Bahrain stable in tackling human trafficking: Report

Manama : Bahrain has retained its status of a “stable country in tackling the crime of trafficking in persons” for the third year consecutively in the latest US Department of State (US-DOS) report.

The annual report cited the Kingdom’s efforts that led to maintaining its stable status in the second category over the previous two years was the result of efforts in combating this phenomenon and mechanism of investigation into the cases of trafficking victims in addition to the efforts exerted in training the concerned officials on the method of dealing with such cases.

Bahrain’s National Referral System for victims had been the first in the region’s countries and contributed to boosting the measures of combating trafficking in persons, by defining and regulating the role of the various departments and methods of dealing with any suspicious or probable cases of trafficking in persons, noted the report. 

Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA)’s CEO Ausama Abdullah Al Absi ascribed the achievements of the National Committee on Combating Trafficking in Persons to the efforts of the various governmental authorities led by the Ministry of Interior (MoI), Public Prosecution and the National Committee on Combating Trafficking in Persons that boosted the work environment in the Kingdom.

Al Absi reaffirmed Bahrain’s keenness in the various governmental departments to maintain the Kingdom free from all forms and manifestations of this global crime and combating it and introducing capable methods of eradicating it, whenever signs point to its existence. 

He said the Kingdom has taken a set of measures to ensure coordination and cooperation between the governmental and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) as per the vision and mechanism stipulated in the National Plan on Combating Trafficking in Persons. 

He stressed that such crime violates all heavenly religious teachings and infringes on the inalienable human dignity and run contrary to the humanitarian principles ensured by national legislations and backed by such provisions as compatible with the international conventions and standards in this regard.

He said Bahrain has signed various technical and training cooperation agreements with various international organisations to boost efficacy and capabilities of national staff in the concerned departments, especially health, security, judicial and labour inspection directorates.

The objective included setting minimum preparedness limit, boosting the overall efforts to reach the international standard, cooperation, exchange of expertise in the field of workers’ rights, supporting the establishment of the specialized National Centre, and coordinating the efforts of the National Referral System.