On the World Day against Trafficking in Persons, which falls on July 30 of each year;  It is worth noting that the remarkable model presented by Bahrain in combating the crime of human trafficking, has been widely praised at regional and international levels across the globe.  This experience was distinguished by the fact that it relied on a comprehensive framework of measures and procedures at legal and legislative levels, at the level of practical measures, and at the level of partnership initiatives with civil societies players.

Bahrain Interfaith believes in the important of highlighting this achievement to confirm that there are considerations that call for Bahrain’s success in this model to represent an opportunity to benchmark and establish similar successes in other areas related to combating human rights violations and the abuse of influence, power and authority.

Bahrain has been able to achieve a good reputation by achieving the first tier in international reports on combating human trafficking.  This progress was a result of  a series of measures and challenging steps in this field, which began with the adoption of a law to combat all forms of the crime of trafficking in persons in 2008, a law that was generally appreciated for having included an expanded concept of this crime, and emphasized protectionist principles in addition to deterrent penalties to reduce  Practices affecting human rights and human freedoms.  This coincided with the formation of the Department for Combating Trafficking in Persons at the Ministry of Interior in 2007, and several plans and steps followed, leading to the establishment of the first specialized prosecution to investigate this type of crime, and the establishment of the National Committee to Combat Trafficking in Persons with the participation of the relevant state agencies, in addition to allowing the establishment of funds and NGOs concerned with  Victims of human trafficking and improving labor conditions, Bahrain has also acceded to international agreements related to this issue.

The Center affirms that this continuous achievement should be fraught with other achievements to promote and protect the rights of citizens and residents, from different groups and in all fields.  It is inappropriate for Bahrain to achieve the highest tiers in combating human trafficking, while it lacks improvements or achievements in the areas of freedom of assembly and expression and press freedoms, and in indicators of justice, equality, democracy and the independence of civil society organizations.

The Center believes that the regression in these areas can be dealt with by the same policy that the government has pursued in combating human trafficking and has achieved great success in it, through: joining international agreements and fulfilling international human rights obligations, establishing a legal structure and national regulatory procedures to keep pace with and reinforce these commitments and abide by international human rights standards.

Bahrain Interfaith

Bahrain

 July 30, 2021