Suzan Ziyada, Charge d'Affaires at the US Embassy here, has called for concerted efforts by Arab and other countries to combat human trafficking. Ziyada was speaking after handing over certificates of participation to about 77 participants of a three-day training course on human trafficking which concluded at Naif Arab University for Security Sciences (NAUSS) in Riyadh, Tuesday. Security officials from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Sudan, Syria, Qatar, Kuwait, Egypt, New Zealand, Germany and United States attended the training course. The training course was organized jointly by NAUSS and US Homeland Security Department. Dr. Bandar Al-Eiban, President of the Saudi Human Rights Commission, Dr. Abdulaziz Saqr Al-Ghamdi, NAUSS President and Dr. Saqr Al-Mughaiyad, Director, International Cooperation, NAUSS, were also present. “Human trafficking is a crime that knows no borders and is an offense that involves a number of sovereign nations,” said Ziyada. While praising Saudi efforts the US official hoped that through dialogue and working together nations would effectively help to combat the crime. Dr. Al-Mughaiyed told Saudi Gazette that the training course, the fifth of its kind, was aimed at providing participants with skills to help them confront and combat this international phenomenon. “It is also aimed at coordinating Arab and international efforts on combating human trafficking and to acquaint the participants of the training course with international agreements on the subject,” he said. He said the participants included prosecutors, judges and security officials representing the Ministry of Interior and other related security institutions. He said the training course included topics such as an overview of human trafficking and its victims; services and assistance offered to the victims; case studies on human trafficking; and reviewing the legal prosecution and methodology involved in human trafficking. The course also focused on illegal activities such as money laundering, crimes related with human trafficking and child sex tourism. A similar course will be organized in March 2010 in the US, he said.
