Doha, May9(BNA): Bahrain participated in the 4th Government Forum to Combat Trafficking in Persons in the Middle East that took place in Doha, Qatar.

The Bahrain delegation included representatives from the National Committee to Combat Trafficking in Persons (NCCTIPs), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Labor Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA), the Public Prosecution, Ministry of Justice and Islamic Affairs and Ministry of Interior.

The delegation stressed the need to maximise efforts, regularly update regulations and procedures and expand tools to counter the crime of human trafficking.

It urged more vigilance in tracking human trafficking patterns and circumstances. It noted that human trafficking activity increases during the high tourism seasons.

The efforts of Bahrain in combatting human trafficking were highlighted in the forum, especially during high tourism seasons, through the efforts in establishing a strong legal framework, prevention, prosecution, protection and assistance to victims, and the promotion of cooperation with international entities.

Participants in the forum included specialised organisations from the GCC, Egypt, Jordan, US, UK, the International Organization for Migration.

The forum set a number of recommendations to promote culture of confronting the crime of trafficking in persons, raise societal awareness about this problem in the field of tourism, especially sporting events, by organizing events and awareness campaigns.

The forum urged cooperation with specialized international organizations, during the awareness week of combating crimes in Trafficking in persons during the period from 24-30 July of each year coinciding with the International Day against Trafficking in Persons.

The forum set up activation of a technical working group consisting of the State of the Presidency, the Permanent General Secretariat of the Forum, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the International Organization for Migration, and other specialized parties.

The panel will work with the participating countries, to develop a roadmap to implement the recommendations issued by the Forum through consolidating the concept and culture of confronting such crimes, and enhancing the benefits of the participating countries from the training programs offered by the Regional Center for Training and Capacity Building to Combating Trafficking in Persons in the Kingdom of Bahrain.