IOM Launches “Together Against Trafficking in Persons” Campaign in Kuwait

Kuwait - This week (8/6) IOM Kuwait launched its second national awareness raising campaign on human trafficking with #TogetherAgainstTrafficking.

The campaign, which runs until July 5, is being carried out under the auspices of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior and will be located at four popular malls in Kuwait during the Holy Month of Ramadan.

The aim of this campaign is to raise the public’s awareness on the concept of trafficking, its existence in Kuwait and the Middle East region generally, and ways to identify victims.  Many citizens and expatriates in Kuwait are unaware that there are migrants in Kuwait trafficked into forced domestic and sexual labour.

In recent years Kuwait’s Ministry of Social Affairs has recognized the need to build a shelter for foreign victims of trafficking and runaway workers, who had nowhere to go. The shelter has been in operation since December 2014.

IOM Kuwait collaborated with the Ministry of Interior to produce brochures that will be distributed during the campaign that provide guidelines for:

   Foreign labor – rights and duties.
   Duties of employers regarding foreign laborers.
   Kuwait’s efforts in combatting human trafficking.
   Criminalizing human trafficking in the State of Kuwait.

The brochures aim to expand Kuwaitis’ knowledge of human trafficking. IOM Kuwait Chief of Mission, Iman Ereiqat, said: “It is important to create awareness among the community, as many people do not know the true extent of trafficking in persons here.”

IOM’s work on counter-trafficking in Kuwait focuses on training the staff of various ministries. Topics include labor rights in national and international conventions, capacity-building of staff at the government shelter, in accordance with international standards, and the role of police in combatting human trafficking.

In 2015 alone, IOM Kuwait trained 64 officials from the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Information and the General Secretariat of the Supreme Council for Planning and Development.

Through its Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration (AVRR) programme, IOM Kuwait assisted 29 victims of trafficking to return home last year. The IOM office in Kuwait also works with the Ministry of Interior to facilitate the admission of victims of trafficking to the government shelter by acting as the first point of contact between the Ministry and the victim.

The campaign will be run from the following locations:

         June 8-10: Avenues Mall
         June 11-13: Marina Mall
         June 14-16: Souq Sharq

For further information, please contact Mohamed El Zarkani at IOM Kuwait, Tel.: +965 2530 8169   Email: iomkuwait@iom.int