On the occasion of the issuance of the Foreign Minister’s Edict (1) of 2022 on the reformation of the National Committee for Combatting Trafficking in Persons and in implementation of provisions of Article (8) of Law (1) of 2008, the National Committee for Combatting Trafficking in Persons held its first meeting, under the chairmanship of the Labour Market Regulatory Authority LMRA’s Chief Executive Officer, Jamal Abdulaziz Al Alawi.
The meeting was attended by committee members representing the Ministry of Interior, Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments Ministry as well as the Foreign Ministry, the Labour and Social Development Ministry, the Information Affairs Ministry, and the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA), in addition to a number of civil society organisations.
The Committee’s Chairman opened the meeting by welcoming the attendees and congratulating them on the trust placed on them to be members of the National Committee for Combatting Trafficking in Persons who represent their relevant authorities in the Kingdom.
Al Alawi expressed sincere thanks and gratitude to the former chairman and members of the committee during their tenure for their dedicated efforts which contributed to achieving remarkable accomplishments and aspired goals.
Khalil Mohamed Al Khayat, the Acting Foreign Undersecretary for Consular and Administrative Affairs was selected to fill the position of the Committee’s Vice Chairman, in view of his long experience in this field.
Al-Alawi underscored that the reformation of the National Committee for Combatting Trafficking in Persons is a continuation of the ongoing mechanism adopted by the Kingdom of Bahrain in the field of combatting trafficking in persons and the unrelenting efforts exerted by the Kingdom in this field, topped by the launch of the Wages Protection System in May 2021 to ensure meeting the financial rights of workers, and the launch of the first Regional Training and Capacity Building Centre’s Anti-Human Trafficking Programme, in addition to launching the Optional Insurance System for Domestic Workers.
The Committee’s Chairman further said: “The committee is expected to exert double efforts and greater roles to maintain the progress achieved and exert utmost endeavours in achieving further gains to maintain the Kingdom’s pioneering position, both regional and globally.
The meeting discussed a number of issues listed on the agenda, topped by the committee’s reformation resolution of naming the vice chairman. The meeting also reviewed the committee’s internal system and the position of the secretary of the committee. Additionally, the meeting reviewed various aspects of combatting trafficking in persons in Kingdom of Bahrain, the policy adopted in this respect along with its pillars making Bahrain’s experience an ideal model for the best practices regionally and internationally.
Upon the conclusion of the meeting, Al Alawi voiced the Committee members’ keen interest in pursuing extra efforts within the national strategy of combatting trafficking in persons towards achieving the aspired goals of maintaining the Kingdoms’ prominent status regionally and globally in combatting trafficking in persons through the sound implementation of the duties and responsibilities vested in the committee by the Law.
Source: Bahrain News Agency