The Kingdom of Bahrain maintained its leading position within (TIER 1) in the U.S. Department of State’s report to classify countries in the field of combating trafficking in persons, for the fifth consecutive year, which is a prestigious human rights achievement and the highest rank of classification.

This achievement is an embodiment of His Majesty’s vision, King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa, in promoting human rights, protecting basic freedoms, ensuring equality before the law without discrimination or differentiation, providing means of equity and justice, and His Majesty’s keenness to establish the rules of equality, and the promotion of humans’ rights, citizens, and residents in the Kingdom.

This achievement also represents a commitment towards implementing the directives of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, regarding the institutionalization of government work within a comprehensive development strategy based on respecting human rights and the establishment of an anti-trafficking culture in all government entities’ work.

The classification of the U.S. Department of State is based on government efforts that meet the criteria for combating trafficking in persons, as stipulated in the legislation of the United States of America, where countries are classified into four levels, and (TIER 1) – the highest in the classification – refers to countries that has implemented all standards, a category that the Kingdom has maintained since 2018.

Kingdom of Bahrain has protected the rights of migrant workers and respected their civil, economic, religious, and social freedoms in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution, the principles of the National Action Charter, national legislation, and international treaties and conventions, thus contributing towards presenting Bahrain as a model for respecting rights and human dignity.

The U.S. Department of State’s report praised the Kingdom’s keenness to formulate its policies on combating trafficking, through the continuous development of legislative, procedural, and administrative tools, in order to keep up with crime’s everchanging nature, within an integrated protection system that is based on cooperation and coordination with various government entities. The report noted the efforts made to institutionalize the combat against trafficking in persons and protecting migrant workers by developing many procedures and mechanisms. In addition, the Kingdom has launched a round-the-clock hotline for the Ministry of Interior’s Anti-Human Trafficking Department, to report any complaints related to combating these crimes.

The report also noted that the Kingdom of Bahrain had taken a number of serious steps towards holding perpetrators of trafficking crimes accountable, and referring them to the judicial authority, thus leading to convictions and achieving justice, supporting victims, and helping them to overcome the psychological and social repercussions.

The Kingdom’s efforts in the field of investigation and prosecution was highlighted in the report, by noting the establishment of a Prosecution Office for trafficking in persons, and assigning a specialized court to look into and adjudicate crimes referred by the prosecution, thus fast-tracking the investigation and adjudication by  specialized judicial cadre, in addition to strengthening criminal protection for victims and witnesses, and providing financial assistance to victims, from the Victims of Trafficking in Persons Assistance Fund.

The report touched upon the efforts parallel to the legal and judicial steps in the protection system, which are related to building the capacity of staff and first-responders, as well as enhancing societal awareness of the importance of combating this cross-border crime and methods of identifying and assisting victims of forced labor, through the establishment of the Regional Center of Excellence and Capacity Building for Combatting Trafficking in Persons, which trains trainers and qualify experts in the field of combating trafficking in persons in line with international standards, as well as developing guiding tools and manuals related to the demographic, economic, and social structure in the Middle East.

The Kingdom of Bahrain had developed several preventive measures that reinforced the protection of migrant workers and reduced forced labor and various forms of trafficking in persons. The U.S. Department of State’s report noted these measures, which included the implementation of the Wages Protection System, which monitors the processes for paying workers’ wages in the private sector in the Kingdom of Bahrain, and following up on the progress of transferring the dues electronically, to ensure that employers are committed to paying workers’ wages on an ongoing basis and on time in accordance with the laws and conditions stipulated in the Labor Law.

The report also referred to the Flexi permit, which contributed to addressing negative phenomena in the labor market, especially those related to irregular labor, violating residence law and work permit regulations. The adoption of the Tripartite Contract for Domestic Workers to regulate the relationship of the parties involved, in addition to allowing mobility to other employers, was also addressed in the report.

The report commended the implementation of the Voluntary Insurance System for Domestic Workers, with the aim of providing the highest protection to the employer and domestic worker, and compensating them or the legal heirs.

The U.S. Department of State’s report praised the steps and measures taken by the Kingdom of Bahrain to tackle the impact and repercussions of the Corona pandemic (Covid-19), where the Kingdom enacted a set of legal and institutional practices that provided security and health protection for workers, preventing them from victimization.

The Kingdom has also taken measures to limit the spread of the virus, by administrating the vaccination of migrant workers, in addition to taking measures to reduce layoffs, as a mean to reduce irregular workers who are vulnerable to extortion, exploitation, or trafficking, as well as launching a grace period to regularize their status.

The report finally praised the institutional approach adopted by the Labour Market Regulatory Authority in dealing with various cases of migrant workers through the National Referral Mechanism for Victims of Trafficking in Persons, which links various government entities and relevant civil society organizations through a unified electronic system, that manages cases, to ensure protection and assistance to victims and potential victims of trafficking in persons. In addition, it facilitates the procedures for filing and following up on labor cases, and communicating with the migrant workers’ community through the embassies and consulates of labor-sending countries to the Kingdom, as well as civil society.