Bahrain is poised to formally remove all references to compulsory prison labour from its legislation, replacing them with structured rehabilitation and vocational training programmes in reform and rehabilitation centres, in line with international labour standards.
Two closely linked draft laws amending the Penal Code and the Reform and Rehabilitation Institution Law are now before the Shura Council after being unanimously approved by MPs last month.
The Shura Council is expected to review and vote on them on Sunday.
The amendments were prompted by observations from the International Labour Organisation and its Committee of Experts, which noted that existing Bahraini legal texts could be interpreted as allowing mandatory work alongside imprisonment – a position considered inconsistent with ILO Convention No 105 on the Abolition of Forced Labour, which Bahrain ratified in 1998.
Under the current Penal Code, inmates serving custodial sentences may be required to perform work assigned within prison. The proposed amendment replaces this concept with compulsory participation in rehabilitation and vocational training programmes tailored to inmates’ abilities and aimed at their social reintegration.
Terminology across the law will also be modernised, replacing references to prison with ‘reform and rehabilitation centre’ to reflect Bahrain’s shift towards a correctional philosophy centred on reform rather than detention.
Parallel amendments to the Reform and Rehabilitation Institution Law remove the concept of inmate ‘labour’ altogether and replace it with ‘rehabilitation and training’, while maintaining structured programmes except for remand detainees and those medically unfit.
The executive regulations will define the types of rehabilitation and training programmes, maximum daily hours, eligibility conditions, financial rewards for participation and rules governing training outside the centre, in co-ordination with relevant authorities. Provisions relating to civil liability for injuries will remain, but will apply to injuries sustained during training rather than work.
The reports accompanying the draft laws show consensus from the Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments and Interior ministries, as well as the National Institution for Human Rights, all of which endorsed the amendments as consistent with Bahrain’s reform approach and international obligations.
Shura Council’s foreign affairs, defence and national security committee chairman Dr Ali Al Rumaihi said the amendments represent an important legislative development that reflects Bahrain’s advanced experience in modern penal policy.
“These amendments reinforce Bahrain’s direction towards a reform-based correctional system that focuses on rehabilitation, training and reintegration into society,” he said. “They also ensure that our legislation clearly aligns with the international conventions the kingdom has committed to, particularly in eliminating any possible interpretation related to compulsory labour.”
Committee vice-chairman Shaikh Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa stressed that the changes go beyond terminology and represent a substantive shift in legislative philosophy.
“The objective is to clearly anchor the concept of rehabilitation and vocational training as part of a structured correctional process, instead of any notion of imposed labour,” he said. “This reflects the evolution of Bahrain’s reform centres into institutions focused on human development and social reintegration.”
The committee stated in its report that if approved by the Shura Council and ratified by His Majesty King Hamad, the laws will come into force the day after publication in the Official Gazette.
mohammed@gdnmedia.bh
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