circumstance that would endanger the existence or the well-being of the whole or part of the
population;
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Minor communal services of a kind which, being performed by the members of the
community in the direct interest of the said community, can therefore be considered as
normal civic obligations incumbent upon the members of the community, provided that the
members of the community or their direct representatives shall have the right to be
consulted in regard to the need for such services.
81. It is thus prohibited for any person to exact a service from another person under duress or for the State
to establish services of a compulsory character other than those expressly covered by this law.
82. By endorsing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Djibouti has accepted that the measures
contained therein should be incorporated into the Constitution and implemented in Djibouti.
83. Thus Article 4 of the Declaration states: “No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the
slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms”. This is an absolute prohibition without exception. The
prohibition is also set out in domestic law, including the Criminal Code and the aforementioned Act
No. 210/AN/07/5th L on combating trafficking in human beings.
84. The Republic of Djibouti has taken measures to complement this Act, with considerable support from
technical and financial partners (IOM, OHCHR, IGAD, AU…). These measures have focused on
awareness-raising and training in particular. There are regular television announcements on the dangers
of trafficking. Moreover, there are national and regional training workshops and seminars for the
relevant stakeholders (police, Gendarmerie, judiciary, prefects of regions, etc.) in the campaign against
illegal immigration and human trafficking.
85. The State is seeking to establish an Executive Secretariat in charge of preventing and combating human
trafficking and the draft decree in this regard was reviewed by an Inter-ministerial committee in May
2013.
4. Right to security of the person and freedom from arbitrary arrest or detention
Article 6
Every individual shall have the right to liberty and to the security of his person. No one may be
deprived of his freedom except for reasons and conditions previously laid down by law. In
particular, no one may be arbitrarily arrested or detained.
86. Article 10 of the Constitution states that arbitrary arrest or detention is unlawful and persons may be
arrested or detained only in accordance with the law.
87. In order to ensure strict compliance with criminal law and thus prevent abuse, the public prosecutor’s
office supervises police work and, in cases of arbitrary detention, releases the persons concerned in
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