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E-mailAzzam Al Turkmani, Professional Journalist
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Human trafficking exploits human beings in the most heinous ways. Victims are used for prostitution, forced labor, slavery, and even for their organs. In Syria, reports of human trafficking range from news about husbands trading their wives to other men for money, to young girls sold by their parents into prostitution.
Syria, in addition to Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Libya, Morocco, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Oman, have all signed the human trafficking resolution issued by the United Nations. In addition, the International Organization for Migration has been cooperating with the Syrian government to develop legislation regarding human trafficking and to further develop the Syrian government’s ability to combat human trafficking. All countries have been developing legislation and government programs in order to suppress human trafficking. Most countries have agreed to label human trafficking as a form of organized crime, since human trafficking is usually perpetrated by groups who are either directly or indirectly involved in other criminal activities like the narcotics trade or money laundering.
In spite of this apparent action on the part of the Syrian government, however, human trafficking seems to still be growing. The authorities are reluctant to recognize or address the problem on the ground. They shy away from serious study of the problem. According to Al-Tharwa newspaper, Mrs. Leila Tomeh, the head of the department of development for the International Organization of Migration said, “There are no figures or statistics regarding the number of victims of human trafficking in Syria.”
We interviewed Mr. Fawzi, a lawyer, about some of the reasons why people become involved in human trafficking and how victims are found. He told us, “Human trafficking is often linked to poor economic conditions. Counties with large amounts of migration from rural areas to cities also have more human trafficking. Gender inequality, lack of employment, natural disasters, and lawlessness can also be contributing factors. A major cause of human trafficking is criminal organizations which specialize in prostitution and sex. These types of organizations need to attract as many victims as possible in order to have a successful business.” Mr. Fawzi added, “Human trafficking is also popular in places where there is a large military presence, or high demand for girls and prostitutes. Employers will also take advantage of human trafficking because they can get cheap, exploitable labor.”
“No country is immune to human trafficking,” Mr. Fawzi continued us. “Every year there are around 4-800 thousand men, women, and children who are trafficked across international borders. Eighty percent of these victims are women. Add to that the number of people who are trafficked within states and it becomes difficult to estimate the exact number of victims around the world. Human trafficking is a secret activity, similar to weapons smuggling and drug smuggling; it is hard to get exact numbers.”
We also spoke with Dr. Ibrahim Daraji, a professor at the faculty of law at the University of Qalamoun. Dr. Daraji is also a member of the committee which has been assigned to draft the much anticipated human trafficking law. Regarding the legal approach to human trafficking, Dr. Daraji said, “It is not common in Syria, but human trafficking does exist.” Dr. Daraji continued, “We as lawyers have the duty of highlighting and analyzing the negative aspects of human trafficking in order to advise decision makers that it is a problem that must be addressed before it spirals out of control. The main elements that foster human trafficking are poor economic conditions, extreme poverty in rural areas, migration from country to city, lack of employment, and the extreme lengths that children will go to in order to find work that will support their families.”
Dr. Daraji added, “The proliferation of human trafficking and crimes associated with it usually happens during periods of economic crisis and particularly during wars. There has been a huge increase in sexual exploitation and human trafficking in Iraq since the occupation. Some reports claim as many as 350 Iraqi girls have been kidnapped and exported to other countries.”
“Maid services are also participants in human trafficking,” Dr. Daraji continued. “Exploitation, beatings, and prostitution are common among maid services and there are many reports of sexual abuse from clients and from bosses.”
We asked Dr. Daraji how Syrian law is prepared to deal with the human trafficking. He responded, “Syrian law criminalizes all acts of human trafficking and any crimes associated with it: sexual exploitation, trade in human organs, acts of slavery … these are all prohibited and punishable by law. The Syrian constitution stresses that all citizens have personal liberty, dignity, and security. Decree No. 29, established in 1970, enacts sanctions against any person who facilitates illegal movement of immigrants from inside or outside Syria. It also established sanctions against prostitution.” Dr. Daraji continued, “Law No. 30 established a hard labor sentence and a fine of 50,000 to 100,000 Syrian pounds [approximately 1090- 2180 USD] for anyone caught trading human organs. However, laws are not always enforced and that is why the fundamental issue we must address in order to combat human trafficking is new, effective legislation.”
Dr. Daraji then addressed the victims of human trafficking. “We are talking about people who have freedom and dignity under law. Laws against human trafficking should clearly state that they will provide temporary protection for victims of trafficking and ensure that the victims will not be dealt with as criminals or suspects. In addition, punishment must be tightened on traffickers, especially when the victims are children and women who are taken advantage of by relatives or spouses.”
Dr. Daraji concluded by saying, “We don’t need a legal revolution to deal with this problem; we just need to add legal rhetoric which focuses on protecting and caring for the victims of human trafficking. We are now in the early stages of drafting such a law, which is unique not only in the Arab world but also on the international level.”
Whether human trafficking is on the rise because of poverty, human nature, or the economy, no one is certain. Whatever the case may be, the fact is that the Syrian government must fulfill their promises regarding laws and regulations to curb this phenomenon and protect its citizens before human trafficking becomes rampant and uncontrollable within the country.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Human trafficking exploits human beings in the most heinous ways. Victims are used for prostitution, forced labor, slavery, and even for their organs. In Syria, reports of human trafficking range from news about husbands trading their wives to other men for money, to young girls sold by their parents into prostitution. Syria, in addition to Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Libya, Morocco, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Oman, have all signed the human trafficking resolution issued by the United Nations. In addition, the International Organization for Migration has been cooperating with the Syrian government to develop legislation regarding human trafficking and to further develop the Syrian government’s ability to combat human trafficking. All countries have been developing legislation and government programs in order to suppress human trafficking. Most countries have agreed to label human trafficking as a form of organized crime, since human trafficking is usually perpetrated by groups who are either directly or indirectly involved in other criminal activities like the narcotics trade or money laundering.
In spite of this apparent action on the part of the Syrian government, however, human trafficking seems to still be growing. The authorities are reluctant to recognize or address the problem on the ground. They shy away from serious study of the problem. According to Al-Tharwa newspaper, Mrs. Leila Tomeh, the head of the department of development for the International Organization of Migration said, “There are no figures or statistics regarding the number of victims of human trafficking in Syria.”
We interviewed Mr. Fawzi, a lawyer, about some of the reasons why people become involved in human trafficking and how victims are found. He told us, “Human trafficking is often linked to poor economic conditions. Counties with large amounts of migration from rural areas to cities also have more human trafficking. Gender inequality, lack of employment, natural disasters, and lawlessness can also be contributing factors. A major cause of human trafficking is criminal organizations which specialize in prostitution and sex. These types of organizations need to attract as many victims as possible in order to have a successful business.” Mr. Fawzi added, “Human trafficking is also popular in places where there is a large military presence, or high demand for girls and prostitutes. Employers will also take advantage of human trafficking because they can get cheap, exploitable labor.”
“No country is immune to human trafficking,” Mr. Fawzi continued us. “Every year there are around 4-800 thousand men, women, and children who are trafficked across international borders. Eighty percent of these victims are women. Add to that the number of people who are trafficked within states and it becomes difficult to estimate the exact number of victims around the world. Human trafficking is a secret activity, similar to weapons smuggling and drug smuggling; it is hard to get exact numbers.”
We also spoke with Dr. Ibrahim Daraji, a professor at the faculty of law at the University of Qalamoun. Dr. Daraji is also a member of the committee which has been assigned to draft the much anticipated human trafficking law. Regarding the legal approach to human trafficking, Dr. Daraji said, “It is not common in Syria, but human trafficking does exist.” Dr. Daraji continued, “We as lawyers have the duty of highlighting and analyzing the negative aspects of human trafficking in order to advise decision makers that it is a problem that must be addressed before it spirals out of control. The main elements that foster human trafficking are poor economic conditions, extreme poverty in rural areas, migration from country to city, lack of employment, and the extreme lengths that children will go to in order to find work that will support their families.”
Dr. Daraji added, “The proliferation of human trafficking and crimes associated with it usually happens during periods of economic crisis and particularly during wars. There has been a huge increase in sexual exploitation and human trafficking in Iraq since the occupation. Some reports claim as many as 350 Iraqi girls have been kidnapped and exported to other countries.”
“Maid services are also participants in human trafficking,” Dr. Daraji continued. “Exploitation, beatings, and prostitution are common among maid services and there are many reports of sexual abuse from clients and from bosses.”
We asked Dr. Daraji how Syrian law is prepared to deal with the human trafficking. He responded, “Syrian law criminalizes all acts of human trafficking and any crimes associated with it: sexual exploitation, trade in human organs, acts of slavery … these are all prohibited and punishable by law. The Syrian constitution stresses that all citizens have personal liberty, dignity, and security. Decree No. 29, established in 1970, enacts sanctions against any person who facilitates illegal movement of immigrants from inside or outside Syria. It also established sanctions against prostitution.” Dr. Daraji continued, “Law No. 30 established a hard labor sentence and a fine of 50,000 to 100,000 Syrian pounds [approximately 1090- 2180 USD] for anyone caught trading human organs. However, laws are not always enforced and that is why the fundamental issue we must address in order to combat human trafficking is new, effective legislation.”
Dr. Daraji then addressed the victims of human trafficking. “We are talking about people who have freedom and dignity under law. Laws against human trafficking should clearly state that they will provide temporary protection for victims of trafficking and ensure that the victims will not be dealt with as criminals or suspects. In addition, punishment must be tightened on traffickers, especially when the victims are children and women who are taken advantage of by relatives or spouses.”
Dr. Daraji concluded by saying, “We don’t need a legal revolution to deal with this problem; we just need to add legal rhetoric which focuses on protecting and caring for the victims of human trafficking. We are now in the early stages of drafting such a law, which is unique not only in the Arab world but also on the international level.”
Whether human trafficking is on the rise because of poverty, human nature, or the economy, no one is certain. Whatever the case may be, the fact is that the Syrian government must fulfill their promises regarding laws and regulations to curb this phenomenon and protect its citizens before human trafficking becomes rampant and uncontrollable within the country.
Some of the names of our contributors have been changed to protect their identity. The names of people interviewed have also been changed. The opinions expressed in our regional pieces reflect the beliefs of their writers, and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs or opinions of the Tharwa Foundation and its members.
