Signal Saudi official outlines anti-trafficking measures amid rise of online scam recruitment

Summary

Arab News published an op-ed by Sattam bin Amer Al-Harbi, Saudi Arabia's Deputy Minister for Control and Development of Work Environment, describing the kingdom's anti-trafficking measures. It notes that the UN's World Day Against Trafficking in Persons 2026 carries the theme "Trapped Behind the Scam," focused on victims lured by fraudulent job offers into online scam operations. The piece states that Saudi Arabia's Qiwa digital employment platform documents more than 12 million employment contracts electronically, covering roughly 13 million workers, while the Musaned platform licenses domestic-worker recruitment agencies and issues attested contracts. Since January 2026, domestic workers' salaries must be paid electronically through channels connected to the Wage Protection System. Saudi Arabia ratified the ILO Forced Labor Convention Protocol in 2021, and its Council of Ministers approved a National Policy for the Elimination of Forced Labor in January 2025; monitoring of websites and social platforms has led to the removal of more than 1,400 advertisements that violated recruitment rules. The ministry operates a specialist unit trained to identify forced-labor and trafficking indicators and partners with the ILO, IOM, and UNODC.