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US honour for Bahrain activist
By Geoffrey Bew
Published: 10th June 2008
A BAHRAIN activist is one of only 12 people worldwide to have been praised by the US government for helping combat human trafficking, it emerged yesterday.
Migrant Workers Protection Society (MWPS) action committee head Marietta Dias is among those honoured for their “exceptional commitment” towards fighting the crime.
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US honour for Bahrain activist
By Geoffrey Bew
Published: 10th June 2008
A BAHRAIN activist is one of only 12 people worldwide to have been praised by the US government for helping combat human trafficking, it emerged yesterday.
Migrant Workers Protection Society (MWPS) action committee head Marietta Dias is among those honoured for their “exceptional commitment” towards fighting the crime.
Each year the US State Department releases names of a number of “heroes” in conjunction with the publication of its annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report.
“These individuals demonstrate an exceptional commitment to fighting the crime of human trafficking in their countries,” a US embassy spokeswoman said yesterday.
“For last year, only 12 heroes were named worldwide.”
The embassy will hold a reception in honour of Ms Dias at the home of Charge d’Affairs Christopher Henzel in Budaiya on Thursday to announce the honour.
Bahrain was one of 170 nations worldwide included in the eighth annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) study.
The US State Department is required by law to submit an annual report to Congress on foreign governments’ efforts to eliminate severe forms of human trafficking.
Ms Dias was one of the founding members of the MWPS in 2005 and during more than four decades of voluntary work for the non-government organisation has spearheaded the cases of many labourers and housemaids.
Originally from Bangalore, India she has been doing social work since first arriving in Bahrain in 1964.
Ms Dias, who received a call from the US Embassy in Bahrain informing her of the news, last night said she was “overwhelmed” by her inclusion on the list.
“I never consider myself as doing anything extraordinary,” the retired Royal Flight administrator told the GDN.
“There are a lot of people in Bahrain that need to be commended and recognised, so I will be accepting this on behalf of these people.
“This gives me an even bigger responsibility to people who are putting their trust in me.”
Bahrain was placed in the Tier 2 Watch List of the TIP for failing to enforce laws against trafficking in persons and prevent the punishment of victims of trafficking.
But it was praised for introducing a comprehensive law prohibiting all forms of trafficking and establishing a specialised anti-trafficking unit within the Interior Ministry to investigate such crimes.
Ms Dias said there had been dramatic changes in Bahrain, particularly regarding religious freedom, the introduction of laws to protect overseas workers and freedom of the Press.
“There have been tremendous changes for the better but we still need more people to work on this,” she said.
“The government has been quite progressive and introduced an anti-trafficking law and there have been changes to the Labour law.
“There is a vast difference and they have come to realise that what they have done in the past was not the best for the country.”
Ms Dias, 64, puts her involvement in social work down to her upbringing and the ethos that everyone should be treated fairly. “I think we all have a moral obligation to do something to help the less fortunate and we all have ways of doing that,” she added. geoff@gdn.com.bh
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