Information Ministry Workshop on anti-Trafficking in Persons Crimes

DAMASCUS, (ST) _ Participants in the workshop organized by the Ministry of Information in collaboration with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) under the title “Anti-trafficking crimes,” stressed the importance of educating people on this issue, pointing to the need to buildup the capacity of journalists with the terminology relating to crimes of trafficking in persons, in their work.

In her remarks before the workshop, which started deliberations in Dama Rose Hotel legal expert at (IOM), Maha Al-Ali talked about the organization’s efforts since 2004 in combating various types of trafficking in persons, pointing out that the Syrian government has made serious and intensive efforts to combat trafficking in persons and in reducing its implications.

Ali pointed to the role of the Syrian media against these crimes especially in light of the crisis experienced by Syria, which led to its aggravation, indicating that Syrian media people possess the competencies and expertise, tools and means to demonstrate means of preventing such crimes.

For his part, Ministry Director of Planning and International Cooperation Ammar al-Ghazali said that that the Syrian media is an essential partner of many governmental and international agencies, including (IOM) in highlighting trafficking crimes, pointing to the need of training journalists on the so-called “media crisis” for enabling them to deal with the events resulting from the crisis in Syria.

For his part, Deputy Minister of the Interior Lt. Gen Hassan Marouf noted the efforts made by the Ministry to face these crimes, noting that the Ministry of Interior has a dedicated team on “investigation human trafficking crimes and protection of its victims.”

He indicated that Syria is one of the first countries in adopting legal and penal legislations and fighting crimes committed on its territory in general and the crimes of trafficking in persons, in particular, based on its human rights principles, indicating that the Syrian legislator underlines penalties of trafficking crimes, which can be termed as the “contemporary slavery “, due to its contempt for human dignity.

He indicated that, crimes committed by “Daesh” terrorist organization against the Syrian citizens fall within the trafficking crimes including “capturing and selling of women” in the slave market and recruitment of children and teaching them their extremist thoughts, and other relating crimes.

Journalists taking part in the workshop stressed the need to continue the prosecution of crimes related to trafficking in persons and the media to expose the perpetrators, whether they are individuals, organizations or states and shed more light on such criminal acts because of their devastating effects and impact on communities.

Media representatives from various public and private audio-visual and print media in Syria, are taking part in the workshop which will continue until Thursday.

T. Fateh