MINA — Human traffickers exploiting children during the Haj season will be referred to the Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution (BIP), Al-Hayat newspaper reported. The secretary general of the permanent committee for human traffickers, Badr Bajaber, said that that there are filed monitors in Mina to document the exploitation of children. He pointed out that there were no reported cases of human traffickers until Wednesday, and the committee is awaiting reports of the monitors. Such violations are against human rights, whether they are committed by companies or individuals. There have been reports of boys and girls transporting elderly pilgrims to their camps, under harsh conditions. In 2012, there have been 72 human trafficking cases in courts, representing 0.11 percent of the total criminal cases reviewed in district and general courts in the Kingdom. The courts have reviewed 65,669 criminal cases, of which 46,751 cases were against, and 18,918 cases were against expatriates. Riyadh had the highest cases of human trafficking with 48 cases,while Makkah was next with 21 cases. Human trafficking is defined as employing, transporting, housing people for the purpose of exploitation. It includes threatening to force the victims to conduct illegal activities, such as sexual exploitation, slavery, and other similar acts.
