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INFO GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 16 ABU DHABI 000284 
 
SIPDIS 
NEA/ARP, G/TIP, INL, DRL, PRM, NEA/RA-RINA CHATTERJI, G-LAURA PENA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM KTIP PGOV PREL PREF ELAB KCRM KFRD KWMN SMIG
ASEC, KMCA, AE 
SUBJECT: UAE'S 2010 TIP REPORT SUBMISSION 
 
REF: STATE 2094 
 
¶1. (U) Mission UAE's submission for the 2010 trafficking in persons 
report follows.  Responses are keyed to reftel paragraphs 25 to 30. 
 
 
 
 
 
THE COUNTRY'S TIP SITUATION 
 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) Please find below responses to questions in paragraph 25 
of reftel: 
 
25A Question: What is (are) the source(s) of available information 
on human trafficking? What plans are in place (if any) to undertake 
further documentation of human trafficking/ How reliable are these 
sources? 
 
 
 
25A Answer: The UAE government's central source for information is 
the National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking (NCCHT). 
Individual government ministries provide human trafficking 
information, especially the Ministries of Labor, Interior, Foreign 
Affairs, Justice, and Social Affairs.  Emirate-level governments 
(i.e. equivalent of US state governments) are also sources, as well 
as international organizations, NGOs, attorneys, human rights 
activists, local media, and diplomats and labor attaches from 
labor-sending countries. 
 
 
 
The UAE government (UAEG) continues to improve data collection and 
victim identification efforts, but it is difficult to determine the 
accuracy of official estimates.  The NCCHT is a ministerial-level 
interagency entity chaired by Dr. Anwar Gargash, Minister of State 
for Foreign Affairs, with a mandate to coordinate the 
anti-trafficking activities of the entire UAEG.  Awareness of and 
cooperation with the NCCHT among other government agencies appears 
to be absolute. 
 
 
 
25B Question: Is the country a country of origin, transit, and/or 
destination for men, women, or children subjected to conditions of 
commercial sexual exploitation, forced or bonded labor, or other 
slave-like conditions? Are citizens or residents of the country 
subjected to such trafficking conditions within the country? If so, 
does this internal trafficking occur in territory outside of the 
government's control (e.g. in a civil war situation)? From where 
are people recruited or from where do they migrate prior to being 
subjected to these exploitative conditions? To what other countries 
are people trafficked and for what purposes? 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)? 
 
 
 
25B Answer: The UAE is a destination for men and women, 
predominantly from South and Southeast Asia, trafficked for the 
 
ABU DHABI 00000284  002 OF 016 
 
 
purposes of labor and commercial sexual exploitation.  There are 
reports of bonded labor, and some migrants are subjected to 
conditions indicative of forced labor, including unlawful 
withholding of passports, restrictions on movement, non-payment of 
wages, threats or abuse.  There is no evidence that the UAE is a 
source country for trafficking victims. 
 
 
 
Migrants comprise more than 90 percent of the UAE's private sector 
workforce and are recruited primarily from India, Pakistan, 
Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, China, 
Thailand, Korea, Afghanistan, Iran and the Philippines.  According 
to UAEG sources, as of November 2009, there were 1.75 million 
Indians, 1.25 million Pakistanis, and 500,000 Bangladeshis in the 
UAE. 
 
 
 
Many expatriate workers complain of mistreatment, labor law 
violations, and low wages, but these complaints do not typically 
pertain to human trafficking.  The actual number of trafficking 
victims among the expatriate population is unknown. 
 
 
 
The primary change in the TIP situation since the last report 
relates to the UAEG's response.  The government is increasingly 
aggressive in prosecuting human trafficking cases and penalties for 
convictions have been harsh, including several life sentences. 
 
 
 
25C Question: To what kind of conditions are the trafficking 
victims subjected? 
 
 
 
25C Answer: Victims are usually defrauded by recruiters promising 
nonexistent jobs or unrealistic salaries and work conditions. 
Domestic workers were generally isolated from the outside world and 
sponsorship laws gave employers power to control their movements 
and left some of them vulnerable to exploitation. 
 
 
 
Nonpayment of wages was remedied when the Ministry of Labor (MOL) 
instituted a direct deposit system creating an electronic record of 
payment for all workers.  In the past year, the MOL hired at least 
130 additional labor inspectors and the Ministry of Interior (MOI) 
and emirate-level governments began carrying out independent 
inspections of construction sites and labor camps.  MOL claimed to 
have inspected 16,524 work sites seeking violations. 
 
 
 
25D Question: Vulnerability to TIP: Are certain groups of persons 
more at risk of human trafficking (e.g. women and children, boys 
versus girls, certain ethnic groups, refugees, IDPs, etc.)? If so, 
please specify the type of exploitation for which these groups are 
most at risk (e.g., girls are more at risk of domestic servitude 
than boys). 
 
ABU DHABI 00000284  003 OF 016 
 
 
25D Answer: Unskilled, uneducated workers from poor source 
countries were most vulnerable to TIP.  Widespread economic 
migration of both men and women allowed unscrupulous recruiters in 
source countries and employers in the UAE to take advantage of some 
laborers. 
 
 
 
25E Question: 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 gain direct access to victims? 
For example, are the traffickers recruiting victims through 
lucrative job offers? Are victims sold by their families, or 
approached by friends of friends? Are victims "self presenting" 
(approaching the exploiter without the involvement of a recruiter 
or transporter)? If recruitment or transportation is involved, what 
methods are used to recruit or transport 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? 
 
 
 
25E Answer: Labor recruitment offices in source countries lured 
foreign workers with employment contracts that were never honored, 
forcing workers into involuntary servitude and debt bondage. 
Businesses and individuals within the UAE reportedly promised 
migrants employment opportunities that never materialized. 
 
 
 
Some women from Eastern Europe, South East Asia, the Far East, East 
Africa, Iraq, Iran, and Morocco reportedly are trafficked to the 
UAE for commercial sexual exploitation.  Some foreign women also 
are reportedly recruited for work as secretaries or hotel workers 
by third-country recruiters and coerced into prostitution or 
domestic servitude after arriving in the UAE. 
 
 
 
Some trafficking victims were sold by their families.  UAE media 
reported at least two cases of Iraqi families who knowingly sold 
their teenage daughters to other Iraqis resident in the UAE for the 
purpose of prostitution. 
 
 
 
 
 
SETTING THE SCENE FOR THE GOVERNMENT'S ANTI-TIP EFFORTS 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---------------------- 
----------- 
 
 
 
¶3. (SBU) Please find below responses to questions in paragraph 26 
of reftel: 
 
 
 
26A Question: Does the government acknowledge that human 
 
ABU DHABI 00000284  004 OF 016 
 
 
trafficking is a problem in the country? If not, why not? 
 
 
 
26A Answer: The UAEG readily acknowledges that human trafficking is 
a problem in the country, and continues to improve its prevention, 
prosecution, and victim protection efforts.  Government Ministers 
commonly and candidly discuss human trafficking issues in public, 
in the media, and with US government interlocutors. 
 
 
 
26B Question: Which government agencies are involved in efforts to 
combat sex and labor trafficking - including forced labor - and, 
which agency, if any, has the lead in these efforts? 
 
 
 
26B Answer: Several federal ministries and emirate-level agencies 
are involved in anti-trafficking efforts.  At the federal level, 
the Ministries of Interior, Labor, Justice, Foreign Affairs, Social 
Affairs, and Health are actively involved, as well as the federal 
intelligence service.  At the emirate level, local police 
departments play a large role in combating TIP, especially the 
Dubai Police which created a separate anti-trafficking task force 
in 2009.  The lead agency to combat human trafficking is the NCCHT, 
which includes representation from all of the above-named federal 
ministries and local entities, in addition to public prosecutors, 
social services agencies, shelter staff, immigration officers, 
public health officials and mental health specialists. 
 
 
 
26C Question: What are the limitations on the government's ability 
to address these problems 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? 
 
 
 
26C Answer: The government's ability to address TIP is limited by 
available human resources and its federal structure.  The UAE has a 
small citizen population and scant experience with complex issues 
like TIP.  The UAEG passed its anti-trafficking law in 2006 and has 
dramatically intensified its efforts since then through additional 
training and increased prosecutions.  Nevertheless, the UAEG 
remains limited by a relative lack of experience with the issue. 
 
 
 
The federal government is a loose federation of seven emirates 
which exercise considerable autonomy over legal affairs.  The NCCHT 
appears to be successfully coordinating anti-trafficking efforts 
throughout the emirates but the committee is only three years old. 
Government corruption is not a problem. 
 
 
 
26D Question: To what extent dose the government systematically 
monitor its anti-trafficking efforts (on all fronts) and 
periodically make available, publicly or privately and directly or 
through regional/international organizations, its assessments of 
these anti-trafficking efforts? 
 
ABU DHABI 00000284  005 OF 016 
 
 
26D Answer: The NCCHT systematically monitors the UAE's overall 
anti-trafficking efforts and publishes a comprehensive annual 
report in addition to periodic informational updates.  NCCHT 
meetings are publicized by the UAEG and widely covered by both 
English and Arabic media. 
 
 
 
26E Question: What measures has the government taken to establish 
the identity of local populations, including birth registration, 
citizenship and nationality? 
 
 
 
26E Answer: Widely varying estimates in the tens of thousands of 
stateless residents are present in the UAE.  The government 
attempts to register all residents without citizenship and is 
improving naturalization procedures for these stateless persons 
(known as bidoon).  In 2009, the government granted nationality to 
at least 70 previously stateless persons. 
 
 
 
26F Question: To what extent is the government capable of gathering 
the data required for an in-depth assessment of law enforcement 
efforts? Where are the gaps? Are there any ways to work around 
these gaps? 
 
 
 
26F Answer: The government is capable of gathering the data 
required for an in-depth assessment of law enforcement efforts and 
the NCCHT attempts to do so every year.  The federal structure of 
the UAE may create inconsistency in data collection and analysis 
due to the autonomy of each emirate government. 
 
 
 
 
 
INVESTIGATION AND PROSECUTION OF TRAFFICKERS 
 
--------------------------------------------- -------------------- 
 
 
 
¶4. (SBU) Please find below responses to questions in paragraph 27 
of reftel: 
 
 
 
27A Question: Does the country have a law or laws specifically 
prohibiting trafficking in persons -- both 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 (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 
 
ABU DHABI 00000284  006 OF 016 
 
 
by means of force, fraud, or coercion? Are these other laws being 
used in trafficking cases? 
 
 
 
27A Answer: The UAE prohibits all forms of trafficking under its 
federal law Number 51 of 2006, enacted on November 9, 2006. 
Penalties for trafficking offenses range from one year's 
imprisonment to life imprisonment.  Although this comprehensive law 
emphasizes labor trafficking offenses, it has to date only been 
used to prosecute sex trafficking offenses.  In 2009, the UAE 
prosecuted numerous cases applying law Number 51 and at least nine 
individuals received life sentences for human trafficking offenses. 
 
 
 
 
27B Question: What are the prescribed and imposed penalties for the 
trafficking of persons for commercial sexual exploitation, 
including for the forced prostitution of adults and the 
prostitution of children? 
 
 
 
27B Answer: 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.  Persons aware of TIP 
crimes who fail to report them can be imprisoned for one to five 
years.  In 2009, the UAE filed charges under this provision, 
reportedly for the first time, and sought one year prison terms in 
cases where prosecutors believed witnesses should have reported 
potential trafficking victims. 
 
 
 
In January 2010, 13 Syrian men were convicted of human trafficking 
for the forced sexual exploitation of at least 15 Moroccan women. 
Seven of the convicted traffickers received life sentences, while 
six received ten year prison terms. 
 
 
 
27C Question: What are the prescribed and imposed penalties for 
labor trafficking offenses, including all forms of forced 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 compelled service in the destination country? 
If your country is a destination for labor migrants (legal/regular 
or illegal/irregular), are there laws punishing employers or labor 
agents who confiscate workers' passports or travel documents for 
the purpose of labor trafficking, switch contracts without the 
worker's consent as a means to keep the worker in a state of 
compelled service, or withhold payment of salaries as means of 
keeping the worker in a state of compelled service? 
 
 
 
27C Answer: The minimum penalty for labor trafficking offenses is 
five years.  Life imprisonment can be ordered under certain 
circumstances.  The anti-trafficking law is sufficiently broad to 
cover labor recruiters in both source and destination countries. 
 
ABU DHABI 00000284  007 OF 016 
 
 
The UAE Labor Law criminalizes the use of fraudulent documents in 
labor recruitment and passport withholding is prohibited. 
 
 
 
27D Question: 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) 
 
 
 
27D Answer: Rape is punishable by sentences ranging from two years 
imprisonment to death.  Penalties for sex trafficking range from a 
minimum of five years to life in prison. 
 
 
 
27E Question: Did the government take legal action 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 trafficking 
offenders 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). What were the actual 
punishments imposed on convicted trafficking offenders? Are they 
serving the time sentenced? If not, why not? 
 
 
 
27E Answer: The government reported 36 human trafficking cases 
prosecuted under Law Number 51 in the first nine months of 2009, 
compared to 20 in calendar year 2008. Subsequent press reports 
describing new cases would indicate the total number of TIP 
prosecutions was approximately 45.  The NCCHT estimates the number 
of accused traffickers during the reporting period was over 100. 
All known trafficking convictions resulted in prison terms rather 
than fines.  Penalties reported for trafficking convictions in 2009 
ranged from one year for failure to report knowledge of a 
trafficking victim to life imprisonment for commercial sexual 
exploitation.  All of the reported convictions related to sex 
trafficking and the vast majority of the victims were adult 
females.  There were reports of at least three girls under age 18 
trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation. 
 
 
 
27F Question: Does the government provide any specialized training 
for law enforcement and immigration officials on identifying and 
treating victims of trafficking? Or training on investigating and 
prosecuting human trafficking crimes? Specify whether NGOs, 
international organizations, and/or the USG provide specialized 
training for host government officials. 
 
 
 
27F Answer: The NCCHT organized several training sessions for 
 
ABU DHABI 00000284  008 OF 016 
 
 
judicial and law enforcement officials, in coordination with social 
services agency staff.  Dubai police held workshops with the Dubai 
Foundation for Women and Children, which operates the local TIP 
shelter.  The UAEG also contracted with IOM to provide 
anti-trafficking training to law enforcement personnel in Dubai and 
Abu Dhabi during 2009. 
 
 
 
A primary focus of every training session conducted in 2009 was 
victim identification and protection.  Shelter staff in Abu Dhabi 
and Dubai reported increased sensitivity and awareness among law 
enforcement officials compared to previous years. 
 
 
 
27G Question: 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. 
 
 
 
27G Answer: The UAEG completed its ninth bilateral agreement with 
labor source countries in 2009.  It cooperated with other 
governments investigating their own trafficking cases.  The UAEG 
cooperated with the Government of the Philippines when it shut down 
numerous Philippines-based recruiting agencies that had stranded 
137 Filipino bus drivers in Dubai who were promised nonexistent 
jobs.  The UAEG allowed the drivers who so desired to remain in the 
country until they found other work.  The NCCHT reported that the 
UAE government conducted joint TIP investigations with Tunisia, 
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, and several GCC states. 
 
 
 
27H Question: 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. 
 
 
 
27H Answer: The UAE has reportedly extradited persons charged with 
trafficking in other countries.  None of these cases involved the 
United States. 
 
 
 
27I Question: Is there evidence of government involvement in or 
tolerance of trafficking, on a local or institutional level? If so, 
please explain in detail. 
 
 
 
27I Answer: There is no known government involvement in 
trafficking.  Although speculation exists that trafficking has been 
tolerated by the government due to the importance of foreign labor, 
the UAEG's recent efforts to combat trafficking make this 
increasingly unlikely.  The Minister of Labor has made several 
public statements categorizing human trafficking and involuntary 
servitude as an impediment to sustained economic growth. 
 
ABU DHABI 00000284  009 OF 016 
 
 
27J Question: If government officials are involved in human 
trafficking, what steps has the government taken to end such 
complicity? Please indicate the number of government officials 
investigated and prosecuted for involvement in trafficking or 
trafficking-related criminal activities 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. 
 
 
 
27J Answer: There is no evidence that government officials are 
involved in human trafficking. 
 
 
 
27K Question: 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. 
 
 
 
27K Answer: There is no evidence UAE troops stationed abroad 
engaged in or facilitated trafficking. 
 
 
 
27L Question: 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? 
 
 
 
27L Answer: The UAE does not have an identified problem of child 
sex tourists coming to the country. 
 
 
 
 
 
PROTECTION AND ASSISTANCE TO VICTIMS 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
 
 
¶5. (SBU) Please find below responses to questions in paragraph 28 
 
ABU DHABI 00000284  010 OF 016 
 
 
of reftel: 
 
 
 
28A Question: What kind of protection is the government able under 
existing law to provide for victims and witnesses? Does it provide 
these protections in practice? 
 
 
 
28A Answer: The UAEG provides care and protection to trafficking 
victims, including repatriation assistance.  Public hospitals and 
TIP shelters provide health care and counseling. 
 
 
 
28B Question: 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. 
 
 
 
28B Answer: The government operates shelters in Dubai and Abu Dhabi 
largely for female victims of trafficking and abuse.  In February 
2010, the government announced plans to open additional shelters in 
the northern emirates of Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah by mid-2010. 
This network of shelters is funded by the UAEG and operates under 
the auspices of the Red Crescent Authority.  Foreign and domestic 
victims, adults and children, have the same access to these 
shelters and their rehabilitative services. 
 
 
 
Male victims can receive assistance at their embassies, consulates 
or overseas labor offices.  Many labor-sending countries offer 
shelter in addition to legal and repatriation assistance to their 
citizens. 
 
 
 
28C Question: 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. 
 
ABU DHABI 00000284  011 OF 016 
 
 
28C Answer: The government-operated shelters offer comprehensive 
protection and rehabilitation services including health and 
nutritional care, psychological assessment, vocational training, 
pro bono legal assistance, clothing, and academic instruction 
including computer classes and language lessons. 
 
 
 
28D Question: 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. 
 
 
 
28D Answer: The government waives immigration and other violations 
for identified trafficking victims.  For example, victims of 
commercial sexual exploitation are not charged with prostitution. 
The government also provides repatriation assistance.  Deportation 
may occur in cases where individuals are not identified as victims 
of trafficking. 
 
 
 
28E Question: Does the government provide longer-term shelter or 
housing benefits to victims or other resources to aid the victims 
in rebuilding their lives? 
 
 
 
28E Answer: In 2009, the government continued funding a 
rehabilitation program, in coordination with UNICEF, for former 
child camel jockeys who were repatriated in previous years.  The 
UAEG provided compensation to the victims and their families and 
directly financed community development projects in their home 
countries. 
 
 
 
28F Question: 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)? 
 
 
 
28F Answer: Yes, law enforcement authorities are trained to 
identify trafficking victims.  Once identified, victims are 
referred to one of the local shelters. 
 
 
 
28G Question: What is the total number of trafficking victims 
identified during the reporting period? (If available, please 
specify the type of exploitation of these victims e.g. "The 
government identified X number of trafficking victims during the 
reporting period, Y or which were victims of trafficking for sexual 
exploitation and Z of which were victims of nonconsensual labor 
exploitation.) 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? 
 
ABU DHABI 00000284  012 OF 016 
 
 
28G Answer: The government identified an estimated 80 trafficking 
victims during the reporting period, all of whom were victims of 
trafficking for sexual exploitation.  All of the identified victims 
were referred to care facilities, but some chose to immediately 
return to their home countries.  The Abu Dhabi and Dubai shelters 
assisted approximately 50 women during the reporting period. 
 
 
 
28H Question: 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? 
 
 
 
28H Answer: During the reporting period the UAEG, in coordination 
with IOM, trained law enforcement, immigration, and social services 
personnel in identifying potential victims of human trafficking. 
The training emphasized warning signs to watch for, populations 
vulnerable to trafficking, and the most effective methods for 
interviewing potential victims. 
 
 
 
28I Question: 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? 
 
 
 
28I Answer: Victims' rights are respected once they are identified 
as trafficking victims.  Identified trafficking victims are not 
jailed, fined or prosecuted for other violations as a result of 
their trafficking.  Victims who cooperate with law enforcement 
officials are provided housing and sometimes employment.  Police 
reported that victims often choose immediate repatriation, at UAEG 
expense, rather than testifying against their traffickers. 
 
 
 
28J Question: 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? 
 
 
 
28J Answer: The government actively encourages victims to assist in 
the investigation and prosecution of traffickers.  Dubai police 
reported that victim testimony increased their chances for a 
successful prosecution and conviction.  Victims can file civil 
suits seeking damages from their traffickers with no impediments to 
 
ABU DHABI 00000284  013 OF 016 
 
 
such legal redress.  Victims who agree to testify as witnesses are 
housed in hotels at UAEG expense.  They are permitted to leave the 
country or seek other employment. 
 
 
 
28K Question: 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). 
 
 
 
28K Answer: The UAEG provides specialized training for government 
officials in identifying and assisting trafficking victims. 
Police, public prosecutors, labor officials, and social services 
staff participated in training sessions arranged by IOM, the UAEG 
and emirate-level governments. 
 
 
 
Two separate delegations, comprising law enforcement officials and 
shelter personnel, were part of training programs at the 
International Training Centre for Human Trafficking Prevention, 
part of the Belarus Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. 
 
 
 
Abu Dhabi hosted a symposium on protecting victims of human 
trafficking, organized by the Ministry of Interior, and attended by 
delegates from various ministries, federal and local departments, 
civil society organizations, and representatives of the United 
Nations Development Program. 
 
 
 
28L Question: Does the government provide assistance, such as 
medical aid, shelter, or financial help, to its nationals who are 
repatriated as victims of trafficking? 
 
 
 
28L Answer: There were no reports of UAE citizens becoming 
trafficking victims. 
 
 
 
28M Question: 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? 
 
 
 
28M Answer: Victim services are primarily provided by the shelters, 
which are quasi-governmental entities.  The Abu Dhabi shelter is 
operated under the auspices of the Red Crescent Authority.  New 
 
ABU DHABI 00000284  014 OF 016 
 
 
shelters opening mid-2010 in Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah will have 
similar governance.  The Dubai shelter is operated by the Dubai 
Foundation for Women and Children.  These entities are not by 
definition NGOs, they are funded by the government and receive 
strong cooperation from local authorities.  Coordination between 
local authorities and victim services entities improved greatly in 
2009 when shelter and police personnel arranged joint victim 
identification and protection training sessions. 
 
 
 
IOM assists the UAEG's anti-trafficking efforts but primarily 
through practical training rather than direct work with victims. 
The UAE invited the UN Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons 
to visit the country during the reporting period. 
 
 
 
 
 
PREVENTION 
 
---------------- 
 
 
 
¶6. (SBU) Please find below responses to questions in paragraph 29 
of reftel: 
 
 
 
29A Question: 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.) 
 
 
 
29A Answer: The government conducted anti-trafficking information 
and education campaigns within the UAE and in Embassies and 
Consulates in labor-sending countries.  The Ministry of Interior 
organized seminars in work places and labor camps.  The campaigns 
are intended to educate workers on their rights in the UAE and 
where they can get help for themselves or anyone they suspect may 
be a trafficking victim.  Toll-free hotlines are widely publicized 
and pamphlets on human trafficking are printed in multiple 
languages.  The Ministry of Interior is distributing to labor 
camps, government offices, NGOs, and media outlets, a pocket book 
on workers' rights printed in English, Arabic, Tagalog, Persian, 
Urdu, and Chinese.  A planned airport advertising campaign was 
delayed until 2010. 
 
 
 
29B Question: Does the government monitor immigration and 
emigration patterns for evidence of trafficking? 
 
ABU DHABI 00000284  015 OF 016 
 
 
29B Answer: Yes, immigration officials are represented on the NCCHT 
and received training in identifying travel patterns to and from 
source countries. 
 
 
 
29C Question: 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? 
 
 
 
29C Answer: The National Committee to Combat Human trafficking 
(NCCHT) is a federal entity with authority to coordinate 
anti-trafficking programs across all levels of government in all 
seven emirates.  The NCCHT includes representatives from the 
Ministries of Labor, Justice, Social Affairs, Health, Foreign 
Affairs, and Federal National Council Affairs, as well as State 
Security, the Red Crescent Authority and TIP victims' shelters. 
 
 
 
29D Question: 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? 
 
 
 
29D Answer: The national action plan was developed by the NCCHT and 
is constantly under review.  The NCCHT has met 19 times since its 
inception in 2007.  During the reporting period, the NCCHT reviewed 
anti-trafficking proposals from shelter, police, labor, health, 
immigration, and security officials.  Proposed amendments to the 
UAE trafficking law and action plan included: diversion of funds 
seized from traffickers to victim rehabilitation; monitoring of 
international trafficking routes; and legal protection for 
informers. 
 
 
 
29E Question: What measures has the government taken during the 
reporting period to reduce the demand for commercial sex acts? 
 
 
 
29E Answer: The government enforces strict laws of morality in 
accordance with Islamic principles. 
 
 
 
29F Question: What measures has the government taken during the 
reporting period to reduce the participation in international child 
sex tourism by nationals of the country? 
 
 
 
29F Answer: There are no reliable reports that the UAE is a child 
sex tourism destination or source. 
 
ABU DHABI 00000284  016 OF 016 
 
 
PARTNERSHIPS 
 
------------------ 
 
 
 
¶7. (SBU) Please find below responses to questions in paragraph 30 
of reftel: 
 
 
 
30A Question: Does the government engage with other governments, 
civil society, and/or multilateral organizations to focus attention 
and devote resources to addressing human trafficking? If so, please 
provide details. 
 
 
 
30A Answer: Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan 
donated $15 million to fund the creation of the UN Global 
Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking (UN-GIFT). 
 
 
 
30B Question: What sort of international assistance does the 
government provide to other countries to address TIP? 
 
 
 
30B Answer: There were no reports that the government provided 
international assistance to other countries to address TIP. 
 
 
 
 
 
UAE TIP POC 
 
--------------- 
 
 
 
¶8. (SBU) Primary point of contact for trafficking issues is Aaron 
Nuutinen, FS-03.  Estimated number of hours spent compiling this 
report by POC: 40.  Estimated number of hours spent by various 
Embassy Abu Dhabi and Consulate Dubai officers and LES: 20.  POC 
telephone: +971 2 414 2621; fax: +971 2 414 2639; email: 
nuutinenaa@state.gov. 
OLSON