Bahrain’s anti-human trafficking efforts have received international backing.
The country’s commitment to protect migrant workers during the Covid-19 pandemic was also highlighted by experts taking part in a high-level online conference.
During the meeting yesterday, National Committee to Combat Trafficking in Persons chairman Ausamah Al Absi revealed that around 18,000 various grievances and complaints had been handled by the National Referral Mechanism since its launch in 2018.
“Our digital National Referral Mechanism, which is the first in the world, was launched in November 2018 and has so far received 18,000 cases,” said Mr Al Absi, who is also chief executive of the Labour Market Regulatory Authority.
The process helps authorities identify alleged trafficking victims, ensure proper documentation of cases and effectively refer them to the relevant bodies for investigation.
Mr Al Absi said that although there had been major successes, the vast majority did not fall under the formal category of human trafficking once investigated but it was important to ‘accept and examine’ all of the cases.
Mr Al Absi was speaking at the conference that brought together experts from the Middle East, Horn of Africa and the UK to address the challenges and highlight the importance of building a regional approach to combat the issue.
It was organised by London-based Global Partners Governance with the aim of strengthening political institutions globally.
“I believed that trafficking was oversimplified with a narrow definition of sexual exploitation and the commercial sex industry,” said Mr Al Absi.
“We decided to open our eyes and our hearts and admit there was a lot that we didn’t know.
“The approach in Bahrain was to create an ‘open-door policy’, to create an apparatus where anyone could go with a complaint and tell their stories.”
During the online conference, Mr Al Absi outlined an example of co-operation between Bahrain and the Philippines that not only helped rescue victims but led to the conviction of the traffickers involved.
“I am really delighted to report today that recently we’ve had a textbook success with international co-operation in combating trafficking between Bahrain and the Philippines.
“We had everyone work together including public prosecutors and migrant management officials from both countries.”
He added that it was vital to identify potential problems at an early stage to ensure migrant workers do not fall into the trap of modern day slavery.
“This pandemic has created more vulnerability and is the absolute perfect situation for exploitation,” he warned.
“In this current climate, we need the agility and flexibility to respond to situations before victimisation kicks in.”
Also speaking at the event was UK Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner Dame Sara Thornton who praised Bahrain’s “thoughtful response” during the global health alert.
“We might see labour exploitation because people are desperate for money for themselves and their families,” she said.
“So we have to be careful about how this pandemic creates new vulnerabilities.”
Other speakers at the event included Sudan’s Justice Ministry’s Under-Secretary Siham Osman and former British MP and minister Alistair Burt.
sandy@gdn.com.bh
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