Let our will be to protect others’ rights

A job to make one's dreams come true - there must be millions visualising it at this very moment.
Why would people want to travel to another country?
To be in a foreign land takes strength and resilience because they are far from everything they are used to. But throughout history, people have travelled all over the world looking for better opportunities to make their lives and their family members' lives better.
Going to other countries to make better lives is a sacrifice people make and have made over the years. It is all fine until then, but what happens when people are promised a wonderful future, but it is all false, only to be realised once the individual steps into the land?
The dreams come to a crash landing. Panic is what is seen while looking for a solution to build hope again, and if not an ideal job, then at least to go back home. But survival becomes the mode of operation.
Such a situation becomes human trafficking.
So what is human trafficking?
This is how the United Nations' Office on Drugs and Crime defines it - 'Human trafficking is the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of people through force, fraud, or deception, with the aim of exploiting them for profit. Men, women, and children of all ages and from all backgrounds can become victims of this crime, which occurs in every region of the world. The traffickers often use violence or fraudulent employment agencies and fake promises of education and job opportunities to trick and coerce their victims.'
Many become part of the problem without knowing the actual situation. Sometimes the employment agencies promise manpower, and in return, they have brought in people who were promised other types of professional jobs. Recruitment has become a mystery. The employers pay for the recruitment of their new staff only to find out that this job is not what the potential employees were seeking. Before one realises, the situation becomes messy.
According to the United Nations, a critical issue highlighted in the recent report on human trafficking worldwide is the shift in the nature of trafficking. 'Between 2019 and 2022, trafficking for forced labour surged by 47 per cent, surpassing trafficking for inappropriate exploitation as the leading form of trafficking. Despite this shift, the criminal justice response remains slow, with convictions for forced labour still lagging behind those for inappropriate exploitation. Women and girls continue to make up the majority of trafficking victims at 61 per cent.'
In fact, cases saw an increase after Covid-19.
According to the UNODC (2020) estimates, about 67 per cent of people investigated or arrested for trafficking are men, and 33 per cent are women, while 46 per cent of trafficking victims are women, 34 per cent are children, and 20 per cent are men.
For the last three months, the Sultanate of Oman has launched a campaign aimed at raising public awareness on the dangers of human trafficking, promoting a culture of prevention, supporting and empowering victims, and strengthening institutional cooperation both locally and internationally in confronting this crime.
The campaign is titled “Aman,” which means “safety,”and was launched by the National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking (NCCHT).
The objective is clear, and that is to promote a culture of crime prevention and support for crime victims as part of relevant local and international institutional cooperation.
One has to be aware to notice a crime is being conducted and to protect oneself from being a victim or from being part of a crime knowingly or unknowingly.
Each individual has a commitment to protect human rights and safeguard human dignity.
The campaign is aligned with the Oman Vision 2040, which focuses on consolidating the values of justice and fairness, upgrading the system of social protection, and fostering the rule of law.
The 'Aman' campaign is a national effort in the Sultanate of Oman to combat human trafficking.
This campaign has seen the integrated roles of security, judicial, legislative, and humanitarian institutions.
When the campaign was launched to mark the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, which falls on July 30 each year, Dr Ahmed Talib al Jabri, Assistant Attorney General and Deputy Chairman of the National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking, said that the launch of “Aman” caps up the Sultanate of Oman's stance in the face of human trafficking and the slogan of the campaign embodies a sincere call to every human being and expresses the Sultanate of Oman’s commitment in line with international standards.
Al Jabri added that Oman’s action this year marks a milestone in the fight against human trafficking in terms of intensification of investigations, prompt judicial proceedings, and greater transparency about related arrests and convictions.
The issuance of the new anti-trafficking law in late September 2025 and Oman's official accession to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) through a Royal Decree on October 16, 2025 show the significant steps taken for protecting civil and political rights in line with international standards.
Respect for every person, whatever their background or beliefs, is a foundation stone of Omani culture.
The NCCHT, on its website, states that every worker in the home or in the workplace is entitled to fair treatment and decent conditions.
'And it’s in our own interests to treat employees as we would wish to be treated. Happy employees are productive employees. Studies have shown that happiness has a bigger effect on productivity than salary,' it stated.
NCCHT also points out that studies also show that, on average, happy employees are 12 per cent more productive.
But a lot of times, we may not even recognise the programme. We may take pity on someone who is begging, but do we ever doubt whether that person is forced to do so?
If we ever spot human trafficking, do you know that each person can take a responsible action by calling the Royal Oman Police hotline 800 77 444.
We have to be aware because every individual on this earth deserves their human rights.
The will to live better should not be at the cost of human rights.

Lakshmi KothanethThe writer is a senior editor of Observer