Thursday 25 / April / 2024
Muscat: Submissive and fearful body language, an inability or unwillingness to speak to people when approached, and signs of physical abuse are among the telltale signs of victims of human trafficking that others need to be on the lookout for if they intend to report such crimes.
Those who do wish to report incidents or signs of human trafficking are welcome to call 800-77444, the hotline number set up by the Royal Oman Police for this specific purpose, or report it on www.nccht.om, the website of the National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking.
“There are other key red flags that could give you an indication of a victim of human trafficking, and should be immediately reported,” said Sayyid Ammar Al Busaidi, the First Secretary at the Foreign Ministry, who has been tasked with stopping such activities.
“These include multiple people living or staying in a confined space, answers that appear scripted or rehearsed, and if they are under 18, but involved in activities such as prostitution.”
Such people are also likely to not be in possession of their own identity papers, and are often either unpaid or poorly paid, added Al Busaidi, who is also a supervisor at the NCCHT that has launched a campaign titled ‘Insan’ (Arabic for ‘person’ or ‘human’) to spread awareness about the impact of human trafficking.
While the country does always strive to review, update and implement laws, policies and procedures catered towards efforts to combat human trafficking, Oman has recently adopted more measures against this unethical and illegal act. These include the National Action Plan, which will run from 2021 to 2023 and increase efforts to educate people and clamp down on people smuggling, and the review and updating of the human trafficking law.
