On the occasion of issuing H.E. the Foreign Minister’s Resolution (1) for 2022 on the reformation of the National Committee for Combatting Trafficking in Persons and in implementation of provisions of Article (8) of the Law (1) for 2008, the National Committee for Combatting Trafficking in Persons held its first meeting, under the chairmanship of the Labour Market Regulatory Authority LMRA’s Chief Executive Officer H.E. Mr. Jamal Abdulaziz Al Alawi. The meeting was attended by committee members representing Ministries of Interior, Justice, as well as the Foreign Ministry, the Labour & Social Development Ministry, the Information Ministry, the Public Prosecution, the Supreme Judicial Council, and the Labour Market Regulatory Authority LMRA, in addition to a number of civil society organizations.

The Committee’s Chairman opened the meeting by welcoming the attendees and congratulating them on the trust placed in them to be members of the National Committee for Combatting Trafficking in Persons who represent their relevant authorities in the Kingdom. H.E. Mr. Al Alawi expressed sincere thanks and gratitude to the former chairman and members of the committee during their past tenure for their dedicated efforts which contributed to achieving remarkable accomplishments and aspired goals. At the outset of the meeting, H.E. Ambassador Khalil Mohamed Al Khayat, the Acting Foreign Undersecretary for Consular & Administrative Affairs was selected to fill the position of the Committee’s Vice Chairman, in view of his long experience in this field.

H.E. Mr. AlAlawi underscored that the reformation of the National Committee for Combatting Trafficking in Persons is a continuation of the ongoing mechanism adopted by the Kingdom of Bahrain in the field of combatting trafficking in persons and the unrelenting efforts exerted by the Kingdom in this field, topped by the launch of the Wages Protection System in May 2021 to ensure meeting the financial rights of workers, and the launch of the first Regional Training & Capacity Building Center’s Anti-Human Trafficking Program, in addition to launching the Optional Insurance System for Domestic Workers.

The Committee’s Chairman further said: “The committee is expected to exert double efforts and greater roles to maintain the progress achieved and exert utmost endeavors in achieving further gains to maintain the Kingdom’s pioneering position both regional and globally.

The meeting discussed a number of issues listed on the agenda, topped by the committee’s reformation resolution of naming the vice chairman. The meeting also reviewed the committee’s internal system and the position of the secretary of the committee. Additionally, the meeting reviewed the various aspects of combatting trafficking in persons in Kingdom of Bahrain, the policy adopted in this respect along with its pillars making Bahrain’s experience an ideal model of the best practices regionally and internationally.

Upon the conclusion of the meeting, H.E. Mr. Al Alawi voiced the Committee members’ keen interest in pursuing extra efforts within the national strategy of combatting trafficking in persons towards achieving the aspired goals of maintaining the Kingdoms’ prominent status regionally and globally in combatting trafficking in persons through the sound implementation of the duties and responsibilities vested in the committee by the Law.