Around 66 Welfare and Development Officers (WEDOs) from foreign recruitment agencies in Bahrain recently attended a seminar aimed at strengthening their capacity to protect Filipino workers, with discussions covering workers’ rights, legal protection and gender sensitivity in the workplace.
Organised by the Philippine Embassy’s Migrant Workers Office (MWO) and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), the seminar was held at the Downtown Rotana, Manama, under the theme ‘Know Your Rights and Be Protected and Gender and Development’.
The training sought to equip WEDOs with practical knowledge and gender-responsive approaches to provide effective, professional and worker-centred assistance to Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs).
Sessions covered criminal cases involving Filipino workers, legal and administrative remedies, and key provisions of Bahrain’s Labour Law.
Prominent Bahraini lawyer Mahmood Al Wadyani also presented case studies and practical examples to help participants apply the legal guidance to situations they may encounter while assisting OFWs.
Labour Attaché Dr Orville Ballitoc highlighted the role WEDOs play in safeguarding the rights and welfare of Filipino migrant workers, saying their work can make a meaningful difference to those they assist.
With a limited number of MWO and OWWA personnel serving a community of around 56,000 Filipinos in Bahrain, Dr Ballitoc said WEDOs are essential in extending support and responding to workers’ concerns.
Philippines Ambassador Gines Gallaga stressed the need for co-operation among the Embassy, MWO, OWWA, WEDOs, recruitment agencies, employers, legal partners and other stakeholders to protect community members.
He also highlighted the role of WEDOs in ensuring that workers understand their rights, employment contracts and legal protections under Bahraini and Philippine law.
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