Clampdown on ‘hourly maids’

Posted on November 2, 2014 by Labour Market Regulatory Authority

Written by: Raji Unnikrishnan
Employment agencies illegally offering housemaids by the hour face a crackdown from authorities, despite a leading workers’ rights activist’s calls to legalise the practice. Responding to recent reports of agency cars driving around Manama advertising ‘housemaid services on hourly basis’, Labour Ministry Under-Secretary Sabah Al Dossary told the GDN that these businesses were circumventing the law by cutting deals with third-party cleaning companies. Continue reading →

Sharp drop in maid abuse cases

Posted on July 13, 2014 by Labour Market Regulatory Authority

There has been a drop in the number of foreign housemaids coming forward with allegations of abuse during Ramadan. In previous years, extended working hours and allegations of general mistreatment during the Muslim holy month were blamed for large numbers of domestic workers fleeing their employers and seeking shelter. Continue reading →

Bahrain investigates 30 human trafficking cases in 12 months, report reveals

Posted on June 23, 2014 by Labour Market Regulatory Authority

Bahrain has investigated 30 human trafficking cases within 12 months, including forced labour and prostitution, Gulf Daily News has reported. This figure represented a more than four-fold increase from seven cases that were dealt with by authorities in 2012, according to the latest US State Department report on Trafficking in Persons (TIP). Continue reading →