Explained: Human Trafficking and its Punishments in the UAEPosted by Dr. Hassan Elhais on August 29th, 2022 Human trafficking, generally understood to mean the trade of humans for forced labour, slavery, exploitation including sexual. The United Arab Emirates prohibits human trafficking through a governing legislation, called the Federal Law No 51 of 2006 on Combating Human Trafficking Crimes (Human Trafficking Law) and other action plans, such as shelter and social support centres, toll free helpline numbers, amongst others. What is the Crime of Human Trafficking? Article 1 (bis) (1) of Human Trafficking Law defines the crime of human trafficking. Article 1 (bis) (1) states as below.
Accordingly, a human trafficking crime is said to have been committed by a person if he buys or sells persons including children, recruits children for exploitation or recruits persons through coercion, fraud or abduction for exploitation. Exploitation includes sexual exploitation, forced labour, slavery, removing organs, prostitution, begging and similar activities. What is the punishment for Human Trafficking? The crime of human trafficking is punishable under Article 2 with minimum imprisonment of at least 5 years and maximum 15 years. Fines of at least AED 100,000 is also prescribed as a punishment. That said, life imprisonment may be imposed in certain circumstances of human trafficking, including in the case where the victim is a child or a disabled person, or the perpetrator is the victim’s spouse or has authority over them, or is a public officer or public servant abusing his position for the crime, or if the act is committed by threat of death or serious injury or physical or mental torture, amongst others. Article 2, which sets out the punishments for human trafficking, is set out below. “Any person who commits a crime involving human trafficking set forth in Article 1 (bis) (1) of this Law shall be subject to temporary imprisonment for no less than five years and to a fine of at least one hundred thousand Dirhams Life imprisonment shall be sentenced in the following cases:
Can you disclose the names or identity of the victims of human trafficking crimes? No, the names and photos of the victims or witnesses should not be published by any means of publication. If a person publishes the name of photos of either the victim or witnesses involved in human trafficking crimes, he will be punished with imprisonment and fine of at least AED 10,000 or either under Article 6 (bis) of the Human Trafficking Law. Author Dr. Hassan Elhais, legal consultant in Dubai along with his team of legal consultants and prominent local lawyers across the UAE, has made a name for himself as a renowned specialist in the fields of civil law, construction law, banking law, criminal law, family law, inheritance law, company incorporation, and arbitration. Like it? Share it!More by this author |