Kuwait's IOM holds symposium on media role in combating human trafficking

Under the auspices of Minister of Information and the Minister of State for Youth Affairs Sheikh Salman Sabah Al-Salem Al-Humoud Al-Sabah, the Kuwait's office of the International Organization for Migration held Wednesday a symposium on the role of media in fighting human trafficking. The symposium held in partnership with the Dutch embassy in Kuwait aims to highlight the crucial role of the media coverage in curbing and exposing human trafficking crimes. In a speech on behalf of Kuwait's Minister of Information, the Ministry Undersecretary Salah Al-Mubaraki said that Kuwait's constitution has enshrined equality and dignity for all humans and Kuwait had endorsed the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime in 2006 and issued a law on anti-human trafficking law last year. He added that the Ministry of Information has launched a series of campaigns to raise people's awareness about this crime. "We hope that the symposium would end up with a series of recommendations to expand the media outlets role in tackling this problem." For her part, Head of the IOM mission in Kuwait Eman Erekat said that the main objective of the symposium is to highlight the importance of the role of the media in combating the crime of human trafficking and activating the role of the media in the fight by launching awareness campaigns and programs to prevent and take of the victims of this crime. Erekat went on to say that boosting the role of media in monitoring aspects of this crime and shedding light on the relevant incidents that take place in the society, positively impact the efforts to combat this heinous crime. She noted that the speakers in the symposium include experts from the IOM, relevant Kuwaiti ministries, the UN special rapporteur on trafficking in human beings, Arab Gulf human trafficking experts and specialist press and media people from across the globe.