WAM The 2011-2012 report says :The UAE receives large numbers of temporary contractual workers every year, who have made an important contribution to the development of the country. Unfortunately, criminals have been engaged in recruiting contractual workers and trafficking them illegally into the country. For the majority of trafficked people, it is only when they arrive in the UAE that they realize that the work they were promised does not exist and they are forced instead to get employed in jobs or conditions to which they did not give their consent. Since the criminal activity begins from source countries, creating partnerships with both source and transit countries is now of paramount importance to the national strategy of the UAE''.

''The government also recognises the importance of addressing the commercial impetus behind human trafficking in any national legislation and policy. Trafficking is a thriving global business that generates millions of dollars and accounts for millions of victims every year. It is also linked to other organised crimes like human smuggling, drug trafficking and money laundering. The majority of transnational victims are trafficked into commercial sexual exploitation and the rest into forced exploitative labour.

The report notes that :''The implementation of the UAE's legal and social support mechanisms during the last five years of its concerted fight against human trafficking has been recognised by the international community.

This report is part of the new approach of the National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking to share information with the general public and international community, and highlight the UAE's stance on this issue, record progress, identify obstacles and challenges encountered during the last year, and spell out future initiatives.

The report also aims to measure the progress of the UAE in the long run and serve as a channel to promote dialogue and transparency in information exchange at the international level.

The government recognises that the more informed it is about victims, source and transit countries and methodologies practiced by traffickers, the more it can do to prevent this crime.

WAM/TF