Minister of Human Rights, IOM discuss cooperation in combating trafficking

Minister of Human Rights Ali al-Dailami on Wednesday discussed with representative of the International Organization for Migration Matt Hooper on Wednesday aspects of cooperation between the ministry and the organization, foremost of which are issues related to migrants and ways and means to combat human trafficking.

In the meeting, the Minister of Human Rights affirmed the Salvation Government’s keenness to deal humanely with African migrants, despite the difficult economic situation that Yemen is going through as a result of the aggression and blockade.

Al-Dailami pointed out that Yemen has a number of national mechanisms to protect victims of human trafficking, including migrants, represented by the judiciary, the National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking, and the Anti-Human Trafficking Law, in addition to the existing institutional frameworks in the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Interior, all of which work to reduce these crimes and punish perpetrators, and provide the necessary protection to the victims.

Minister al-Dailami pointed out that Yemen faces many challenges as a result of illegal immigration, which considers the occupied territories an outlet for it, stressing the importance of the movement and cooperation of the International Organization for Migration with the Ministry and the concerned authorities to implement an awareness program on the dangers of illegal immigration to Yemen, targeting the countries of the Horn of Africa, especially Ethiopia as well as cooperation in building the capacity of the National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking and the Ministry’s employees and its offices in the provinces.

For his part, the representative of IOM affirmed the organization’s keenness to continue the partnership with the Ministry of Human Rights to support victims of human trafficking and protect migrants from exploitation.

He indicated that the organization, in cooperation with the Immigration and Passports Authority, returned nearly three thousand immigrants to their countries, out of a total of seventy thousand immigrants who arrived in Yemen during the year 2022, stressing that this number of immigrants constitutes double what is monitored by the organization during previous years.