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Taking into consideration the magnitude of the problem of human trafficking from a labour-market perspective in the Middle
East, the central theme of the meeting highlighted the vulnerability of labour migrants of being trafficked. Among the common
concerns emphasized was the issue of protection of domestic workers. Due to the isolated and unregulated nature of an industry
that combines with a lack of protection mechanisms in labour legislations within Arab States’ governments as well as other
regions of the world, domestic workers are highly vulnerable to psychological, physical and sexual violence at the hands of
both male and female employers. This group of low skilled, low paid workers is mainly represented by migrant women workers,
a fact which underlies the importance of promoting a gender and rights-based approach to labour migration. Participants identified
the inclusion of domestic workers in labour legislation and gender sensitivity in training programmes as common advocacy messages
for their future work.
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Keynote speakers Bishop Paul Hinder, Apostolic Vicariate of Arabia, Bishop’s House – Abu Dhabi and Mark Schnellbaecher, the
Regional Director for Europe and the Middle East, Catholic Relief Services, dwelled upon the role of Church and faith-based
organisations in counteracting a scourge of human trafficking. It was mentioned that due to the ever-increasing number of
migrants belonging to other religions, the dimension of inter-religious and multi-cultural dialogue cannot be neglected, as
“without it we can become simply a club, a spectre perceptible in many one-nation, one-language Churches and Rites”. The importance
of developing multi-disciplinary networks was also highlighted: “Love stimulates imagination, and with the grace of God there
are many things we can do in a quiet way. … we are mostly limited to personal help, but here, if we develop contacts with
people of good will, we can – and do - establish a network of lawyers and other consulters who can help on a private basis
to find solutions for problems.”
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