The department against human trafficking, which was established two months ago, will refer persons accused of this crime to the Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution for punishment and sanctions on those who exploit workers.

“The ministry is in the process of giving support to the department, developing its policies, mechanisms and procedures so that inspectors are notified on the spot of cases of human trafficking and how to deal with them,” Undersecretary of the Ministry of Labor for Inspection and Developing Work Environment Abdullah Abu Thunaiyan told local media.

Commenting on the feminization of women’s shops and the hardships owners of these shops face because of the lack of Saudi females taking in this work, Abu Thunaiyan stated that the ministry is working toward Implementing proper conditions for a female work force.

“The majority of shop owners are committed to the regulations. More Saudi females are starting to enter the labor force and the Human Development Resources Fund (HADAF) has a list of Saudi females wishing to work in shops,” he said.

According to the latest statistics in 1435, the labor inspection department conducted 267,899 inspections across the Kingdom. “The visits involved 5,149,883 workers at 180,435 establishments where 83,138 violations were recorded,” Abu Thunaiyan noted. He said the number of class actions suits received by labor offices in the Kingdom stood at 4,750. “The inspection visits increased by 50 percent in 1435 compared to the year before,” he explained.

The highest proportion of visits involved the wholesale and retail sectors, amounting to 41.53 percent of the total visits, he added. The construction and building sector ranked second with 22.63 percent, while social services followed with 16.6 percent.

Abu Thunaiyan pointed out that the manufacturing industries amounted 13.94 percent of the total inspection visits. “About 43 percent of the visits ended up by providing guidance and advice to employers, while the proportion of violations amounted to 41 percent of the visits,” he added.