Tricked and Trapped: Human Trafficking in the Middle East, ‎pdf 4.1 MB

among migrant workers and no protocol has been established for following
up on information received. 103
4.2.4. Protection and redress for victims: Shelters and financial support
Several countries in the region have opened specialized institutions to cater to
the needs of victims of trafficking. In parallel with these institutions, and to
address gaps in provision by host countries and NGOs, several embassies of
countries of origin have opened shelters for their nationals.
In Lebanon, the GDGS and Caritas developed several mechanisms for close
collaboration in order to better protect migrant workers. A memorandum of
understanding was signed, allowing Caritas to maintain a constant presence
at the administrative detention centre for foreigners in Adlieh to provide
social and medical assistance to the foreign detainees. The close collaboration
between Caritas social workers and the immigration officers conducting indepth
investigations enables potential victims of human trafficking to be
identified and referred to the Caritas shelters and safehouse for victims of
trafficking. 104 The safe house, opened in 2005, usually accommodates up to
30 victims of trafficking at any one time: these are usually female migrant
domestic workers, although it has also sheltered Iraqi women refugees who
have experienced labour or sexual exploitation. Most of the women stay in
the shelter for between two and seven months and then return to their home
countries, while Caritas continues to follow their cases. 105 In addition, the
NGO Dar Al Amal provides day care for women victims of sexual exploitation
and is in the process of renovating a shelter for abused children and women. 106
In the UAE, the Dubai Foundation for Women and Children was established
in July 2007 as the first licensed non-profit shelter in the UAE for women
and child victims of domestic violence, child abuse and human trafficking.
The foundation’s facilities can accommodate up to 250 people and includes
a school for 300 children. Victims are provided with comprehensive services,
including immediate medical and psychological care, case management and
consular, immigration and legal support, as well as educational and vocational
103
Human Rights Watch: Without protection: How the Lebanese justice system fails
migrant domestic workers (New York, Sep. 2010), pp. 2–3; US Department of State:
Trafficking in Persons Report 2011.
104
The GDGS stated that most files of detained workers are processed within the
maximum period of one week. In exceptional cases where the worker does not have any
legal papers, the detention period at the General Security will not exceed one month.
See Shahinian: Report of the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery: Mission
to Lebanon, Comments by the State on the report of the Special Rapporteur, 11 Sep. 2012,
A/HRC/21/41/Add. 2.
105
Interview with an official from Caritas Lebanon Migrant Centre, Lebanon,
17 Nov. 2011.
106
Interview with an official from Dar Al Amal, Lebanon, 14 Dec. 2011.
145