Brigadier General Abdul Qader Ahmed Al-Shaaban, the Director General of the General Department of Training at the Ministry of Interior, has emphasized the significance of the International Organization for Migration’s role in upholding the rights of foreign workers. This was stated in a press release that was released concurrently with the end of a five-day training program called “Criminal and electronic investigations into cases of trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants,” which was put on by the Ministry of Interior and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations agency responsible for migration in Kuwait.

The organization’s office was established in the State of Kuwait in 1991, and in 2017 Kuwait became an active member of IOM, according to Brigadier General Al-Shaaban. According to what he said, Kuwait is home to between 60 and 70 percent of foreign contract workers of different nationalities. Brigadier General Al-Shaaban confirmed that the Ministry of Interior’s General Department of Training is eager to arrange workshops and training sessions for officers of various ranks with the relevant local and international authorities in order to accurately acquaint them with the rights of expatriate workers and their duties towards them.

He clarified that the training program was conducted from February 11 to February 15 by the Ministry of Interior’s General Department of Training in collaboration with the UN Migration Organization in Kuwait. The objective was to improve law enforcement officials’ capacity to combat human trafficking. Thirty Ministry of Interior officers from different departments took part in total. The late Amir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, known as the Humanitarian Leader, was remembered by Brigadier General Al-Shaaban for his humanitarian efforts, his significant international role in upholding the dignity of all Kuwaiti citizens, and his emphasis on treating expatriates with respect, upholding their rights and obligations, and enabling them to work comfortably in the nation. In closing, he said that the ministry will be holding a number of additional training sessions and events for national cadres in tandem with the changes being made to the labor and immigration laws in the State of Kuwait.

“Preventing human trafficking, protecting and assisting victims, and prosecuting perpetrators are essential elements for combating human trafficking,” stated Mazen Abu Al-Hassan, Head of the IOM mission in Kuwait. He emphasized that IOM is proud of its long-standing relationship with the Ministry of Interior through a number of workshops carried out in collaboration with the ministry over the years in a speech he gave following the session. According to Abu Al-Hassan, the training covered indicators for spotting human trafficking cases, international agreements and national legislation pertaining to human trafficking, how to use information technology to investigate cases of human trafficking, how to recognize psychological trauma symptoms in victims of trafficking, and how to set up interviewing techniques for both suspects and victims. The Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations demand that forced labor, modern slavery, and human trafficking be eradicated immediately and effectively.

The State of Kuwait, through its various ministries and institutions, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Justice, the Public Authority for Manpower, and the permanent national committee responsible for carrying out the national strategy to prevent human trafficking and migrant smuggling, is making efforts in the form of this training course. In his concluding remarks, Abu Al-Hassan outlined Kuwait’s efforts to combat the crime of human trafficking, citing the creation of law No. 91/2013 to combat migrant smuggling and human trafficking, the establishment of a center to house expatriate workers, and the formation of a permanent national committee tasked with carrying out the country’s strategy to stop migrant smuggling and human trafficking.