Trafficking in human beings in the Middle East

From a political, economic, and social perspective, the Middle East is a very diverse region. For the present analysis, the Middle East refers to the geographic region encompassing the territories and States of Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, Jordan, Egypt, Yemen, and the six States of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), namely: Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Oman. Trafficking in human beings in the Middle East is manifested in both traditional and regionally specific forms, the most prevalent being trafficking for sexual exploitation, trafficking for labour exploitation, and trafficking associated with armed conflict and the operations of the Islamic State (ISIS or DAESH). This chapter examines the main manifestations of THB prevalent in the region, discusses their dynamics and trends, and analyses the challenges faced, with the aim to develop useful recommendations for the establishment of effective anti-trafficking policies and victim protection mechanisms.