Riyadh, July 29, 2021, SPA -- President of the Human Rights Commission (HRC) and Chairman of the National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking (NCCHT), Dr. Awwad bin Saleh Al-Awwad reiterated that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is keen to protect and promote human rights, and is largely concerned with criminalizing and combating trafficking in persons through a set of procedures and measures to ensure human dignity and protect it from all forms of abuse and exploitation. Al-Awwad made his statement on the occasion of the World Day against Trafficking in Persons 2021, adding that the Kingdom, under the directives of King Salman bin Abdulaziz, and the supervision of HRH Prince Mohammad bin Salman, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister of Defense, has made great progress in the classifications and indicators of combating trafficking in persons, by exerting continuous efforts to combat human trafficking crimes through the adopting and introduction of several measures, such as the establishment of the National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking, and the enactment of regulations and legislations that emphasize the protection of victims and the preservation of their rights in addition to its commitment to all relevant local and international conventions and treaties. He added that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been keen to make the necessary efforts to implement and adhere to initiatives and mechanisms that ensure their activation, referring in this regard to the national referral mechanism for crimes of trafficking in persons launched by the Kingdom, which represents a national reference that guarantees better cooperation to combat this crime and enhance awareness of the relevant regulatory, legal and procedural aspects and enhance the protection of victims and ensuring that services are provided to them in an integrated manner, and contributes to the monitoring and treatment of cases. Al-Awwad added that Saudi Arabia has sought through these unremitting efforts to protect and promote human rights as a well-established principle of its values to preserve human dignity, underscoring the efforts of the Committee to Combat Trafficking in Persons, which contributed to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's advancement by preparing a national strategy to combat these crimes and establishing a database for them. -- SPA 18:25 LOCAL TIME 15:25 GMT 0023 www.spa.gov.sa/w1594283