ABU DHABI // A new law was promised yesterday to protect domestic staff from exploitation by human traffickers.
"The legislation process takes time, but very soon," said Dr Abdul Rahim Yousif Al Awadi, assistant Foreign Minister for legal affairs.
Dr Al Awadi was speaking at the launch of a report revealing that of 35 trafficking victims in Dubai, all but four thought they were coming for work and 19 had been promised work as maids.
"Recruiters promise them there is a job opportunity, but when they come there is nothing, and most are pushed into prostitution," said Dr Mona Al Bahar, director of care and rehabilitation at the Dubai Foundation for Women.
Of the 35 women, 27 discovered they had been trafficked within a week of arriving in the UAE - either by being told their job promise was false, or by being subjected to physical abuse. Nine out of ten trafficked women suffered sexual abuse.
Dr Al Awadi said the UAE was making every effort to prevent trafficking. "This year we will increase awareness campaigns in airports, including Dubai airport," he said.
Most of the trafficked women were poorly educated, with more than half having either no education, or only to primary level.
"They usually recruit people from poor communities, very desperate," said Dr Al Bahar, a member of the Federal National Council. "Very rarely they recruit someone educated with a career."
Not all were duped. Two of the women in Dubai came in the full knowledge that they were doing so for the purposes of prostitution. "They say it frankly. We still consider them victims, and we take them in," she said.
Dr Al Awadi said most of the women lived in fear. "I think the biggest challenges … is to protect them, make them feel safe, that they are in safe hands."
The Government is amending its human trafficking law to ensure victims are given access to psychological and medical help, as well as the existing shelters.
The UAE Committee to Combat Human Trafficking, which compiled the report, now offers training to police and other authorities on dealing with trafficking victims. Women can also call a hotline for help.
"I think now the victims of trafficking are more aware of agencies that can take care of them, so they are coming out themselves," Dr Al Awadi said.
Embassies and consulates were also helping push victims to report crimes. "The victims can either go to the shelter directly, or to the police," he said.
Dr Al Bahar conceded that many still did not, as they were often kept in isolation and without documents.
The report said the internet was increasingly being used to lure women to the UAE, with a recent case of three women from Latin America lured by a website, and another of a Filipina being promised a job on Facebook only to be pushed into prostitution.
The report also noted evidence of the sale of children, labour exploitation and forced labour.
In 2012, 75 women were recorded as victims of trafficking, almost half in Dubai. Police arrested 149 people on trafficking charges, of whom 91 were convicted, with sentences ranging from a year to life imprisonment.
"I don't like the number going up, but if the crime is there and people are able to catch it, then our work is paying off," said Dr Al Awadi.
osalem@thenational.ae
The design
The protective shell is covered in solar panels to make use of light and produce energy. This will drastically reduce energy loss.
More than 80 per cent of the energy consumed by the French pavilion will be produced by the sun.
The architecture will control light sources to provide a highly insulated and airtight building.
The forecourt is protected from the sun and the plants will refresh the inner spaces.
A micro water treatment plant will recycle used water to supply the irrigation for the plants and to flush the toilets. This will reduce the pavilion’s need for fresh water by 30 per cent.
Energy-saving equipment will be used for all lighting and projections.
Beyond its use for the expo, the pavilion will be easy to dismantle and reuse the material.
Some elements of the metal frame can be prefabricated in a factory.
From architects to sound technicians and construction companies, a group of experts from 10 companies have created the pavilion.
Work will begin in May; the first stone will be laid in Dubai in the second quarter of 2019.
Construction of the pavilion will take 17 months from May 2019 to September 2020.
Four reasons global stock markets are falling right now
There are many factors worrying investors right now and triggering a rush out of stock markets. Here are four of the biggest:
1. Rising US interest rates
The US Federal Reserve has increased interest rates three times this year in a bid to prevent its buoyant economy from overheating. They now stand at between 2 and 2.25 per cent and markets are pencilling in three more rises next year.
Kim Catechis, manager of the Legg Mason Martin Currie Global Emerging Markets Fund, says US inflation is rising and the Fed will continue to raise rates in 2019. “With inflationary pressures growing, an increasing number of corporates are guiding profitability expectations downwards for 2018 and 2019, citing the negative impact of rising costs.”
At the same time as rates are rising, central bankers in the US and Europe have been ending quantitative easing, bringing the era of cheap money to an end.
2. Stronger dollar
High US rates have driven up the value of the dollar and bond yields, and this is putting pressure on emerging market countries that took advantage of low interest rates to run up trillions in dollar-denominated debt. They have also suffered capital outflows as international investors have switched to the US, driving markets lower. Omar Negyal, portfolio manager of the JP Morgan Global Emerging Markets Income Trust, says this looks like a buying opportunity. “Despite short-term volatility we remain positive about long-term prospects and profitability for emerging markets.”
3. Global trade war
Ritu Vohora, investment director at fund manager M&G, says markets fear that US President Donald Trump’s spat with China will escalate into a full-blown global trade war, with both sides suffering. “The US economy is robust enough to absorb higher input costs now, but this may not be the case as tariffs escalate. However, with a host of factors hitting investor sentiment, this is becoming a stock picker’s market.”
4. Eurozone uncertainty
Europe faces two challenges right now in the shape of Brexit and the new populist government in eurozone member Italy.
Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at IG, which has offices in Dubai, says the stand-off between between Rome and Brussels threatens to become much more serious. "As with Brexit, neither side appears willing to step back from the edge, threatening more trouble down the line.”
The European economy may also be slowing, Mr Beauchamp warns. “A four-year low in eurozone manufacturing confidence highlights the fact that producers see a bumpy road ahead, with US-EU trade talks remaining a major question-mark for exporters.”
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