Nieuwe speciale VN Rapporteur op gebied van mensenhandel begint haar werk in Arabische Staten

GENEVA (5 April 2012) – De speciale VN Rapporteur op gebied van mensenhandel, in het bijzonder van vrouwen en kinderen, Joy Ngozi Ezeilo, zal van 11 tot 17 april haar eerste werkbezoek doen aan de Verenigde Arabische Emiraten om de situatie te onderzoeken en de impact van antimensenhandelmaatregelen en nog bestaande uitdagingen in het land.
“During my mission I wish to reach out to a wide range of stakeholders and trafficked persons themselves, so that their voices are heard and can be considered in the development of national laws, policies and measures related to trafficking in persons,” zei Ms. Ezeilo.

Ms. Ezeilo is the independent expert mandated by the UN Human Rights Council to advocate the prevention of trafficking in persons in all its forms and to encourage measures to uphold and! protect the human rights of victims. “I look forward to engaging in a constructive dialogue with the Government and all relevant authorities in a collective effort to combat all forms of human trafficking in the country,” she added.
During her seven-day mission, the Special Rapporteur will visit Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah, where she will meet with representatives of various Government agencies and the judiciary, as well as members of international and civil society organizations, and victims of trafficking.
At the end of her visit on Tuesday 17 April, Ms. Ezeilo will hold a press conference at the UNDP Conference Room, Al Nayhan Camp, Abu Dhabi at 14:30.

Joy Ngozi Ezeilo started her mandate as Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially in women and children in August 2008. Ms. Ezeilo is a human rights lawyer and professor at the University of Nigeria. She has served in various governmental capacities and consu! lted for various international organizations, and is currently! involve d in several NGOs, particularly working on women’s rights. She has published extensively on a variety of topics, including human rights, women’s rights, and Sharia law. Ms. Ezeilo was conferred with a national honour (Officer of the Order of Nigeria) in 2006 for her work as a human right defender.