Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2024, published 113rd ILC session (2025)

Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29) - United Arab Emirates (Ratification: 1982)

Articles 1(1), 2(1) and 25 of the Convention. Trafficking in persons. 1. Institutional framework. The Committee takes note of the adoption of Federal Decree-Law No. 24 of 2023 on combating human trafficking, which reviews Federal Law No. 51 of 2006. The Government provides detailed information, in its report, on its institutional framework to combat forced labour and human trafficking, led by the National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking (NCCHT), which is instituted under sections 24 and 25 of Federal Decree-Law No. 24. The Committee also notes that section 25(1) mandates NCCHT to develop a comprehensive national strategy to combat human trafficking, and prepare plans, programmes and mechanisms for its implementation. The Committee encourages the Government to continue to pursue its efforts to combat trafficking in persons and requests it to provide information on the activities undertaken by the NCCHT. It also requests the Government to indicate the progress made in the development, adoption and implementation of a national Strategy to combat trafficking in persons.

2. Assistance and protection of victims. The Committee notes the Government’s information on the various complaints mechanisms, including the Dubai Police’s Centre for Monitoring Human Trafficking Crimes and electronic systems that support the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) in combating labour exploitation in all its forms. The Committee takes note of several initiatives aimed at raising awareness among the public and vulnerable groups such as domestic workers, as well training programs for those involved in combating trafficking. Additionally, the Government provides detailed information on the measures taken for the protection of victims of trafficking and the services that continue to be provided through the various shelters, including safe shelter and medical health (both for physical and mental health), social and legal services, programmes aimed at rehabilitating victims through skills development, as well as safe return and repatriation. The Committee also notes the Government’s information regarding the amount allocated to 58 victims of human trafficking in 2022 through the fund established in 2014 by the NCCHT to support victims of trafficking.

The Committee encourages the Government to sustain its efforts to ensure that victims of trafficking receive adequate protection, assistance, and information about their rights. It requests the Government to continue providing information and statistical data on complaints lodged by trafficking victims, the number of victims identified, those who have received assistance, and those awarded compensation.

3. Prosecution and penalties. The Committee notes the Government’s information on the establishment of a group of committees and units within all government institutions tasked with overseeing and investigating human trafficking crimes. Key components include inspection units, such as the operations section responsible for monitoring and conducting operations against human trafficking, and the pre-emptive detection section, which monitors social media platforms for potential signs of infringement that require intervention. The Government provides information on trainings of law enforcement authorities, such as the specialist diploma program on combating human trafficking, a four-month course in collaboration with the Dubai Judicial Instituted, in which approximately 25 per cent of inspectors across various executive, supervisory and specialized categories have participated since 2022.

The Government has reported that in 2021, 29 cases of human trafficking were identified with a total of 86 individuals implicated in these cases, receiving penalties ranging from life imprisonment to one year’s imprisonment, along with the confiscation of assets. Additionally, the Government has begun developing a national referral system, under the auspices of the NCCHT and in collaboration with various state actors. Among other things, the system aims to define the roles of law enforcement bodies at every stage of the prosecution process, ensuring comprehensive detection, evidence collection, and prosecution of perpetrators.

The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information on the measures taken to strengthen the capacities of law enforcement bodies and ensure the effective identification of cases of trafficking. The Committee also requests information on investigations conducted, the number of prosecutions initiated, convictions secured, and penalties imposed under Federal Decree-Law No. 24 of 2023.