The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Chairperson of the National Committee to Combat Trafficking in Persons, Dr. Shaikha Rana bint Isa bin Daij Al Khalifa, has said that the Kingdom of Bahrain, led by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa with the support of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, has become a role model in preserving and protecting human rights.
She added that the Kingdom has been making constant endeavors to promote human rights and it is always working to attain the best achievements and practices in the field of combating trafficking in persons, by stepping up its fight against this crime.
Dr. Shaikha Rana added, in a lecture she gave today during the executive session organised by the Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa Academy for Diplomatic Studies, for diplomats with the rank of advisor and first secretary, that the Kingdom of Bahrain adheres to international standards in the field of combating trafficking in persons. This, she said, made the Kingdom of Bahrain an advanced example to be emulated in this field, through diligent work and joint coordination between institutions and relevant authorities in the kingdom, and adoption of effective initiatives and programmes to combat this scourge.
“Bahrain also accords attention to educating citizens, residents and foreign workers about the concepts and practices of trafficking in persons, all through partnership and coordination between the concerned authorities.” She said the Kingdom of Bahrain is fully aware of the seriousness of the global phenomenon of trafficking in persons and that it is not limited to a specific region, and therefore it deals with it realistically and confronts it with all responsibility.
“Out of belief in International cooperation to combat this phenomenon, Bahrain is to participate in international forums and events that discuss the problem, join many international conventions and treaties on human rights and to sign many bilateral security and judicial agreements as well as to cooperate with international organisations such as the International Labour Organization, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, among others.”
Dr. Shaikha Rana said that in addition to that, the Kingdom of Bahrain has taken many measures at the national level to combat this scourge, mentioning the issuance of Law No. (1) for the year 2008 on combating trafficking in persons, which stipulated in Article (8) the establishment of the National committee to Combat Trafficking in Persons”, which was formed by a decision of the Minister of Foreign Affairs in 2009, and restructured in 2015 and 2017.
The members of the committee are representatives of the official authorities and three civil societies, and the committee specialises in developing programmes on preventing and combating trafficking in persons and protecting the victims, she explained.
She added that all was done with close coordination with state agencies with regard to information related to trafficking in persons, encouraging and supporting the preparation of research, information and media campaigns, and participation of competent authorities in preparing reports to be presented to international bodies.
The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicated that this committee was able to realize many national projects that are effective in combating this crime, including: The National Referral System, which links all governmental and non-governmental agencies concerned with combating trafficking in persons with a unified electronic system, which allows them to review and follow-up on the progress of cases and introduce the required development processes.
This is, she said, in addition to the Migrant Workers Protection and Support Center, which is the first comprehensive center that provides preventive and advisory services to expatriate workers and the flexible work permit that was created in 2017 with the aim of addressing some negative phenomena in the labour market.
She also cited the Cabinet’s approval in 2018 of the establishment of a fund to support victims who have cooperated with the investigation authorities and helped control the crime and its perpetrators, for the purpose of rehabilitation and improvement of their living and financial conditions.
She mentioned many other projects, for example, the Regional Research and Training Center for Combating Trafficking in Persons, which will act as a Bahraini expertise house with technical support from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in the GCC countries and the International Organization for Migration, and it will set standards, train the trainers and prepare experts in combating trafficking in persons.
Dr. Shaikha Rana bint Issa bin Daij Al Khalifa, hailed the decision No. (34) of 2020 by the Attorney General, Dr. Ali Fadl Al-Buainain on establishing the Trafficking in Persons Unit to be in charge of investigating the crimes stipulated in Law No. (1) of 2008 regarding combating trafficking in persons, as well as related acts in Any other laws to make of the Kingdom of Bahrain the first Arab country to establish a prosecution unit specialized in cases of trafficking in persons.
She stressed that this decision was an important step in strengthening the efforts of the Kingdom of Bahrain, and will lead to providing a specialized and trained environment for members of the Public Prosecution to investigate such crimes, and consolidate criminal protection for victims of trafficking in a manner that guarantees the rights of the victims as determined by law.
The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Chairperson of the National Committee to Combat Trafficking in Persons took pride in the great results and qualitative achievements made by the Kingdom of Bahrain in combating trafficking in persons as a result of the wise policies and the advanced and integrated initiatives being implemented, which enabled the kingdom to create an effective and distinct model to be emulated at the regional and international levels.
She cited Bahrain’s advancement in the US Department of State Report on the classification of countries in the field of combating trafficking persons in persons from the second category under supervision in 2014 to the second category in the period from 2015 to 2017 and then to category 1 in 201.
The Kingdom of Bahrain also won the membership of the United Nations Human Rights Council for the period 2019-2022, reflecting the confidence of the international community in the Kingdom’s approach and its achievements in the field of human rights, she said.
Dr. Shaikha Rana said the Human Rights initiatives and attainments in the Kingdom of Bahrain would continue in light of the unlimited support by His Majesty the King and his Royal Highness the Crown Prince Prime Minister.
