The Human Rights Commission (HRC) has stressed that the Kingdom under the leadership of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman has attached great importance to the issue of combating human trafficking crimes, The Kingdom, it said, was able to fight trafficking through the regulations it has enacted, the international agreements and protocols it has joined, and Memorandums of Cooperation it has signed with the related international organizations and authorities. The HRC has asserted that these efforts have contributed to building a legal and institutional framework that guarantees protection of every person from human trafficking crimes without any discrimination, bolstering the pursuit of perpetrators of crimes, leveling charges and accusing them, issuing stern verdicts against them and providing the victims with health, psychological and legal assistance. Marking the World Day for Combating Human Trafficking, the HRC said: "These crimes are deemed among the ugliest that violate human rights, usurp a person's freedom and violate his dignity. "Emanating from the Kingdom's belief in the importance of countering human trafficking crimes of all forms, preventing their occurrence, it has taken the initiative to counter and combat them, and spread awareness on their dangers "The Kingdom has also been keen to cooperate, on a continuous basis, with the mechanisms of the United Nations and the international community so as to fight this menace." The HRC confirmed that in order to enhance global cooperation in this field, the Kingdom recently approved a memorandum of technical cooperation the Human Rights Commission had signed with the Office for Monitoring Combating Human Trafficking at the US State Department in Riyadh last November. It said that this agreement comes as a continuation of the Kingdom's efforts to combat this crime, among which is the National Program to Combat Human Trafficking for the years 2017 – 2020, within whose sphere many programs meant for those assigned with implementing the law. In this regard, the HRC referred to the MoU the Kingdom signed with the International Organization for Migration, which aimed at enhancing cooperation in the technical issues related to human trafficking and preventing it; helping, caring for, protecting and sheltering the victims; developing the activities and programs, and developing the national capabilities in this field. The HRC said that there is a lot of work to be done and many activities that have been carried out in line with this MoU. The HRC has asserted that there are discernable national efforts within the sphere of combating human trafficking. Among these are the efforts to establish 107 circuits to investigate human trafficking cases at all the branches of Public Prosecution and all the circuits related to them. In addition, it has been compulsory for employers to have in place a program for protecting wages and to monitor payment of wages, documentation of contracts and salaries, and guaranteeing rights. Furthermore, Labor consulates have been established in seven countries, Musaned Program for domestic workers has been set up that links the procedures for employing the worker from his country until he departs from the Kingdom after the end of his contract. All this is carried out with full transparency and clarity. Among these efforts is the issuance of the decision of the President of the Human Rights Commission approving the rules organizing the taking in of the victims of human trafficking.
