
privacy regarding matters of the home, people rarely 
discuss abuse of trafficked domestic servants publicly. 
Financial resources and technology are not generally 
limiting factors, although human resource constraints are 
apparent.  UAE immigration officials routinely track 
foreigners who try to enter the country illegally, for 
example, using iris recognition biometric technology (the 
database contains approximately four million iris scan 
results). 
 
By its nature, trafficking in persons involves persons and 
activities outside (as well as inside) the UAE and aspects 
of the phenomenon are not under UAE control.  The UAEG 
therefore frequently stresses the need to enhance 
international cooperation. 
 
 
ABU DHABI 00000379  005 OF 009 
 
 
-- 27E.  The National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking 
and its constituent government agencies systematically and 
regularly address UAEG anti-TIP efforts, coordinating 
government responses and training to enhance UAEG capacity 
and improve data collection.  Committee meetings get 
prominent local press coverage (in Arabic and English 
dailies).  The Committee actively pursues international 
cooperation and has prepared brochures in English to 
highlight UAEG efforts to address the TIP phenomenon.  The 
Committee has stated its desire to assemble reliable data 
on the extent of the problem, yet has to date not issued 
such quantitative data. 
 
The UAEG devoted significant energy, time and resources to 
sensitizing law enforcement, immigration, and judicial 
officials to the subject of trafficking in persons, as well 
as pursuing practical training to protect victims and 
prevent future trafficking incidents.  Abu Dhabi and Dubai 
police and the Ministries of Interior, Health, and Justice 
have all held anti-TIP training courses throughout the 
year.  One such training program in February 2008 involved 
three U.S. experts (from the Department of Justice, FBI, 
and ICE) sharing case studies with UAE judges and 
prosecutors.  The program, Principles of Investigating and 
Prosecuting Human Trafficking Crimes, successfully deepened 
the TIP expertise of judicial participants. 
 
The Dubai Naturalization and Residency Department regularly 
offered training for arrival and departure inspectors in 
identifying fraudulent documents, often used by trafficking 
victims.  The UAEG also supplied ports of entry and source 
country embassies and consulates with brochures in an 
attempt to warn off potential trafficking victims, as well 
as to inform victims where to receive assistance.  The UAEG 
senior leadership continues to ask the USG for training 
information and opportunities that would further their 
efforts to combat trafficking in persons, and help law 
enforcement officials, prosecutors and judges to better 
identify, investigate and prosecute trafficking in persons 
cases. 
 
Over the reporting period, senior leaders voiced their 
strong political will to combat trafficking in persons, 
notably through a USD 15 million donation by the Crown 
Prince of Abu Dhabi that enabled a UN.GIFT conference on 
anti-TIP efforts in Vienna in February 2008.  The UAEG's 
TIP committee actively coordinated multi-agency efforts. 
There was no evidence that corruption of public officials 
was a systemic problem.  There were no verifiable reports 
of government officials being linked to TIP activity during 
the reporting period. 
 
Paragraph 28 -- Investigation and Prosecution 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
-- 28A.  On November 9, 2006, the UAEG enacted a 
comprehensive anti-trafficking law intended to cover the 
entire range of trafficking issues.  The first case to be 
prosecuted under this law involved an Indian couple 
transiting from India to Paris, via Dubai, accompanied by 
two unrelated Indian boys who held forged passports.  On 
March 1, 2007, the Dubai Attorney General accepted the case 
for prosecution.  Prior to this law, Justice Ministry 
officials advised that traffickers were prosecuted under 
specific penal laws such as kidnapping, rape, sexual abuse 
and sexual exploitation. 
 
The 2006 law, Federal Law #51 on Combating Human 
Trafficking Crimes, defines Human Trafficking as 
"recruiting, transporting transferring, harboring, or 
 
ABU DHABI 00000379  006 OF 009 
 
 
receiving persons by means of threat or use of force, or 
other forms of coercion, abduction, fraud, deception, abuse 
of power or of position, taking advantage of the 
vulnerability of the person, or, the giving or receiving of 
payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person 
having control over another person for the purpose of 
exploitation.  Exploitation includes all forms of sexual 
exploitation, engaging others in prostitution, servitude, 
forced labor, enslavement, quasi-slavery practices, or 
detachment of organs."  The law penalizes transnational 
crimes. 
 
The UAE sees its anti-trafficking legislation as the first 
of its kind in the Arab world, defining trafficking as an 
element of organized crime and setting forth mechanisms to 
combat explicit servitude, sexual exploitation, forced 
labor and the involuntary trade in human organs. 
 
Complementing the intent of the new UAE law, Indian 
authorities began on September 1, 2007, to restrict Indian 
women under 30 years old who have not graduated high school 
from working in the UAE to protect them from exploitation. 
Also, employment contracts were required to be concluded 
directly between employer and employee, to the exclusion of 
recruiting agents, to decrease chances for exploitation. 
Contract review by labor attaches of the worker's embassy 
or consulate also proved effective.  Furthermore it was 
announced that pre-paid mobile phone cards must be provided 
to every female domestic worker to facilitate contact with 
authorities if necessary.  On January 24, 2008, the Dubai 
Police Criminal Investigation Department (CID) director 
stated that individuals who facilitate visas for women as 
housemaids and then provide those women to traffickers 
would be accused of accomplice to trafficking, regardless 
of intent. 
 
In May 2007, the UAEG ratified the United Nations 
Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime, which 
includes provisions for international cooperation in 
anti-human trafficking efforts.  On March 9, 2008, the UAE 
Cabinet signaled UAE ratification (likely requiring Federal 
Supreme Council approval) of the UN Protocol to Prevent, 
Suppress, and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially 
women and children. 
 
-- 28B.  Trafficking for prostitution carries a five-year 
minimum sentence.  A life sentence can be imposed if the 
victim is a female, a child, mentally impaired, or if the 
perpetrator is a spouse, parent, or guardian of the 
victim.  Life sentences can also be imposed if the 
perpetrator is a public servant or member of an organized 
criminal group; if the act was committed through the use or 
threat of force, violence, death, or physical or 
psychological torture; or if the crime was committed by an 
armed person. 
 
Less complex sexual exploitation cases are punishable by a 
maximum of one year with a fine or a minimum of two years 
if the victim is under the age of 18 or if the victim was 
coerced into prostitution.  If force, threat, or fraud was 
used, or if the victim is a minor, the maximum sentence is 
10 years.  Convicted expatriates are frequently deported 
once their sentence is complete. 
 
-- 28C.  Labor exploitation is a primary concern of the 
2006 anti-TIP law, which stipulates "not less than five 
years" penalty for human trafficking crimes (Article 2). 
Life imprisonment is imposed in certain circumstances (as 
noted in 28B above).  Persons aware of TIP crimes who fail 
to report them are penalized for "not less than one and not 
 
ABU DHABI 00000379  007 OF 009 
 
 
more than five years" and/or face a fine of "not less than 
5,000 dirham and not more than 20,000 dirham" (Article 3). 
Those prompting others to give false testimony face "not 
less than five years" (Article 4).  Corporate entities 
violating the law are to be "punished by a fine of not less 
than 100,000 dirham, and not more than one million dirham," 
in addition to a possible court order of "temporary 
dissolution, or total closure" of the company or one of its 
branches (Article 7). 
 
There are no laws that explicitly criminalize labor 
practices such as contract switching or seizing a laborer's 
passport.  However, anti-trafficking legislation is 
sufficiently broad to cover labor recruiters in source and 
destination countries.  The UAE Labor Law criminalizes use 
of fraudulent documents in labor recruitment.  The maximum 
penalty is six months and/or a maximum fine of USD 6,800 
(25,000 dirham).  In October 2007, the Ministry of Labor 
announced that laborers' salaries should be paid through an 
Electronic Wage Payment System; in an effort to eradicate 
non-payment of salaries, cash payments were not permitted 
after January 2008.  The UAEG uses such mechanisms 
(enabling them with regulation and technical support) to 
lessen the opportunity for exploitation.  Compliance is 
improving but not uniform.  The UAEG cracked down on 
companies violating rest break rules (which mandate rests 
for outside workers during the hottest parts of the day in 
summer months), actively inspecting conditions and pursuing 
violators. 
 
-- 28D.  Rape sentencing ranges from two years to capital 
punishment, with possible lashing as another penalty. 
Death is imposed for rape that leads to the victim's 
death.  Penalties for sex trafficking range from a minimum 
of five years to life. 
 
-- 28E.  Prostitution is criminalized by law.  The penalty 
for prostitution is temporary imprisonment and deportation 
if a foreign national.  Brothel operators or owners are 
imprisoned temporarily and face brothel closure.  Pimps and 
clients can be sentenced to a maximum of five years.  The 
law has been partially applied.  Local police raided and 
closed some parlors which were affiliated with 
prostitution.  For example, in December 2007, Dubai police 
raided 22 villas and flats and arrested 247 suspects (170 
sex workers, 12 pimps and 65 clients).  Business licenses 
have been permanently canceled in some cases. 
 
-- 28F.  Dubai Police registered 10 trafficking related 
cases between January and August 2007.  Five cases pertain 
to instigating prostitution, two to threatening children's 
lives, and three regard other trafficking issues.  At least 
five individuals were convicted of trafficking in 2007. 
More cases have been prosecuted since the 2007 data, as 
noted below. 
 
While not comprehensive, the following are individual 
reports of prosecutions pursued during the reporting 
period. 
 
In February and March 2007, two separate travel document 
fraud rings were uncovered.  The perpetrators were referred 
to trial. 
 
In July 2007, a Dubai court sentenced two individuals to 15 
years for forcing a woman into prostitution.  This was the 
first implementation of Federal Law # 51 of 2006.  Their 
sentence was reduced to seven years in September 2007 
following an appeal by the Public Prosecutor's Office for 
leniency.  Their driver was sentenced to three years for 
 
ABU DHABI 00000379  008 OF 009 
 
 
aiding and abetting.  As is common in such cases, the three 
will be deported following completion of their sentences. 
 
On September 12, 2007, the Dubai Court of First Instance 
sentenced two Indians to 15 years for sexually exploiting 
an Indonesian woman by forcing her into prostitution and 
selling her.  On September 23, 2007, two Bangladeshis were 
charged with attempted trafficking of two housemaids by 
forcing them into prostitution.  The perpetrators attempted 
to sell the housemaids for USD 2,450 to a police informant 
posing as a buyer.  On October 17, 2007, the Dubai Court of 
Appeals sentenced a male suspect to three years for forcing 
a woman into prostitution and attempting to sell her for 
USD 1,170. 
 
On October 23, 2007, the Dubai Attorney General referred a 
sex trafficking case to the Dubai Court of First Instance. 
The Public Prosecution charged two suspects with 
trafficking, illegal detention, operating a brothel, and 
forcing two females into prostitution.  The perpetrators 
beat the victims and forced them to have sex with 
customers, keeping the money for themselves.  Finally, the 
perpetrators attempted to sell the victims for USD 2,700 
(10,000 dirham). 
 
On November 23, 2007, the Dubai Public Prosecutor accused a 
Bangladeshi of bringing a 17-year-old girl to the UAE and 
forcing her into prostitution.  The girl testified that she 
entered the UAE on a visit visa that the perpetrator, whom 
she knew, sent to her.  On December 1, 2007, a joint State 
Security and CID operation uncovered a massive prostitution 
ring involving 22 brothels in various residences.  A total 
of 247 individuals comprised of 170 South and East Asian 
prostitutes, 12 pimps, and 65 customers were arrested.  On 
December 13, 2007, the Dubai Court of First Instance 
sentenced an Indian woman to three years for forcing her 
housemaid into prostitution, beating her for refusing, and 
working as a prostitute herself. 
 
On December 17, 2007, the Dubai Court of First Instance 
sentenced an Indian man to five years for attempted 
trafficking.  The man attempted to sell a destitute 
Indonesian housemaid to a police informant for USD 1,220 
and to force her into prostitution.  On January 14, 2008, 
the Dubai Court of First Instance sentenced two Indian men 
to 10 years for attempting to force two women into 
prostitution and sell them to a police informant for USD 
2,450.  The women were housemaids who had escaped from 
their employers.  The men assaulted the victims when they 
refused to engage in prostitution.  On January 17, 2008, 
the Dubai Court of First Instance sentenced a Bangladeshi 
man to 10 years and a Bangladeshi woman to one year for 
forcing an Indian woman into prostitution.  As with other 
similar cases, the foreign perpetrators will be deported 
after serving their sentences. 
 
On February 6, 2008, two Bangladeshi men were referred to 
court by the Public Prosecutor for sexually exploiting an 
Indonesian housemaid and attempting to sell her to an 
undercover police agent for USD 2,700 (10,000 dirham). 
 
On February 6, 2008, police arrested four Asian gang 
members who attempted to sell a woman into prostitution for 
USD 2,900.  The four confessed to have trafficked the woman 
into the UAE on a visit visa to sell her into prostitution 
and to running brothels.  They were referred to the Public 
Prosecutor's Office on trafficking charges; one was charged 
with aiding and abetting.  On February 18, 2008, the Dubai 
Court of First Instance sentenced an Indian driver to three 
years and subsequent deportation for attempting to coerce a 
 
ABU DHABI 00000379  009 OF 009 
 
 
destitute housemaid into prostitution. 
 
On February 26, 2008, the Dubai Court of First Instance 
sentenced an Iranian businessman to two years for operating 
a brothel.  Seven Kazakh and Russian prostitutes were 
sentenced to six months.  The court also sentenced a Kazakh 
woman to nine months for assisting the Iranian 
businessman.  The Iranian businessman trafficked the women 
to Dubai on visit visas, promising them restaurant jobs but 
then asking them to be prostitutes for three months to 
cover the cost of visas and airfare. 
 
On March 9, 2008, Dubai public prosecutors charged a 
Ukranian woman with violating Federal Law #51 for trying to 
sell a penniless Moldovan woman (who came to Dubai to help 
treat her daughter's asthma) to a police informant for USD 
7,600 (28,000 dirham). 
 
-- 28G.  The UAEG has worked to sensitize law enforcement 
and immigration officials to trafficking and has provided 
practical training to protect victims and prevent future 
incidents.  Abu Dhabi and Dubai police and the Ministries 
of Interior, Health, and Justice have conducted anti-TIP 
training.  The Dubai Naturalization and Residency 
Department trained immigration inspectors to identify 
fraudulent documents used by traffickers and victims.  The 
UAEG supplied ports of entry and source country embassies 
and consulates with brochures to warn potential victims 
about the dangers of trafficking and to inform them about 
obtaining assistance. 
 
The Ministry of Justice Institute of Judicial Training and 
Studies holds mandatory classes for prosecutors and judges 
on proper victim assistance.  The Institute also conducts 
mandatory classes on the following:  human rights; sexual 
offenses; offenses against life; immigration offenses; 
juvenile protection and delinquency; labor violations and 
offenses. 
 
Senior UAEG ministers have repeatedly requested USG 
training, information, and opportunities that would enhance 
their efforts to combat trafficking and help law 
enforcement officials, prosecutors, and judges to better 
identify, investigate, and prosecute trafficking cases. 
 
On September 2 and 3, 2007, the Ministry of Interior and 
National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking organized a 
trafficking training seminar at the Abu Dhabi Police 
Department of Criminal Evidence to raise trafficking 
awareness and develop methods to eradicate it. 
Participants included the Department of Naturalization and 
Residency, CID, police officers, and public prosecutors. 
 
On September 25, 2007, the UAE Police Academy held training 
entitled "Islamic Sharia Position Towards Trafficking in 
Persons."  The Head of Sharia Studies at the Police Academy 
spoke of the importance of women in Islam and encouraged 
the audience to combat trafficking. 
 
On December 10, 2007, the UAE National Committee to Combat 
Human Trafficking co-hosted a workshop with the Johns 
Hopkins University on GCC legislation on trafficking.  The 
workshop, held in Dubai, compared legislation in GCC 
 
QUINN