GENEVA, Switzerland, April 5 (UPI) -- A U.N. envoy on human trafficking said she plans to speak with victims, especially women and children, during her official visit to the United Arab Emirates.
Joy Ngozi Ezeilo, U.N. special rapporteur on trafficking in persons, heads to the United Arab Emirates for a seven-day visit Wednesday to examine anti-trafficking measures in the country.
"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," she said in a statement.
A 2010 report to the United Nations noted that the United Arab Emirates isn't party to protocols on the rights of children, the sale of children, child pornography or the use of child soldiers. A mission that year found a "low number" of cases of the trafficking of children for sexual exploitation.
A human rights foundation in Dubai in 2008 noted that children on average represent about 26 percent of the victims of trafficking staying at regional shelter.
"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," said Ezeilo.
