‘Foreigners Involved in Human Trafficking’
There were 68 cases of human trafficking last year, all involving foreigners, a senior official of the Anti-Human Trafficking Committee said recently.
Badr bin Salem Bajaber, the secretary general of the committee, an affiliate of the Saudi Human Rights Commission (SHRC), said organized criminals operating from abroad have been trafficking women and children into the Kingdom.
These perpetrators also maim children so that they can gain sympathy from the public and make more money, he reportedly told a local newspaper recently.
Bajaber said there are heavy penalties for human trafficking, with jail of up to 15 years, fines of up to SR1 million, or both.
He said that the Kingdom has not registered any cases of trade in human organs, largely because of awareness efforts by the health authorities and the National Center for Organ Transplants.
He said the committee has produced several publications and specialized magazines to highlight crimes related to human trafficking and trade in organs.