In this sense, Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi presented, during the Council of Government held on Thursday, the 2023-2030 National Plan to combat and prevent human trafficking, the National Strategic Action Plan for its implementation for 2023-2026, as well as the National Referral Mechanism for victims of human trafficking, after their unanimous adoption by the National Commission at its meeting on March 17, 2023.

This comes within the remit of the National Commission for the Coordination of Measures to Combat and Prevent Trafficking in Human Beings, which was established at the Ministry of the Head of Government pursuant to Law 27.14 on Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, promulgated on 25 August 2016, and of which the Ministry of Justice is the chair and permanent secretariat.

This step also comes in response to the Kingdom of Morocco's commitments to combat and prevent human trafficking in accordance with international instruments and standards, as well as the relevant national legislation, and stems from the National Commission's conviction of the need to protect and defend human rights, including the fight against human trafficking, which constitutes a serious violation of the fundamental principles for the protection of human rights.

According to a statement by the Commission, this also reflects the firm and constant commitment of the Kingdom in the fight against this crime, which requires a unified, holistic and integrated vision, as embodied in the National Plan as a reference roadmap for an effective national response to this issue, through the identification of strategic priorities and measures and procedures for the implementation of these commitments within the framework of a humanistic approach and in full respect of the rule of law and universal human rights.

In addition, the same source continues, the adoption of the National Referral Mechanism for Victims of Human Trafficking, following the example of pioneer countries in this field, in accordance with international standards relating to the protection of victims and the preservation of their dignity, is one of the projects supporting the National System for the Fight and Prevention of Human Trafficking.

This mechanism, coordinated by the National Commission through its Permanent Secretariat at the Ministry of Justice, aims to regulate and define the means of coordinating efforts in the application of procedures and measures for the protection and assistance of victims of human trafficking.

It also allows to define the regulatory and procedural means guaranteeing the early detection of victims, their identification and referral to services able to assist and protect them, in the framework of an integrated approach involving all stakeholders and institutional actors in partnership with the components of civil society active in this field, concludes the statement.