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FM AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2180
INFO RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 15 ABU DHABI 000202 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARP, G/TIP, DRL, PRM, INL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KTIP ELAB KCRM KFRD KWMN PGOV PHUM PREF SMIG AE
SUBJECT: UAE: 2008 TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS (TIP) REPORT 
 
REF: STATE 132759 
 
¶1.  (U) The following is Post's submission of the annual Trafficking 
in Persons Report. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) The Embassy's point of contact for the Trafficking in 
Persons Report is: 
Kundai Mashingaidze 
Tel: +971 2-414-2621 
Fax: +971 2-414-2639 
Email: mashingaidzek@state.gov 
Number of hours spent on the preparation of the report: Embassy 
Officer: 40 hours; Dubai Consulate Officer: 25 hours; FSN: 15 
hours. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Responses below are keyed to reftel paragraphs 23 through 
¶30. 
 
------------------- 
REPORTING QUESTIONS 
------------------- 
 
¶23. (SBU) THE COUNTRY'S TIP SITUATION: 
 
-- A. What is (are) the source(s) of available information on 
trafficking in persons?  What plans are in place (if any) to 
undertake further documentation of human trafficking?  How reliable 
are these sources? 
 
The limited information that is available is provided by the 
National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking, Ministry of Labor 
(MoL), Ministry of Interior (MoI), media reports, immigration 
records, and law enforcement records. 
 
Given the magnitude of the foreign labor workforce (more than 80% of 
the UAE's population is foreign born), the UAE Government (UAEG) is 
unable to catalogue all potential trafficking cases or produce 
specific estimates of the problem, although the UAEG continues to 
actively pursue improvements both in the areas of data collection 
and the focusing of resources in immigration, law enforcement, and 
the judicial system to better identify potential trafficking 
victims. 
 
-- B. Is the country a country of origin, transit, and/or 
destination for internationally trafficked men, women, or children? 
Does trafficking occur within the country's borders?  If so, does 
internal trafficking occur in territory outside of the government's 
control (e.g. in a civil war situation)?  To where are people 
trafficked? For what purposes are they trafficked?  Provide, where 
possible, numbers or estimates for each group of trafficking 
victims.  Have there been any changes in the TIP situation since the 
last TIP Report (e.g. changes in destinations)? 
 
The United Arab Emirates was a country of destination for a large 
work force, including both men and women, particularly from South 
and Southeast Asia.  There is no evidence that the UAE is a source 
country for trafficking victims, although victims likely transit the 
UAE.  Victims are trafficked primarily for labor and a smaller 
percentage for commercial sex purposes.  Precise numbers of 
trafficked men and women are impossible to ascertain, yet the 
magnitude of the transient labor force suggests widespread potential 
for exploitation and abuse. 
 
In 2008, the UAEG made qualitative strides in its anti-TIP efforts. 
It expanded on 2007 campaigns to spread awareness and understanding 
of TIP and actively worked to combat the phenomenon.  The first 
official shelter dedicated solely to victims of TIP was established 
in Abu Dhabi under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint 
Mubarak, wife of the late President, His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin 
Sultan al Nahyan, with the official opening to occur in 2009. 
Nevertheless, the complex situation persists in an international 
environment in which economic incentive continues to draw vulnerable 
workers to job opportunities in the UAE. 
 
While the government signaled greater attention to the issue, the 
TIP situation has not changed significantly during the reporting 
period; however, the conditions of those in debt bondage situations 
likely deteriorated towards the end of the reporting period as the 
country faced an economic decline that saw many laborers repatriated 
to their home countries where they still owed debts.  Construction 
workers, primarily from India and Pakistan, numbering in the 
hundreds of thousands, continue to make up the bulk of the male 
labor force and domestic workers from the Philippines, Sri Lanka, 
and Ethiopia continue to make up the bulk of the female labor force. 
 The actual number of trafficking victims among them is unknown; 
what is known is that many of them arrive in a state of debt bondage 
after voluntarily paying as much as USD 2,700 (10,000 dirham) to an 
agent in their own country plus an additional amount upon arrival to 
an agent in the UAE to arrange an employment contract.  These 
workers might receive a salary of between USD 135 and USD 200 (500 
 
ABU DHABI 00000202  002 OF 015 
 
 
to 750 dirham) per month, while interest continues to accrue on 
their debt. 
 
-- C. What kind of conditions are the victims trafficked into? 
 
The UAE economy is heavily dependent on foreign labor.  Over 80 
percent of the total UAE population, and over 90 percent of the 
private sector workforce, is expatriate.  Labor conditions in the 
UAE can be harsh for unskilled workers and domestic workers in any 
circumstance, but more particularly if enduring excessive work 
hours, nonpayment of wages, verbal, mental, physical, or sexual 
abuse, or restriction of movement.  Although there are anecdotal 
reports, in the absence of solid data, it is difficult to ascertain 
how frequently incidents of such treatment occur. 
 
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.  Unpaid construction workers 
in the UAE often continue working without pay, fearing that protests 
may destroy any chance of recovering 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. 
 
Domestic workers made up the majority of unskilled female workers in 
the UAE.  The conditions under which they worked ranged from 
comfortable, well-appointed homes to anecdotal reports of excessive 
work hours, physical and sexual abuse, and unpaid wages.  Unpaid 
domestic servants often continue working without pay fearing that 
protests may result in eviction with no chance of recovering their 
wages.  If evicted, female domestic workers become increasingly 
vulnerable to traffickers for commercial sex work particularly if 
their employers report them to the authorities as runaways.  Many 
employers continue the illegal and mobility limiting practice of 
withholding their domestic workers' passports.  Under such 
conditions, being accused of absconding can lead to a higher 
incidence of imprisonment, deportation, and lifetime bans from the 
UAE, often with no resolution of the original problem or payment of 
unpaid wages.  Unlike other legal workers who were governed by 
clearly defined labor laws under the Ministry of Labor, domestic 
workers fell under the Ministry of Interior making it difficult to 
identify definitive conflict resolution procedures. 
 
-- D. Vulnerability to TIP: Are certain groups of persons more at 
risk of being trafficked (e.g. women and children, boys versus 
girls, certain ethnic groups, refugees, IDPs, etc.)? 
 
Those most at risk of being trafficked were unskilled workers from 
poor source countries who sought economic opportunity but had little 
recourse when an employer or person of authority withheld their 
wages, pressed them into excessive working hours or unhygienic 
living conditions, or exerted other coercive influences.  Some 
became trafficking victims after their arrival in the UAE while 
others were trafficked before they entered the UAE (either from 
their home countries or from other countries, including countries in 
the Gulf region).  Trafficking victims often traveled to the country 
voluntarily seeking to escape poverty and hardship and to improve 
the lives of their families.  They entered into employment contracts 
in their home countries often with an agent of their own nationality 
and later discovered that they had been deceived by their agents, 
recruiters, or intermediaries and that they were in fact debt-bonded 
or even trafficked.  The victims found it difficult to extricate 
themselves from these situations, ignorance about available services 
and fear of deportation or imprisonment often prevented them from 
seeking assistance from authorities. 
 
Female victims, for example, particularly from India, Sri Lanka, 
Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Indonesia and the Philippines, may have been 
brought as domestic workers and later trafficked into other work; 
men from India Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Pakistan who came to work 
as laborers, primarily in the construction sector (and also in 
agriculture), potentially faced similar challenges. 
 
-- E. Traffickers and Their Methods: Who are the 
traffickers/exploiters?  Are they independent business people? 
Small or family-based crime groups?  Large international organized 
crime syndicates?  What methods are used to approach victims?  For 
example, are they offered lucrative jobs, sold by their families, or 
approached by friends of friends?  What methods are used to move the 
victims (e.g., are false documents being used?).  Are employment, 
travel, and tourism agencies or marriage brokers involved with or 
fronting for traffickers or crime groups to traffic individuals? 
 
Some employment agents lured foreign workers into the country for 
domestic and agricultural jobs but then subjected them to 
 
ABU DHABI 00000202  003 OF 015 
 
 
involuntary servitude; there were reports of worker suicides when 
they realized that the burden of debt and the confiscation of their 
passports by their employers prevented them from returning home.  A 
number of domestic workers in abusive employment situations were 
forced into prostitution when they ran away because by withholding 
their identification papers and/or refusing to release them from 
their contracts, their employers prevented them from seeking 
alternative employment.  Withholding workers' passports severely 
limits workers' freedom of movement.  Yet, despite the outlawing of 
the practice in the UAE in 2003, employers continued routinely 
withholding their employees' passports because there was little 
enforcement of the 
 
An increasingly common method to lure victims was for legitimate 
businesses (e.g. cafes, flower shops, hotels) to use their 
legitimate commercial licenses to recruit people into separate, 
illegal, off-book recruitment businesses that deceived unskilled, 
migrant workers, ignorant of the law by selling them "free" or 
"open" visas at exorbitant prices.  The visa provided the worker 
with the name of a legitimate sponsor in the event that authorities 
demanded residency papers and was "free" or "open" because the 
worker could work for any employer as long as the debt to the 
sponsor was paid.  In practical terms however, the workers were 
indentured to the recruiter ("free sponsor") who routinely took 
possession of their passports and demanded a percentage of the 
workers' wages until the sponsorship debt and interest was settled. 
Workers potentially found themselves in a vicious cycle with "free 
sponsors" refusing to release them when they found legitimate 
sponsorship, even if their debts were paid.  The "free sponsors" 
routinely filed criminal charges against workers seeking releases 
from their contracts leading to life bans that permanently prevented 
the worker from returning to the UAE.  Another common ruse by the 
"free sponsor" was to renew workers visas without the workers 
knowledge and force them into debt once again in order to pay the 
renewal fees.  Often the "free sponsors" colluded with unscrupulous 
recruiters in the workers' home countries, leaving the workers 
debt-bonded both at home and abroad. 
 
-------------------------------------- 
¶24. (U) SETTING THE SCENE FOR THE GOVERNMENT'S ANTI-TIP EFFORTS: 
--------------------------------------- 
-- A. Does the government acknowledge that trafficking is a problem 
in the country?  If not, why not? 
 
Yes. 
 
-- B. Which government agencies are involved in anti-trafficking 
efforts and which agency, if any, has the lead? 
 
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 continued to 
work closely with the media to increase public awareness. 
 
The 2006 anti-trafficking legislation created an anti-trafficking 
committee, led by the Minister of State for Federal National Council 
Affairs.  The 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. 
 
-- C. What are the limitations on the government's ability to 
address this problem in practice?  For example, is funding for 
police or other institutions inadequate?  Is overall corruption a 
problem?  Does the government lack the resources to aid victims? 
 
There are both structural and cultural impediments to combating 
trafficking, but corruption does not seem to be a significant 
contributory 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 
 
ABU DHABI 00000202  004 OF 015 
 
 
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. 
 
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. 
 
-- D. To what extent does the government systematically monitor its 
anti-trafficking efforts (on all fronts -- prosecution, victim 
protection, and prevention) and periodically make available, 
publicly or privately and directly or through regional/international 
organizations, its assessments of these anti-trafficking efforts? 
 
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 prepares brochures in English and Arabic to 
highlight UAEG's efforts to address the TIP situation.  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 January 
2009 involved a U.K. anti-trafficking expert who shared his 
expertise with an audience of judges, prosecutors, police, and 
officials from the Ministries of Justice and Interior.  Another 
program in February 2008 involved three U.S. experts (from the 
Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), 
and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (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 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. 
 
Senior leaders voiced their strong political will to combat 
trafficking in persons, notably in February 2009, the UN Office on 
Drugs and Crime released The Global Report on Trafficking in Persons 
that was funded through a private US$ 15 million donation from 
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.  The UAEG's 
TIP committee actively coordinated multi-agency efforts. 
 
---------------------------------------- 
¶25. (U) INVESTIGATION AND PROSECUTION OF TRAFFICKERS: 
----------------------------------------- 
For questions A-D, posts should highlight in particular whether or 
not the country has enacted any new legislation since the last TIP 
report. 
 
-- A. Existing Laws against TIP: Does the country have a law or laws 
specifically prohibiting trafficking in persons -- both for sexual 
exploitation and labor?  If so, please specifically cite the name of 
the law(s) and its date of enactment and provide the exact language 
[actual copies preferable] of the TIP provisions.  Please provide a 
full inventory of trafficking laws, including non-criminal statutes 
that allow for civil penalties against alleged trafficking crimes 
 
ABU DHABI 00000202  005 OF 015 
 
 
(e.g., civil forfeiture laws and laws against illegal debt). Does 
the law(s) cover both internal and transnational forms of 
trafficking?  If not, under what other laws can traffickers be 
prosecuted?  For example, are there laws against slavery or the 
exploitation of prostitution by means of force, fraud, or coercion? 
Are these other laws being used in trafficking cases? 
 
On November 9, 2006, the UAEG enacted Federal Law #51 on Combating 
Human Trafficking Crimes, a comprehensive anti-trafficking law 
intended to cover the entire range of trafficking issues.  Federal 
Law #51 defines Human Trafficking as "recruiting, transporting 
transferring, harboring, or 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. 
 
In January 2009, police in the emirate of Sharjah arrested an Iraqi 
woman for breaking the anti-trafficking law when it was determined 
that she had forced her two minor daughters into prostitution. 
Prior to Federal Law 51, Justice Ministry officials advised that 
traffickers be prosecuted under specific penal laws such as 
kidnapping, rape, sexual abuse, and sexual exploitation. 
 
In April 2008, police in the emirate of Ras al Khaimah arrested a 
gang that preyed on maids for the purposes of forcing them into 
prostitution.  A similar gang was arrested in Dubai in July 2008. 
In December 2008, police in Dubai arrested four Bangladeshi members 
of a human-trafficking ring who preyed on women, brought them to 
Dubai and forced them into prostitution or sold them into slavery. 
 
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. 
 
To complement the 2006 Federal Law 51 and the 2007 Indian law that 
restricts travel to the UAE for work by Indian women under age 30 
who have not graduated high school, in 2008, India and the UAE 
introduced joint measures to combat the trafficking of Indian women. 
 A police officer dedicated solely to TIP issues, appointed by the 
Indian government, and based in Kerala currently works in 
coordination with police in the UAE, through the Indian Consulate 
General in Dubai, to check human trafficking and illegal migration. 
This system could potentially assist the UAE police in breaking up 
human trafficking and illegal migration rackets.  External Affairs 
Ministry representatives based in Hyderabad and Chennai work in 
coordination with the officer in Kerala. 
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 of the UN 
Protocol to Prevent, Suppress, and Punish Trafficking in Persons, 
especially women and children.  The ratification is likely to occur 
before the end of the next reporting period. 
 
-- B. Punishment of Sex Trafficking Offenses: What are the 
prescribed and imposed penalties for trafficking people for sexual 
exploitation? 
 
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. 
 
-- C. Punishment of Labor Trafficking Offenses: What are the 
prescribed and imposed penalties for trafficking for labor 
exploitation, such as forced or bonded labor?  If your country is a 
source country for labor migrants, do the government's laws provide 
for criminal punishment -- i.e. jail time -- for labor recruiters 
who engage in recruitment of workers using knowingly fraudulent or 
deceptive offers with the purpose of subjecting workers to 
trafficking in the destination country?  If your country is a 
 
ABU DHABI 00000202  006 OF 015 
 
 
destination for labor migrants, are there laws punishing employers 
or labor agents who confiscate workers' passports or travel 
documents for the purpose of trafficking, switch contracts without 
the worker's consent as a means to keep the worker in a state of 
service, or withhold payment of salaries as means of keeping the 
worker in a state of service? 
 
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 25B above).  Persons aware of TIP 
crimes who fail to report them are penalized for "not less than one 
and not 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, 
although improving, is 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. 
 
-- D.  What are the prescribed penalties for rape or forcible sexual 
assault? (NOTE:  This is necessary to evaluate a foreign 
government's compliance with TVPA Minimum Standard 2, which reads: 
"For the knowing commission of any act of sex trafficking . . . the 
government of the country should prescribe punishment commensurate 
with that for grave crimes, such as forcible sexual assault (rape)." 
 END NOTE) 
 
Rape sentencing ranges from two years to capital punishment, with 
lashing as another possible penalty.  However, in practice, the 
crime is often not recognized due to the high burden of proof 
required by Shari'a courts.  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. 
 
-- E. Law Enforcement Statistics: Did the government prosecute any 
cases against human trafficking offenders during the reporting 
period?  If so, provide numbers of investigations, prosecutions, 
convictions, and sentences imposed, including details on plea 
bargains and fines, if relevant and available.  Please note the 
number of convicted traffickers who received suspended sentences and 
the number who received only a fine as punishment. Please indicate 
which laws were used to investigate, prosecute, convict, and 
sentence traffickers.  Also, if possible, please disaggregate 
numbers of cases by type of TIP (labor vs. commercial sexual 
exploitation) and victims (children under 18 years of age vs. 
adults).  If in a labor source country, did the government 
criminally prosecute labor recruiters who recruit workers using 
knowingly fraudulent or deceptive offers or by imposing fees or 
commissions for the purpose of subjecting the worker to debt 
bondage?  Did the government in a labor destination country 
criminally prosecute employers or labor agents who confiscate 
workers' passports/travel documents for the purpose of trafficking, 
switch contracts or terms of employment without the worker's consent 
to keep workers in a state of service, use physical or sexual abuse 
or the threat of such abuse to keep workers in a state of service, 
or withhold payment of salaries as a means to keep workers in a 
state of service?  What were the actual punishments imposed on 
persons convicted of these offenses?  Are the traffickers serving 
the time sentenced?  If not, why not? 
 
During the reporting period, police registered 16 trafficking 
related cases: ten in Dubai, one in Ras al Khaimah, two in Abu 
Dhabi, one in Ajman, and two in Sharjah.  At least three individuals 
were convicted of trafficking in 2008.  More cases have been 
prosecuted since the 2008 data, as noted below. 
 
While not comprehensive, the following are individual reports of 
prosecutions pursued during the reporting period. 
 
On April 16, 2008, the Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance 
sentenced a Bangladeshi man to three years in Prison for human 
 
ABU DHABI 00000202  007 OF 015 
 
 
trafficking, sexually exploiting a 17-year-old Bangladeshi girl, and 
forcing her into prostitution.  He will be deported after serving 
his sentence. 
 
On May 1, 2008, the Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance sentenced 
two Bangladeshi men to five years each in jail for sexually 
exploiting a woman, who had escaped from the hands of a pimp, and 
trying to sell her back into the sex industry for AED 10,000 (USD 
2,700). 
 
On May 12, 2008, Dubai Police's CID arrested an Asian man for human 
trafficking and forcing a woman into prostitution.  The victim was 
referred to the Dubai Foundation for Women and Children. 
 
On May 27, 2008, the Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance charged 
two Bangladeshi men with human trafficking, unlawful detention of a 
Filipina housemaid for four months and forcing her into 
prostitution. 
 
On June 19, 2008, the Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance charged 
three Indian men with human trafficking for buying a housemaid for 
50,000 Indian Rupees (USD 1,200) in India and sexually exploiting 
her. 
 
On June 27, 2008, the Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance charged 
four Bangladeshi nationals, three men and a woman, with forcing a 
woman to work as a prostitute for seven months, beating her, and 
keeping her prisoner. 
 
On July 10, 2008, the Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance charged 
an Indian man with buying an Indonesian woman for AED 2,000 (USD 
544) and forcing her into prostitution.  The Police arrested the man 
with two other Pakistani men who were customers at a brothel. 
 
On July 17, 2008, the Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance charged 
four men with human trafficking, attempting to sell a woman for AED 
10,000 (USD 2,700), and forcing her into prostitution. 
 
On July 20, 2008, Dubai Police arrested two men: an Arab, an Asian, 
and an Asian woman on charges of human trafficking.  The Asian woman 
lured workers to abscond and forced them into prostitution. Police 
referred the three suspects to the Public Prosecution for further 
investigation. 
 
On November 12, 2008, Dubai Police's Criminal Investigation 
Department (CID) arrested two Asian men trying to sell a girl to a 
prostitution ring.  Police also arrested the girl along with another 
girl who was also to be similarly exploited, and referred all the 
detained people to the Public Prosecution for further 
investigation. 
 
On December 15, 2008, Dubai Police arrested four Bangladeshi men 
forming a human trafficking ring who lured women from their home 
countries or women who had absconded from their sponsors and forced 
them into prostitution or sold them to the highest bidders. 
 
On January 11, 2009, Sharjah Police arrested a woman who forced her 
two daughters aged 17 and 12 into prostitution. 
 
On January 11, 2009, Sharjah Police arrested a man and his first 
wife for trying to force his second wife into prostitution. 
 
-- F. Does the government provide any specialized training for 
government officials in how to recognize, investigate, and prosecute 
instances of trafficking? Specify whether NGOs, international 
organizations, and/or the USG provide specialized training for host 
government officials. 
 
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 
 
ABU DHABI 00000202  008 OF 015 
 
 
trafficking cases. 
 
On January 8, 2009, Dubai Department of Naturalization and Residence 
organized a 3-day training session for its employees about combating 
Trafficking in Persons crimes and providing support to its victims. 
 
 
--G. Does the government cooperate with other governments in the 
investigation and prosecution of trafficking cases?  If possible, 
provide the number of cooperative international investigations on 
trafficking during the reporting period. 
 
UAEG officials stated, and several source country embassies and 
consulates confirmed, that they cooperate with other governments on 
investigations, provide care for and repatriate victims, and 
together seek to prevent future incidents.  Law enforcement 
officials reported that they cooperate with NGOs on trafficking 
issues.  (NGO coordination is addressed later in this report.) 
Ministry of Interior officials indicated a desire for increased 
cooperation with source country governments in the area of 
information exchange on organized crime and trafficking.  Statistics 
on international investigations were not yet available. 
 
In 2006, the UAE issued law #39 pertaining to international 
cooperation in judicial matters, which complements anti-TIP efforts 
by facilitating extradition and mutual legal assistance.  The UAEG 
has mutual legal assistance treaties (MLATs) with a number of 
countries (not including the U.S.).  In some cases, mutual legal 
assistance was exchanged with countries with which the UAEG did not 
have an MLAT. 
 
-- H. Does the government extradite persons who are charged with 
trafficking in other countries?  If so, please provide the number of 
traffickers extradited during the reporting period, and the number 
of trafficking extraditions pending. In particular, please report on 
any pending or concluded extraditions of trafficking offenders to 
the United States. 
 
The UAEG has extradition treaties with India, Sri Lanka, Armenia, 
Canada (for drugs and money laundering charges), Saudi Arabia, 
Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Syria, Somalia, Jordan, Sudan, and Egypt. 
 A number of other treaties are in the negotiation or approval 
processes.  The UAE has at times agreed to extradite individuals to 
and from countries with which the UAEG does not have extradition 
treaties but has not always ultimately completed the extradition. 
UAEG extradition of a UAE citizen to another country is contrary to 
UAE law. 
 
A March 2008 report by the National Committee to Combat Human 
Trafficking states that the UAE issued four international circulars 
naming TIP criminals and extradited three convicted persons during 
¶2007. 
 
-- I. Is there evidence of government involvement in or tolerance of 
trafficking, on a local or institutional level?  If so, please 
explain in detail. 
 
Although there were no verified reports that government officials 
were involved in trafficking, UAE officials may have at times turned 
a blind-eye to the problem.  Police act against prostitution when 
incontrovertible evidence exists and yet often take no action if a 
sexual encounter could be other than commercial in nature. 
 
NGO officials and human rights observers sometimes questioned the 
sincerity of the UAEG's political will to combat trafficking, citing 
(among other reasons) the economic importance of foreign labor. 
 
-- J. If government officials are involved in trafficking, what 
steps has the government taken to end such participation?  Please 
indicate the number of government officials investigated and 
prosecuted for involvement in trafficking or trafficking-related 
corruption during the reporting period.  Have any been convicted? 
What sentence(s) was imposed?  Please specify if officials received 
suspended sentences, or were given a fine, fired, or reassigned to 
another position within the government as punishment.  Please 
indicate the number of convicted officials that received suspended 
sentences or received only a fine as punishment. 
 
No credible or verifiable cases of government involvement in 
trafficking have been reported.  Based on prior criminal 
prosecutions of government officials, the UAEG would likely 
prosecute officials suspected of trafficking. 
 
-- K. Is prostitution legalized or decriminalized? Specifically, are 
the activities of the prostitute criminalized?  Are the activities 
of the brothel owner/operator, clients, pimps, and enforcers 
criminalized?  Are these laws enforced?  If prostitution is legal 
and regulated, what is the legal minimum age for this activity? 
Note that in countries with federalist systems, prostitution laws 
may be under state or local jurisdiction and may differ among 
 
ABU DHABI 00000202  009 OF 015 
 
 
jurisdictions. 
 
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.  Business licenses have been permanently cancelled in 
some cases. 
 
-- L. For countries that contribute troops to international 
peacekeeping efforts, please indicate whether the government 
vigorously investigated, prosecuted, convicted and sentenced 
nationals of the country deployed abroad as part of a peacekeeping 
or other similar mission who engaged in or facilitated severe forms 
of trafficking or who exploited victims of such trafficking. 
 
N/A. 
 
-- M. If the country has an identified problem of child sex tourists 
coming to the country, what are the countries of origin for sex 
tourists?  How many foreign pedophiles did the government prosecute 
or deport/extradite to their country of origin?  If your host 
country's nationals are perpetrators of child sex tourism, do the 
country's child sexual abuse laws have extraterritorial coverage 
(similar to the U.S. PROTECT Act) to allow the prosecution of 
suspected sex tourists for crimes committed abroad?  If so, how many 
of the country's nationals were prosecuted and/or convicted during 
the reporting period under the extraterritorial provision(s) for 
traveling to other countries to engage in child sex tourism? 
 
Although some teenage girls are reported to have been trafficked for 
prostitution (likely because their true ages were concealed in visa 
documents), there are no reliable reports that the UAE is a child 
sex tourism destination or source.  There are no reports of foreign 
pedophiles being arrested, prosecuted, convicted, sentenced, 
deported, or extradited.  Child sexual abuse has extraterritorial 
coverage only if the victim or perpetrator is a UAE citizen.  If so, 
a perpetrator could be prosecuted upon return to the UAE. 
 
--------------------------------------------- 
¶26. (U) PROTECTION AND ASSISTANCE TO VICTIMS: 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
-- A.  What kind of protection is the government able under existing 
law to provide for victims and witnesses? Does it provide these 
protections in practice? 
 
The UAEG provides assistance and protection to trafficking victims, 
including repatriation assistance.  Public hospitals provide 
counseling.  Nonetheless, the UAE used deportation as a solution in 
some cases of labor disputes; there is no evidence that these 
disputes involved a TIP dimension, although that is possible. 
 
In 2005, the UAE government banned the employment of children as 
camel jockeys and established a Social Support Center near Abu 
Dhabi for child camel jockeys awaiting repatriation, coordinating 
with UNICEF to care for and reintegrate them in their home 
countries. 
This UAE - UNICEF partnership, initially funded with USD 9 million 
and expected to provide assistance through May 2009, has seen the 
UAE take the lead in successfully carrying out 26 humanitarian 
social and economic projects for rehabilitation of child camel 
jockeys into their home countries of Mauritania, Sudan, Pakistan, 
and Bangladesh. 
 
-- B.  Does the country have victim care facilities (shelters or 
drop-in centers) which are accessible to trafficking victims?  Do 
foreign victims have the same access to care as domestic trafficking 
victims?  Where are child victims placed (e.g., in shelters, foster 
care, or juvenile justice detention centers)?  Does the country have 
specialized care for adults in addition to children? Does the 
country have specialized care for male victims as well as female? 
Does the country have specialized facilities dedicated to helping 
victims of trafficking? Are these facilities operated by the 
government or by NGOs?  What is the funding source of these 
facilities? Please estimate the amount the government spent (in U.S. 
dollar equivalent) on these specialized facilities dedicated to 
helping trafficking victims during the reporting period. 
 
Shelter options for victims of trafficking are limited.  In Dubai, 
there is only one officially recognized facility, the Dubai 
Foundation for Women and Children (DFWC), which caters to victims of 
trafficking and/or domestic violence.  In addition to the official 
shelters for victims of trafficking and domestic violence, there are 
smaller shelters run by the governments of India, Philippines, Sri 
Lanka, and Indonesia at their embassies and consulates to cater to 
their own nationals.  Currently, only the DFWC is equipped and does 
cater to child victims of trafficking.  Although the need for 
 
ABU DHABI 00000202  010 OF 015 
 
 
services for women and children are widely recognized, there is 
little awareness of the need for services that cater to male victims 
of trafficking and/or domestic violence.  The UAEG encourages 
victims to come forward in order to receive assistance.  On December 
4, 2007, the Dubai Police Chief publicly advised any woman who had 
been duped into prostitution or anyone with information on 
traffickers to contact the police.  He stressed that callers would 
be protected. 
 
On February 26, 2008, UAE Deputy Prime Minister/Chairman of UAE Red 
Crescent Authority, Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed, issued a decision to 
establish shelters across the UAE for female and child trafficking 
victims.  The shelters will be managed by a corporate body with 
financial and administrative independence, operating under the 
auspices of the Red Crescent Authority. 
 
On March 25, 2008, the DFWC announced that the shelter received 60 
cases of trafficking or abuse victims, of which six were repatriated 
(2 Uzbeks, 2 Bangladeshis, and 2 Ugandans).  As of December 17, 
2008, the DFWC had repatriated more victims with the number 
remaining in the shelter falling to 45 people, including 19 
children.  Many of those at the shelter, particularly the limited 
cohort of girls aged 15 to 18, arrived after escaping 
human-trafficking attempts.  They come from 40 countries, including 
those in the former Soviet Union, Africa, the Middle East, 
Bangladesh, and the Philippines.  On January 5, 2009, the Dubai 
Foundation for Women and Children announced that since its opening 
in September 2007 (16 months), it had assisted in 152 trafficking in 
persons cases in Dubai. 
 
On January 13, 2008, the Red Crescent Authority, in collaboration 
with the National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking, announced 
the future opening of an Abu Dhabi shelter.  On April 24, 2008, the 
Abu Dhabi government announced an AED 8 million (USD 2,180,000) 
contribution to set up the center for trafficking victims, while 
Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, the widow of the late Sheikh Zayed, 
donated the land to build the shelter.  On December 1, 2008, Sheikha 
Fatima Bint Mubarak pledged to fund the new shelter in Abu Dhabi 
that would be dedicated solely to victims of trafficking and which, 
although already accepting a small number of victims of TIP during 
the reporting period, is due to open officially in 2009. 
 
-- C.  Does the government provide trafficking victims with access 
to legal, medical, and psychological services? If so, please specify 
the kind of assistance provided. Does the government provide funding 
or other forms of support to foreign or domestic NGOs and/or 
international organizations for providing these services to 
trafficking victims?  Please explain and provide any funding amounts 
in U.S. dollar equivalent.  If assistance provided was in-kind, 
please specify exact assistance.  Please specify if funding for 
assistance comes from a federal budget or from regional or local 
governments. 
 
The Government provides funding for most local social service 
organizations (which tend to be loosely government-affiliated and 
are not in the strict sense NGOs) and works with foreign NGOs to 
assist trafficking victims.  Authorities regularly work with source 
country NGOs to assist with repatriation efforts. 
 
In February of 2008, the UAE delegation to the Vienna Forum on Human 
Trafficking conducted discussions with senior government and UN 
officials, NGOs, and international experts on human trafficking. 
While there, the delegation initiated partnerships for exchanges and 
capacity building. 
 
In the Abu Dhabi Emirate, social support centers provide physical 
and mental health services to trafficking victims.  In the Sharjah 
Emirate, the Higher Family Council provides similar health 
services. 
In Dubai, the Dubai Police Human Rights Care Department, Victim 
Assistance Unit, provides counseling, medical care, financial aid, 
and travel assistance.  Each Dubai police station is staffed with a 
human rights care officer and a social worker/counselor from the 
Dubai Police Human Rights Care Department.  Post does not have 
statistics indicating how many victims used any of the above 
services over the reporting year. 
 
The DFWC provides victims under its care with accommodation, food, 
clothing, health care, financial support, psychological care, and 
recreational therapy.  On July 24, 2008, the DFWC announced its plan 
to cooperate with the British Council to teach its residents 
(trafficking or abuse victims) English language skills. 
 
-- D. Does the government assist foreign trafficking victims, for 
example, by providing temporary to permanent residency status, or 
other relief from deportation?  If so, please explain. 
 
The UAEG provides assistance and protection to trafficking victims, 
including repatriation assistance.  Public hospitals provide 
counseling.  Nonetheless, the UAE used deportation as a solution in 
 
ABU DHABI 00000202  011 OF 015 
 
 
some cases of labor disputes; there is no evidence that these 
disputes involved a TIP dimension, although that is possible. 
 
The DFWC works with the Dubai police to have charges dropped against 
victims in their care who may have had criminal charged filed 
against them.  The DFWC also works with consulates and the IMO to 
repatriate victims and find them gainful employment in their home 
countries. 
 
-- E. Does the government provide longer-term shelter or housing 
benefits to victims or other resources to aid the victims in 
rebuilding their lives? 
 
The government protects individuals identified as trafficking 
victims and witnesses.  The quality of shelter facilities is not 
uniform (and too few currently exist to accommodate the full 
demand). 
 
UAE Code of Criminal Procedures Articles 14 and 22 provide for legal 
assistance for victims.  Authorities have worked with international 
NGOs and source countries' embassies and consulates to provide 
shelter for trafficking victims.  Over the reporting year, hundreds 
of victims have been assisted by each of the shelters run by the 
embassies and consulates of the Philippines, India, Sri Lanka, and 
Indonesia.  Police departments claim to shelter victims in hotels 
and non-prison facilities.  The UAEG does not operate a safe house 
system.  Post does not have data on costs incurred by the UAEG to 
shelter victims. 
 
-- F. Does the government have a referral process to transfer 
victims detained, arrested, or placed in protective custody by law 
enforcement authorities to institutions that provide short- or 
long-term care (either government or NGO-run)? 
 
Dubai police report that they screen for victims.  DFWC reports that 
it received many of its residents through police referrals after 
police interviews revealed the women or children to be victims of 
trafficking.  Women who claim they are sex trafficking victims and 
are willing to cooperate with police are housed in hotels at police 
expense or at the DFWC until the completion of the trial(s) of the 
trafficker(s).  These victims are under police protection while in 
Dubai.  During the reporting period, the UAEG continued to train 
immigration and law enforcement personnel to enhance capacity for 
screening victims. 
 
-- G. What is the total number of trafficking victims identified 
during the reporting period?  Of these, how many victims were 
referred to care facilities for assistance by law enforcement 
authorities during the reporting period?  By social services 
officials?  What is the number of victims assisted by 
government-funded assistance programs and those not funded by the 
government during the reporting period? 
 
The complex nature and nuances of trafficking compounded with the 
difficulty in collecting data mean it is not possible to identify 
the total number of trafficking victims.  The data available is too 
poorly documented for an accurate estimate to be made.  The UAE 
police registered 16 trafficking cases during the reporting period 
whereas the DFWC housed 60 trafficking victims. 
 
-- H. Do the government's law enforcement, immigration, and social 
services personnel have a formal system of proactively identifying 
victims of trafficking among high-risk persons with whom they come 
in contact (e.g., foreign persons arrested for prostitution or 
immigration violations)?  For countries with legalized prostitution, 
does the government have a mechanism for screening for trafficking 
victims among persons involved in the legal/regulated commercial sex 
trade? 
 
Immigration authorities claim to employ methodical screening 
criteria to identify victims, primarily sex workers, prior to entry 
into the UAE.  Questions about how one obtained a UAE entry visa and 
what relationship one has with his/her visa sponsor form part of 
this screening effort, which looks for inconsistencies in 
information. 
Questionable cases are forwarded to officers specialized in 
screening for TIP crimes.  Immigration authorities also screen for 
valid family relationships regarding women and children.  Usually, 
children are required to be accompanied by parents or immediate 
family members. 
Single women under 25 years old are often expected to be 
accompanied 
by an adult male family member. 
 
-- I. Are the rights of victims respected?  Are trafficking victims 
detained or jailed?  If so, for how long?  Are victims fined?  Are 
victims prosecuted for violations of other laws, such as those 
governing immigration or prostitution? 
 
Victims' rights are generally respected, once and if they are 
 
ABU DHABI 00000202  012 OF 015 
 
 
identified as victims.  Victims who agree to testify against their 
traffickers are afforded housing and sometimes even employment. 
However, police reported that victims often choose immediate 
repatriation rather than testifying against their traffickers. 
Dubai police reported that prosecutions were common when victims 
actually testified. 
 
Police do not arbitrarily detain, imprison, or deport sexual abuse 
victims.  Working with foreign governments and NGOs when 
appropriate, the UAEG repatriates victims at the UAEG's expense, 
under the crime victim assistance program. 
 
Dubai police do not necessarily waive prosecution for women who may 
eventually become victims of trafficking after entering the UAE on 
their own volition to engage in prostitution.  If an individual 
entered the UAE to engage in prostitution, in violation of UAE 
immigration law, police may question whether prosecution should be 
waived only because the individual was later victimized.  Dubai 
police officials have stated that women may claim to be trafficked 
to avoid prosecution. 
 
-- J. Does the government encourage victims to assist in the 
investigation and prosecution of trafficking?  How many victims 
assisted in the investigation and prosecution of traffickers during 
the reporting period? 
May victims file civil suits or seek legal action against 
traffickers?  Does anyone impede victim access to such legal 
redress?  If a victim is a material witness in a court case against 
a former employer, is the victim permitted to obtain other 
employment or to leave the country pending trial proceedings?  Are 
there means by which a victim may obtain restitution? 
 
Police report that they advise sexual abuse and trafficking victims 
of their rights and encourage witness testimony.  Victims may also 
file civil suits for damages.  Foreign diplomats indicate that 
victims have been permitted to give sworn testimony and to leave the 
country before judgment was rendered.  The Dubai Police, in 
coordination with CID, attempt to persuade women who they believe 
are victims of trafficking to assist in investigations and 
prosecutions. 
As stated earlier, in Dubai, victims are housed in hotels, not 
prosecuted, and returned home at government expense if they 
participate in the prosecution of the traffickers. 
 
Victims of labor trafficking are referred to the Ministry of Labor 
to file a complaint through formal labor resolution channels; this 
does not apply to domestic workers who are not covered under the 
labor law.  Domestic workers may file criminal complaints for abuse, 
or may seek Ministry of Interior assistance in changing sponsors. 
Source country labor attaches reported that domestic workers seldom 
filed civil cases against abusers, and were content to simply change 
sponsors or return home.  There were no reports of victims having 
their access to the courts blocked or discouraged by government 
officials. 
 
The UAEG reported that it advised victims of their lawful rights, 
put offenders on trial to protect the victims, forwarded all TIP 
cases to judicial authorities to seek justice, created social 
support centers in police stations to assist victims in liaising 
with relevant entities, offered tailored training courses for staff 
dealing with TIP victims, sought to learn different languages used 
by TIP victims, and analyzed the environments in which TIP victims 
are exploited. 
 
-- K. Does the government provide any specialized training for 
government officials in identifying trafficking victims and in the 
provision of assistance to trafficked victims, including the special 
needs of trafficked children?  Does the government provide training 
on protections and assistance to its embassies and consulates in 
foreign countries that are destination or transit countries?  What 
is the number of trafficking victims assisted by the host country's 
embassies or consulates abroad during the reporting period?  Please 
explain the type of assistance provided (travel documents, referrals 
to assistance, payment for transportation home). 
 
The UAEG has implemented programs to sensitize law enforcement and 
immigration officials on the subject of trafficking in persons, as 
well as practical training techniques 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.  According to the UAEG, UAE 
embassies abroad collaborate with international organizations to 
combat TIP. 
 
In September 2008, after signing Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) 
with Belarus and Armenia, the UAEG's National Committee to Combat 
Human Trafficking announced that it would send security personnel 
from the UAE to Belarus to a special training center in Minsk so 
that they could improve their efforts to combat trafficking. 
 
 
ABU DHABI 00000202  013 OF 015 
 
 
-- L. Does the government provide assistance, such as medical aid, 
shelter, or financial help, to its nationals who are repatriated as 
victims of trafficking? 
 
There were no reports of UAE nationals being trafficked outside of, 
or within the UAE.  The UAEG has a proven record of numerous 
services provided to citizens at little to no cost, therefore it is 
expected that the UAEG would provide generous assistance to 
repatriated UAE nationals who were victims of trafficking, if such a 
situation were to occur. 
 
-- M. Which international organizations or NGOs, if any, work with 
trafficking victims?  What type of services do they provide?  What 
sort of cooperation do they receive from local authorities? 
 
The Government cooperates and coordinates with NGOs and 
international organizations in providing assistance to trafficking 
victims, as cases come to its attention.  It also proactively 
encourages international cooperation on the official and NGO levels. 
 
 
In January 2008, the UAE Ministry of Labor specifically asked the 
USG to help facilitate creation of an international NGO that could 
help address the complex issues associated with transient labor; the 
UAEG clearly recognized the need for and sought cooperation with 
capable international organizations, whether NGO or government 
affiliated. 
 
Another strong example of UAEG encouragement and facilitation of 
broader international cooperation against TIP was the February 2008 
UN.GIFT conference in Vienna funded by a donation of $15 million 
from the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince.  The UAE delegation leader, who is 
also head of the National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking 
cited the centrality of international partnerships to the UAE's 
anti-TIP action plan (one of the plan's four pillars) and emphasized 
that "no country or region acting alone can put a stop" to TIP; he 
encouraged agreements between the UAE and NGOs in source countries. 
 
Other examples of UAEG support include assistance to UNICEF, the 
Pakistan-based Ansar Burney International Welfare Trust, the 
Bangladesh National Women's Lawyers Association, the IOM, The 
Protection Project, and others (including small source country 
NGOs). 
 
Some of these linkages were utilized to great affect in the camel 
jockey repatriation effort, which the UAEG described as "joint 
efforts with national institutions and NGOs to better provide these 
victims with medical care, social counseling and education." 
Cooperation is also ongoing with a Moldovan NGO to seek ways to 
combat TIP. 
 
On February 2, 2009, the UAE and Mauritania closed 560 dossiers of 
Mauritanian children who once worked as camel jockeys in the UAE. 
The Chairman of the UAE Special Committee for Rehabilitation of 
Camel Jockeys visited Mauritania to oversee the implementation of a 
UAE-backed UNICEF program for ensuring the speedy rehabilitation of 
former Mauritanian camel jockeys. 
 
------------------- 
¶27. (U) PREVENTION: 
------------------- 
 
-- A. Did the government conduct anti-trafficking information or 
education campaigns during the reporting period?  If so, briefly 
describe the campaign(s), including their objectives and 
effectiveness.  Please provide the number of people reached by such 
awareness efforts, if available.  Do these campaigns target 
potential trafficking victims and/or the demand for trafficking 
(e.g. "clients" of prostitutes or beneficiaries of forced labor)? 
(Note: This can be an especially noteworthy effort where 
prostitution is legal.End Note.) 
 
Public statements by senior UAE officials highlighting the 
TIP phenomenon and condemning its perpetrators are frequently 
featured in the English and Arabic UAE press.  These government 
efforts reach virtually the entire news-reading public.  The 
government actively encourages businesses to facilitate 
informational sessions for new workers to ensure that they are aware 
of their rights and know where complaints can be filed.  The 
anti-TIP committee has published and distributed pamphlets 
addressing the phenomenon of TIP and highlighting UAEG laws and 
actions taken to combat TIP. 
 
The publicity value of the February 2008 "UN.GIFT" conference in 
Vienna was also significant in increasing awareness of the TIP 
problem in the UAE and the region.  Additionally, the UAE hosted a 
first-ever gathering of labor ministers from labor sending and 
receiving nations in January 2008 to stimulate dialogue between 
source countries and employers.  Efforts to streamline the 
contracting process, ensure timely payment of wages, and generally 
 
ABU DHABI 00000202  014 OF 015 
 
 
strike a favorable balance between supply and demand for labor in 
the booming economies of the Gulf, were clear priorities of the UAEG 
during the reporting period. 
 
In 2005, a new Dubai labor committee announced the establishment of 
a website and 24-hour labor complaint hotline within the Dubai 
Police Department.  Both the website and hotline allowed domestic 
workers and laborers to lodge complaints which would then be 
investigated expeditiously.  In order to make these mechanisms known 
to the labor community, the committee launched a $540,000 public 
awareness campaign including television and print ads in addition to 
pamphlets and brochures delivered to worksites and airports. 
 
-- B. Does the government monitor immigration and 
emigration patterns for evidence of trafficking? 
 
The various departments of Immigration, Naturalization, and 
Residency reportedly keep statistics on immigration and emigration, 
and have identified patterns for evidence of trafficking.  In 
response to this information, the government does not permit single 
women under 21 to enter the UAE without legitimate visas, and the 
travel documents of women under 30 undergo particular scrutiny. 
Children from identified source countries must have their own 
passports, even though those countries may allow children to be 
endorsed on a parent's passport.  This measure ensures that each 
child has a visa in individual travel documents. 
 
Both federal and emirate-level immigration authorities are 
responsible for controlling the influx of people at the country's 
international airports.  Immigration authorities regularly conducted 
training to detect fraudulent documents, often used by trafficked 
persons, for arrival and departure inspectors.  The Armed Forces are 
responsible for guarding and monitoring the UAE's coast and land 
borders.  Border guards have the legal authority to stop and inspect 
individuals at the border or points of entry, especially if there is 
suspicion of illegal activity.  The UAE plans to erect a fence 
barrier that will run for roughly 525 miles along its land borders 
with Oman and Saudi Arabia, in an effort to curb land-based 
smugglers and illegal immigration.  In 2000, the MoI's Department of 
Naturalization and Residency created a central operations room 
including an integrated federal data center to track the arrival and 
departure of individuals in the Federation's seven emirates.  In 
2003, the UAEG instituted the use of iris recognition scans to add 
biometrics identification information to its databases, to better 
monitor migration and combat document fraud by visitors and illegal 
immigrants, some of whom are trafficking victims.  Using this 
technology, UAE immigration authorities have stopped thousands of 
potential illegal immigrants, some of whom were likely trafficking 
victims.  The database contains approximately four million iris scan 
results, including the results of hundreds of thousands of illegal 
immigrants and convicts who have been deported. 
 
-- C. Is there a mechanism for coordination and communication 
between various agencies, internal, international, and multilateral 
on trafficking-related matters, such as a multi-agency working group 
or a task force? 
 
The government coordinates its trafficking efforts through the 
National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking which was set up 
specifically to address the problem.  The committee consists of 
members from various ministries, and is headed by a national 
coordinator who is currently Minister of State for Foreign Affairs. 
There is no anti-corruption task force, but several anti-corruption 
units have been established within the Abu Dhabi and Dubai police 
departments. 
 
Meetings of the National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking take 
place almost monthly, often at the Presidential Court in Abu Dhabi. 
The Committee is authorized by Cabinet decree as the official UAEG 
conduit for international requests, inquiries, and delegations on 
issues related to TIP. 
 
In a meeting in January 2009, the committee highlighted a media 
campaign in all UAE airports aiming at raising awareness about human 
trafficking.  The committee also discussed execution steps for the 
campaign and decided to implement them to create awareness about the 
crime.  The Chairman of the National Committee to Combat Human 
Trafficking said that the campaign held strategic importance, as it 
aimed to limit the number of human trafficking victims arriving 
through the airports of the country, who may be trapped in different 
kinds of frauds and fictional contracts.  He hoped that the campaign 
would further add to the nation's efforts in fighting human 
trafficking. 
 
-- D. Does the government have a national plan of action to address 
trafficking in persons?  If the plan was developed during the 
reporting period, which agencies were involved in developing it? 
Were NGOs consulted in the process?  What steps has the government 
taken to implement the action plan? 
 
 
ABU DHABI 00000202  015 OF 015 
 
 
The UAE addresses TIP through an action plan that rests on four 
pillars: 
1)  Legislation --Federal Law 51 defines trafficking and calls for 
strong punitive measures for all forms of human trafficking. 
2)  Enforcement --The UAEG has emphasized and focused on 
awareness-raising campaigns for the enforcement of anti-TIP laws. 
3)  Victim Support --The plan includes initiatives that determine 
how victims are treated by law enforcement officials as well as 
expands the help and welfare programs available to victims. 
4)  Bilateral and International Cooperation --The UAE recognizes the 
need to coordinate anti-TIP efforts with labor exporting countries 
and international NGOs. 
 
-- E: What measures has the government taken during the reporting 
period to reduce the demand for commercial sex 
acts? 
 
The police conduct raids in order to break up trafficking and 
prostitution rings.  They also monitor nightclubs and have shut down 
a number of clubs and brothels in which prostitution is known to 
occur. 
 
Stiff penalties such as life imprisonment if the victim is under 18 
years old or handicapped, deportation and permanent bans from 
entering the UAE are also imposed on those who engage in commercial 
sex acts. 
 
-- F. Required of all Posts: What measures has the government taken 
during the reporting period to reduce the participation in 
international child sex tourism by nationals of the country? 
 
There are no reliable reports that the UAE is a child sex tourism 
destination or source. 
OLSON