Mashnuq promises severe punishment for people involved in women trafficking

Following a session of the Parliamentary Human Rights Committee yesterday, the Minister of Interior Nuhad Mashnuq pledged to follow up the disciplinary investigations which started after the uncovering of the infamous women trafficking network east of Beirut and which will expectedly end this coming July (the news: http://www.lkdg.org/ar/node/14988). MP Michel Musa, who headed the session in the presence of Mashnuq and the Social Affairs Minister, Rashid Derbas, announced that the investigation will involve any member of the Security Forces with proven participation or complicity in this crime. Musa confirmed that the act of human trafficking violates international conventions and harms the country’s reputation globally. Similarly, Derbas reportedly promised to protect and follow-up the cases of victims of human trafficking and prostitution under a partnership agreement between his ministry and concerned civil associations.  In the same vein, the Arab Center for the Development of the Rule of Law and Integrity (ACRLI) in collaboration with the German Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), are organizing a national workshop on Human Trafficking. According to the Director of Projects Department at ACRLI, Nelly Rihan, the crime of human trafficking is the “most appalling assault on human rights, because it infringes on the dignity of the individual and is closely associated with the security of citizens and with promoting social stability.” She made clear that fighting trafficking requires international efforts and cooperation, aided with internal legislations and regulations as means for prevention and deterrence of such crimes. 

(Al Mustaqbal, An Nahar, June 22, 2016)