A major regional conference bringing together officials and experts to address the challenges and strengthen efforts to combat human trafficking kicks off today.
The seventh Government Forum on Combating Trafficking in Persons in the Middle East and North Africa opens at the Exhibition World Bahrain, under the auspices of the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA).
This year’s event is being held under the theme ‘Strengthening Sustainable Efforts through Creativity and Partnerships’, with a series of plenary sessions running until Wednesday.
Bahrain took the initiative to convene the first edition of the forum in Manama in 2019, and since then the event has been held in neighbouring Gulf states.
LMRA chief executive and National Committee to Combat Trafficking in Persons chairman Nibras Taleb will deliver a keynote address today at the conference, which will be attended by senior human trafficking chiefs, experts and government representatives from Gulf states, according to the preliminary agenda.
This will be followed by a video message by former British Prime Minister and Global Commission on Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking chairwoman Baroness Theresa May and a panel session on ‘Challenges and Practical Solutions in Combating Trafficking in Persons’.
Similar to previous editions, a special art exhibition titled Insan will be held to enhance awareness of human dignity and human rights through the language of art, highlighting the values of freedom, justice and hope.
The following two days of conference featuring plenary sessions will be held at the Sheraton Bahrain Hotel.
The second-day discussions will include the topics – ‘The Power of the Word: The Role of Communication and Media in Combating Trafficking in Persons’, ‘Bahraini Experience in Combating Trafficking in Persons: A Sustainable Commitment and Effective National Initiatives, The Role of the Private Sector in Combating Trafficking in Persons (Ethical Recruitment and Supply Chains) as well as a talk on the second phase of support for the Regional Centre of Training in Combating Trafficking in Persons.
The final day will feature sessions on child protection, exchanging best practices through the use of innovation and artificial intelligence, and protecting domestic workers – challenges and implementation solutions.
Last year’s forum was hosted by Kuwait, where GCC Secretary-General Jasem Al Budaiwi noted that all Gulf states had ratified the Palermo Protocol on Trafficking in Persons, a key international framework for tackling the crime.
The GDN first reported last week that Bahrain maintained its top ranking for the ninth consecutive year in the 2026 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report released by the US State Department. The annual report once again placed the kingdom in the Tier 1 status – the only GCC country recognised as being fully compliant with the Trafficking Victims Protection Act’s (TVPA) minimum standards for elimination of human trafficking.
The report lauded a series of measures taken by the kingdom, including the establishment of a dedicated victim support office to provide a secure, victim-centred setting for giving testimony; assistance, including financial aid, for potential trafficking victims at a shelter for vulnerable people; and the launch of an enhanced Wage Protection System (WPS), enabling the government to immediately verify whether workers are paid on time.
During the reporting period from April 1, 2025 until March 31, 2026, the government investigated 57 trafficking cases, compared with 44 in the previous reporting period. The government prosecuted 33 suspected traffickers and convicted 37, compared with 48 prosecutions and 55 convictions recorded during the previous reporting period
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