The first training programme targeting trainers who deal with victims of trafficking in persons, organised by the Regional Centre of Excellence for Capacity Building in the Field of Combatting Trafficking in Persons, in collaboration with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in the GCC, has concluded.

On the occasion, Chief Executive Officer of the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA), Jamal Abdulaziz Al-Alawi, expressed LMRA’s pride in the role played by the Regional Centre of Excellence for Capacity Building in the Field of Combatting Trafficking in Persons to develop and build the capacities of the first responders to the victims of trafficking in persons or potential victims, as well as provide them with the necessary expertise on ways to deal with victims and help them.

He affirmed that LMRA’s strategy is to promote anti-trafficking in persons culture as to be a well-established social behaviour.

Al-Alawi praised the great number of participants in the training programme, including representatives from eight governmental and non-governmental agencies, namely the Ministry of Information Affairs, the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, Primary Health Care Centres, the National Communication Centre, LMRA, the Bahrain Airport Company, the Bahrain Airport Services Company (BAS), and the Bahrain Corporate Social Responsibility Society.

He thanked all the participating parties that work in partnership with LMRA in the system of combating the crime of trafficking in persons, which, he said, is a well-established national approach in the Kingdom.

He pointed out that the Regional Centre of Excellence for Capacity Building in the Field of Combatting Trafficking in Persons is planning intensive training courses to rehabilitate those dealing with victims of trafficking in persons, not only at the local level, but also at the level of countries in the Middle East, which represents a Bahraini contribution to supporting international efforts to combat the crime of trafficking in persons, given the fact that the centre is the first of its kind in the region.

Acting United Nations Resident Coordinator and Chief of Mission of IOM in the Kingdom of Bahrain, Mohamed El Zarkani, expressed appreciation for the efforts being exerted by Bahrain to raise the level of public awareness in the field of combating trafficking in persons.

El Zarkani underlined the unwavering interest of the UN and its specialised agencies in strengthening cooperation and coordination with the Kingdom, represented by the LMRA to provide all its expertise in developing and training Bahraini competencies.

He highlighted the ongoing strong partnership between Government of the Bahrain and the UN over the past years, yielding many achievements in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice in general, and addressing trafficking in persons, in particular.

LMRA indicated that the programme seeks to develop training programmes and curricula related to victims’ psychology, proper methods of intervention, in addition to fostering the capacity building of this targeted category from different fields who encounter or deal with victims or potential victims of trafficking, through collaboration with several specialised national experts and practitioners.

In the health field, the programme will promote the capabilities of identifying victims or potential victims of trafficking, or those who are subject to exploitation. In addition to training and qualifying them on the diagnosis of the cases, dealing with them and adopting proper measures in this regard.

Regarding press and media, the programme will develop specialised training courses aimed to shed light on the various forms of trafficking through different media platforms with the aim of raising community awareness on combating trafficking in addition to the rights of migrant employees as a primary step in preventing the crime.

Additionally, the training programme will assist those working at the borders and airports who are considered first responders to victims or potential victims of trafficking as well as introducing them to the indicators and practice of exploitation.

The programme also aims at developing the capabilities of shelters’ supervisors in dealing with and caring for victims of trafficking, in addition to the rehabilitation and reintegration of victims and gaining their trust.

Among the key objectives of the training programme is developing labour inspectors’ capabilities in identifying indicators of trafficking and adopting proper methods and measures to deal with the crime.