At the outset of the meeting, Labour Market Regulatory Authority’s Chief Executive Officer, Chairman of the National Committee for Combatting Trafficking in Persons, H.E. Mr. Jamal Abdulaziz AlAlawi underscored His Excellency the Minister of Interior’s unwavering interest and pursue combatting trafficking in persons endeavours, as well as the his ongoing directives to the relevant authorities to intensify the efforts aimed of combating the crime, and foster cooperation with other authorities and organizations in this respect.

H.E. Mr. AlAlawi also underlined the existing partnership which is based on joint cooperation and coordination, emphasizing the need to bolster this synergy from a unified perspective, which has greatly led to easing the process of handling and detecting exploitive practices at workplaces.

These statements were made during the National Committee for Combatting Trafficking in Persons’ 2nd meeting, in which aspects of mutual cooperation between various governmental entities concerned with combatting trafficking in persons were discussed, as well as prospects of cooperation with international agencies, such as the recent cooperation with United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime’s (UNODC) for the Gulf Cooperation Council Region, to present Bahrain’s pioneering experience in combatting trafficking in persons fields as a unique example, within frames of partnerships and synergies, in addition to discussing issues related to expanding prospects of cooperation in this respect.

The progress of the Regional Centre of Excellence and Capacity Building for Combatting Trafficking in Persons was also reviewed during the meeting, in terms of delivering training programs, on a national and regional levels, in addition to its key role in conducting research and studies accessible and to those concerned and interested in this field.

During the meeting, a reference was made to the issuance of three new convictions in cases of trafficking in persons, reflecting the effective cooperation and coordination in detecting cases of exploitation at workplaces and referring them to trial.

The committee members discussed a number of proposals to raise public awareness all forms of trafficking and exploitation, in collaboration with civil society organizations, targeting migrant workers.

Upon concluding the meeting, H.E. Mr. AlAlawi stressed on the commitment and efforts in carrying out National Committee’s roles and as stipulated in Article (8) of Law No. (1) for 2008 on Combatting Trafficking in Persons, in towards fostering Bahrain’s pioneering position internationally.