The Ministry of Labor and Social Development refers a case suspected for human trafficking to the Riyadh police

The Ministry of Labor and Social Development, represented by the Department of Combating Human Trafficking, has referred a case of suspected human trafficking to the Riyadh Police Office, to take the necessary measures after the Ministry received a complaint from one of the expatriate workers regarding his employer. The case involves multiple levels of coercion: forcing the employee to perform a job different from the one he was hired to do as stipulated in the contract, forcing the employee to sign financial documents, withholding the passport amongst other actions. These violations are clear indicators of human trafficking according to the anti-trafficking crimes law. This case has been referred to relevant authorities in preparation for the commencement of the trial of the accused employer. Saudi Arabia takes human trafficking cases seriously, and crimes of this nature are punishable by imprisonment for a minimum of 10 years, or a fine of 1 million SAR, or both. Hence, the Ministry calls on all employers to abide by the laws, regulations and legislations of the Saudi labor and employment system, so that they are not subjected to legal accountability and penalties as stipulated in the regulations of the Penal and Sanctions Code.