President of the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) Khalid Bin Abdurrahman Al-Fakhri stressed the importance of intensifying efforts to raise awareness about what qualifies as human trafficking, and the mechanisms used to address the issue and combat perpetrators in order to preserve human dignity and physical integrity and prevent exploitation. In a statement issued on the occasion of the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, which falls on July 30, Al-Fakhri stressed that NSHR has been monitoring human trafficking and related issues since its inception, and has been working with the relevant authorities in the Kingdom to address this crime through various preventive programs, as stipulated in the laws of the Kingdom that criminalize such practice. He said that these efforts have contributed to raising the society"s awareness about the many practices that qualify as human trafficking, adding that the association is ready to provide support and participate, together with the National Referral Mechanism Team, in combating this crime. Al-Fakhri stressed that the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons represents an opportunity to coordinate national and international efforts to come up with measures to address the crime of trafficking in persons and keep abreast of developments in this field, and the need for a clear and consistent international position, adopted by the UN, toward those who commit this crime. He expressed appreciation for the Kingdom’s unremitting efforts and many initiatives to combat human trafficking, including setting in place a mechanism to combat human trafficking, joining conventions and protocols pertaining to this crime, adopting the National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking 2021-2023, and launching the National Referral Mechanism, which contributes to the preservation of human rights and dignity. — SPA