The symposium entitled “Promoting Human Rights Culture: Anti-Trafficking in Persons Law,” was inaugurated by HRC President Bandar Al-Iban, who spoke about a royal decree last year regarding human trafficking.
Deputy Foreign Minister for Multilateral Relations Prince Turki bin Muhammad bin Saud spoke at the event and called the Kingdom’s human rights work “a national and a religious responsibility” and pointed out that Shariah grants human rights to everyone.
Prince Turki outlined Saudi Arabia’s participation in international agreements regarding human rights and the effective measures to protect human rights, such as forming institutes and commissions.
“The HRC was established five years ago and is counted as the main step in the field of coordinating the government’s policies in the human rights field,” said Prince Turki.
Prince Turki stressed the importance of considering the rights of all people for a decent and dignified life that should not be subjected to political considerations.
“Human rights is not a luxury that ‘may’ or ‘may not’ be adopted, it is becoming a social and human necessity and a civilized characteristic of societies,” said Al-Iban, adding that the world is facing many challenges on top of which is the crime of human trafficking. Statistics reveal that more than 800,000 people are being transported through borders annually around the world.
Human trafficking is one of the fastest growing organized crimes, following drug trafficking, said Al-Iban.
President of the National Society for Human Rights Moflih Al-Qahtani spoke of the role expected of the civil society’s organizations to combat human trafficking and spreading the culture that helps denounce it.
Deputy Minister of Labor Abdul Wahid Al-Humaid spoke of the large number of foreign laborers in the Kingdom. Al-Hameed pointed out the clear articles in the Kingdom’s labor law that preserve the rights of workers without discrimination between Saudis and non-Saudis, adding that in the very near future a list of regulations for housemaids will be issued to confirm their rights and duties.
“The Kingdom, through providing job opportunities for foreign labor force and enabling them to retain savings and transferring them to their countries, contributes to the reduction of unemployment in many countries and provides decent lives for millions,” said Al-Hameed.
