Trafficking in persons is an intractable crime that involves commercial sexual exploitation, servitude, violence, and forced labour. The state policies in many countries address trafficking as an issue of border control and global organized crime, but not as a human rights violation of the trafficked persons. The United Arab Emirates (UAE), is a tier 2 transit and destination country for women and young girls from Eastern Europe, Asia, and East Africa, trafficked for the purposes of labour and forced commercial sexual exploitation. UAE’s Federal Law No. 51 to combat trafficking marked a pivotal moment for the UAE, as it was a law specifically designed to address trafficking on its territory. The objective of this socio-legal study is to provide an in-depth analysis of the UAE’s anti trafficking Federal Law 51 and to address the gaps in providing protection to trafficking victims in the light of UAE’s international and regional human rights obligations. This socio-legal study draws on human rights-based approach and Islamic perspectives on slavery to address the question: To what extent has the UAE’s Federal Law 51 been able to provide protection to victims of sex trafficking in UAE? The research concludes that a comprehensive and holistic approach is needed to create a balance between the crime control approach and the human rights-based approach to ensure that international, regional, and domestic legal and social guarantees to protect victims’ rights are effectively put in place in the UAE’s Federal Law 51.
Dr. Ayesha Shahid is an Assistant Professor at Coventry University, UK. Ayesha's teaching and research interests are in the areas of International Human Rights Law, Gender and the Law, and Islamic Law. Ayesha has numerous research publications. Her current research focuses on the issue of trafficking in women in the UAE.
Dr. Humaid Al-Bannai is the Head of Analysis Department at the Human Trafficking Crimes Control Centre with the Dubai Police. Dr. Al-Bannai monitors and analyzes incidents of human trafficking and is involved in promoting awareness at the local, regional, and international levels. He has completed several reports on combating human trafficking in UAE.