The Minister of Justice, Abderrachid Tabi presented, on Tuesday in Algiers, the draft law on the prevention and fight against trafficking in human beings, before the Committee on Legal Affairs, Administration and Freedoms of the National People’s Assembly (NPA).
“The aim of this bill is to combat this strange phenomenon in our society, in view of its harmful repercussions, particularly on women and children,” Tabi said, adding that this “cross-border crime calls for specific legislation”, hence the importance of this bill, which aims to “enable our country to adapt to international commitments”.
The bill stresses that the State is committed to ensuring the protection of victims of human trafficking and to strengthening institutional and international cooperation in the prevention of this crime, in addition to the involvement of local authorities and public institutions in the prevention of this phenomenon through the development of a national strategy involving civil society.
The Minister of Justice also emphasised the tasks of the National Commission for the Prevention of Trafficking in Human Beings, which was set up in 2016 and which is responsible for drawing up the draft national strategy and adopting vigilance mechanisms to identify the various forms of this crime in advance.
As the bulk of victims of human trafficking are vulnerable women and children, the bill provides for a range of measures to support them and accommodate them in dedicated facilities.
The bill also proposes measures to facilitate the repatriation of Algerian and foreign victims to their countries of origin, by facilitating their access to justice and by creating a fund to take care of them.
The new law criminalises the disclosure of information that could identify the victim, witnesses or whistleblowers, as well as all forms of threats and reprisals against them or experts. After serving their sentences, criminals are subject to electronic monitoring and banned from residing in Algeria for up to 10 years.
The draft obliges internet service providers or any other person to provide any information in relation to the investigation of human trafficking crimes, and provides for the possibility to order the immediate removal of any content allowed for consultation or the prohibition of access to such content.
