Chief Executive of the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) and Chairman of the National Committee to Combat Trafficking in Persons, Ausamah bin Abdullah Alabsi, received today US embassy Charge D’Affaires Margaret Nardi.

He highlighted the efforts made by the Kingdom of Bahrain in the field of human rights and combating the crime of trafficking in persons.

He stressed the Kingdom’s efforts in this regard, emphasising keenness on further developing the labour market and upgrading the existing systems to achieve goals and preserve the rights of all parties.

Al Absi referred to the proactive efforts made by the Kingdom of Bahrain to address the negative effects of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, explaining that the Kingdom of Bahrain has launched a six-month grace period to rectify the conditions of free visa expatriate workers, from the beginning of April until the end of 2020.

He also pointed out other measures taken by the kingdom like suspending the monthly work fees and the fees for issuing and renewing work permits for expatriate workers.

Al Absi affirmed that these measures contributed to handling any layoffs, preserved the workers’ rights and protected them from falling into the trap of extortion, exploitation or even trafficking.

For her part, the US embassy Chargé D’Affairs praised the pioneering role played by the Kingdom of Bahrain in the field of human rights and preserving the rights of everyone regardless of race, gender or religion. She praised the tireless efforts made by Bahrain during the coronavirus pandemic, describing that as a pioneering model. She also lauded the Kingdom’s periodic review of the labour market regulations.