Bahrain is set to amend two key laws to remove any reference to compulsory prison labour, replacing it with structured rehabilitation and training programmes in line with international standards.
MPs will review and vote on amendments to the Penal Code of Bahrain and the Reform and Rehabilitation Institution Law, following committee recommendations to approve both draft laws.
The changes come in response to observations by the International Labour Organisation and its Committee of Experts, which flagged provisions in Bahrain’s legislation that allowed mandatory work alongside imprisonment as inconsistent with ILO Convention No 105 of 1957 on the Abolition of Forced Labour – a treaty Bahrain joined in 1998.
Under the current Penal Code, inmates serving custodial sentences are required to perform work assigned in prison. The amendment replaces this with mandatory rehabilitation and vocational training programmes at reform and rehabilitation centres, tailored to inmates’ abilities and aimed at social reintegration.
Terminology across the law will also change, replacing references to ‘prison’ with ‘reform and rehabilitation centre’.
Parallel amendments to the Reform and Rehabilitation Institution Law remove the concept of compulsory inmate labour and replace it with compulsory rehabilitation and training, except for remand detainees and those medically unfit.
The executive regulations will specify types of rehabilitation and training programmes, maximum daily hours, conditions for eligibility, financial rewards for participation and rules for training outside the centre in co-ordination with relevant authorities.
Civil liability provisions for work-related injuries will remain in place, but will now apply to injuries sustained during training programmes.
The ministries of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments, and Interior, and the National Institution for Human Rights endorsed the amendments as consistent with Bahrain’s reform approach and international obligations.
Foreign affairs, defence and national security committee stressed that the changes modernise Bahrain’s penal framework while preserving the objective of rehabilitation without breaching international labour standards.
Committee chairman Hassan Bukhammas said the amendments reflect Bahrain’s commitment to aligning national legislation with international conventions it has ratified.
“Bahrain joined ILO Convention 105 in 1998, and this step demonstrates legislative responsiveness to international observations while maintaining our focus on correction, discipline and rehabilitation within reform centres,” he added.
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