Project to prevent human-trafficking
Pilot programme to assist govt, raise awareness
Ajit John
Chief Reporter
A pilot project starts today to assist the authorities in capacity building and raising awareness to counter trafficking in human beings. This follows the opening of an office of the International Organisation for Migration yesterday.
The project, the first of its kind in the region, will focus on implementing a training and awareness programme in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to reinforce protection of foreign workforce in the Kingdom.
Project to prevent human-trafficking
Pilot programme to assist govt, raise awareness
Ajit John
Chief Reporter
A pilot project starts today to assist the authorities in capacity building and raising awareness to counter trafficking in human beings. This follows the opening of an office of the International Organisation for Migration yesterday.
The project, the first of its kind in the region, will focus on implementing a training and awareness programme in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to reinforce protection of foreign workforce in the Kingdom.
The project comprises workshops and symposiums with a target audience, including security and judicial officials as well as psychological, social and health care bodies, mediapersons and housewives.
International Organisation for Migration regional representative for the Middle East, Shahidul Haq, said the Organisation would provide services and was in no way a human rights Organisation that would comment on the state of human-trafficking in the Kingdom. We provide advice to government agencies concerned to ease and regulate legal migration and crack down on human-trafficking.”
The project, he said, was the first step hopefully of a long relationship which would grow to include other activities that were part of the mandate of his organisation.
Legal Affairs Director at the ministry, Yousif Abdul Kareem, said the leadership would support curbs on trafficking of individuals. This, he said, was a pillar of the royal reform scheme.
Bahrain’s determination to tackle human-trafficking could be gauged by the passing of Law No. 1 of 2008 enacted by His Majesty the King, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and the Kingdom’s demand in the summer of 2007 to join the organisation as observer to get a closer idea about its programmes prior to becoming a member.
The Kingdom has recently signed United Nations convention against transnational organised crime and two protocols on trafficking in humans – mainly women and children. It has also submitted a document by King Hamad expressing Bahrain’s willingness to sign the two international conventions on civil, political, social and economic rights.
Article from: Bahrain Tribune Newspaper- www.BahrainTribune.com
