Qatari paper says new Syrian law prohibits human trafficking

[Unattributed report: "First Law in Syria To Prohibit 'Human Trafficking'"]

Al-Watan has learnt that the Syrian Government formed a committee composed of representatives of the foreign, interior, and higher education ministries, as well as women's union organizations, the Syrian Red Crescent, and law experts to issue a new law that imposes firm sanctions on human and sex trafficking. There is an inclination in the draft law to decrease the sanction [imposed] on young girls who practice prostitution by force, as they are victims, and not punish them while toughening the sanctions [imposed] on men. Dr Ibrahim Daraji, professor of international law at Damascus University, clarified that this step comes to issue a comprehensive and balanced law on the basis of incriminating the exploitation of women for sexual purposes as well as the exploitation of housemaids. He noted that the draft law prohibits trafficking in human organs and children in order to sell [them] or exploit them in pornographic shows and prostitution. He added that the new [addition to] this law is that it uses a term that did not exist in the previous Syrian laws, which is "human trafficking," toughening the sanctions to a 15-year prison term. Dr Daraji revealed that the new law cares for the trafficking victims, whether the victim was a woman who was exposed to sexual exploitation or one of the maids, emphasizing that the Syrian Government has offered to turn one of the headquarters of the International Immigration Organization into a centre for the protection of women trafficking victims in Damascus. He believes that the girl is incriminated for prostitution according to the current Syrian law, but the man benefiting from this is not incriminated while tough sanctions are imposed on the pimp.

Source: Al-Watan website, Doha, in Arabic 19 Jul 08