BAHRAIN has been taking stringent measures to tackle human trafficking, with 14 suspects arrested in the first six months of this year.
A total of 10 communications were received by the Anti-Human Trafficking Directorate during this period and 15 victims were identified.
The details were revealed in the latest issue of the Interior Ministry’s monthly Al Amn (Security) magazine.
Last year, 25 human trafficking cases were investigated, involving 41 male and female suspects, while psychological and judiciary support were provided to 164 victims with four tourism establishments shut down.
This compares with 29 cases involving 73 suspects and 105 victims in 2021, with legal action taken against two tourism outlets.
Chief of Public Security Lieutenant General Tariq Al Hassan praised Bahrain on maintaining its top position on the US State Department’s latest Trafficking in Persons (TIP) 2023 report.
“This achievement, for the sixth year in a row, and being in the Tier One status, comes as part of the reform project of His Majesty King Hamad,” Lt Gen Al Hassan said in a statement in Al Amn.
“The milestone was also a result of sincere national law enforcement and human rights and freedom protection efforts.”
As reported in the GDN, Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) chief executive Nouf Jamsheer said the LMRA has adopted a pro-active approach to tackle all forms of trafficking in persons by strengthening the protection mechanism, safeguarding victims at its dedicated Expat Protection Centre in Sehla and holding outreach programmes for communities.
The TIP 2023 released earlier this year placed Bahrain in the Tier 1 status – the only GCC and Arab nation recognised as being fully compliant with the Trafficking Victims Protection Act’s (TVPA) minimum standards for elimination of human trafficking.
Bahrain maintained its top ranking for the sixth consecutive year and the 23rd edition of the annual document stated that during the reported period (April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023), the Interior Ministry investigated 42 cases (involving 59 alleged traffickers) – eight for sex trafficking and 34 for forced labour – compared with 44 cases (26 sex trafficking and 18 forced labour) probed in the 2022 TIP report.
“Reports and complaints are received by the department through several channels of communication like personal attendance, security directorate, the Public Prosecution, the National Committee to Combat Trafficking in Persons, Interior Ministry email, embassies, phone calls on the 555 hotline, confidential sources or other parties,” said General Directorate of Investigation and Criminal Evidence Department of Combating Human Trafficking director Colonel Abdulwahab Bonashi.
“We are keen, through the hotline, to provide an immediate response with professionalism and when we receive a communication, patrols are sent to protect the victim. We also launch probe to arrest the accused, and document all information according to a working mechanism to achieve the principle of speedy response to tackle the crime.
“Bahrain is the first Arab country to have a specialised prosecution for cases of trafficking in persons and this supports the nation’s efforts to enhance its global position.
“The Interior Ministry is keen to keep Bahrain free from this global crime in all its forms and to develop mechanisms to eradicate it and measures are underway to ensure co-ordination between the government and private agencies within the visions included in the national strategy.”
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