Qatari officials of the Qatar National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking with others at the International Visitor Leadership Program in the US.
DOHA: Five Qatari officials of the Qatar National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking (NCCHT) has returned from the ten-day International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), which explored how the United States’ law enforcement, civil society, and legislative institutions tackle trafficking in persons (TIP).
The NCCHT also examined best practices and how both governmental and non-governmental organisations interact, share information, and work together to end human trafficking through activism, engagement, prosecution, and public awareness promotion.
While in the United States, the participants learned why the US Congress has mandated strong support for countering trafficking in Persons TIP, globally and in the US, through the three “P” approach: protection, prosecution, and prevention. The participants met with US victim assistance programmes that provide services to victims, law enforcement officials who investigate human trafficking crimes, prosecutors who prosecute the criminals, and civil society organisations and advocates who work tirelessly to raise awareness about the threat posed by human trafficking to communities in every corner of the globe.
The Qatari delegation included: Ambassador Faisal Al Henzab, Head of the Human Rights Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Brigadier General Abdulla Al Mohannadi, Director of the Human Rights Department in the Ministry of Interior; Salem Al Marri, Head of the Lawyers’ Affairs Department in the Ministry of Justice; Dr. Ali Dharman, Director of the Legal Affairs Department in the Ministry of Public Health; and Jaber Al Marri, Legal Advisor to the Chairman of the National Human Rights Committee.
As part of the US-Qatar Strategic Dialogue held in Washington, DC on January 30, 2018, the US Department of State and the NCCHT signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to reaffirm shared commitments to promoting and expanding bilateral relations in TIP-related areas and to conduct dialogue and cooperative activities focusing on several TIP- related areas including: labour and trafficking reporting and database management; interagency cooperation; identifying and protecting victims of trafficking in persons; investigating human trafficking cases; informing and empowering the public to report TIP cases; highlighting success stories as a means to reward partners and deter future culprits; and more.
The US Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) is an exchange programme which facilitates short-term visits to the United States by current and emerging foreign leaders in a variety of fields. This prestigious opportunity provides first-hand encounters with American leaders and cultivates lasting relationships between US and foreign counterparts. Since 2010, over 100 Qataris have participated in the professional exchange programmes that explore innovative solutions to problems and challenges that affect both societies.
