Human trafficking cases more than double

Police attribute the surge to increased awareness and better police training.

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ABU DHABI // More than twice as many human-trafficking cases were reported last year compared with 2008, police announced today, attributing the surge to increased awareness and better police training. There were 43 cases in 2009, up from 20 in 2008, according to a report released today. But the number of actual abuse cases dwarfs that of those reported, officials said. "In all countries where there are human-trafficking cases, the number of cases that reach the court is a drop in the sea of the overall cases that are going on," said Dr Anwar Gargash, minister of state for foreign affairs and the head of the National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking (NCCHT). Nonetheless, the report shows the UAE is on the right track, he added. Dr Gargash's comments came during a session unveiling the third annual report on "Combating Human Trafficking in the UAE". hdajani@thenational.ae