GOB ENGAGED IN ANTI-TRAFFICKING MEASURES; WELCOMES

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 MANAMA 001425 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR G/TIP AND NEA/ARPI E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/15/2014 TAGS: KCRM PHUM KWMN ELAB BA SUBJECT: GOB ENGAGED IN ANTI-TRAFFICKING MEASURES; WELCOMES IOM CAPACITY-BUILDING PROJECT REF: A. STATE 167713 ¶B. 03 MANAMA 3015 Classified By: Ambassador William T. Monroe for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). -------------- Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) G/TIP Senior Reports Officer Feleke Assefa visited Bahrain August 20-24 to meet with GOB officials and demarche them on G/TIP's Bahrain-specific Action Plan (Ref A). In response to the demarche, GOB officials outlined what measures they have implemented to combat trafficking and their plans for the upcoming year, which focus on establishing a victim assistance shelter, speeding up the judicial process, and a national awareness campaign. Assefa also met with the NGO Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR) President Nabeel Rajab who reported on the status of migrant workers in Bahrain and described the rescue activities of his volunteer group. Assefa also met a group of abused runaway housemaids who recounted their situations in a meeting organized by BCHR. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) In all his meetings with GOB officials, Assefa urged the GOB to investigate and prosecute recruitment agencies found guilty of sexually abusing housemaids and establish a NGO-operated GOB protected victim assistance shelter. Assefa concluded that the GOB appears genuinely engaged in anti-trafficking measures but lacks the expertise for proper implementation. Training is essential. Assefa informed GOB officials that the USG has funded the International Office of Migration (IOM) to train GOB personnel in anti-TIP measures. Assefa suggested that IOM assist with the establishment of a victim assistance shelter and possibly assist the GOB with a nation-wide public awareness campaign. The GOB looks forward to IOM's arrival in September. (NOTE: IOM Project Manager will arrive the week of September 18th. END NOTE) -------------- Prevention - Pamphlet Distribution -------------- ¶3. (C) Assefa noticed upon his arrival at the airport that no literature for foreign workers was displayed or distributed. Bahrain Centre for Human Rights/Migrant Workers Group (BCHR/MWG) volunteer Selma Bala lamented that the biggest problem for many of the housemaids trying to escape is that they do not know who to call or where to run. On August 23 we suggested to Director of Security Affairs Khalid Al Moawda that immigration officers distribute pamphlets translated into Thai, Indonesian, Tagalog, Singhalese, Bengali, and Hindi when processing housemaid visas. Al Moawda said he was willing to arrange for distribution of the pamphlets produced by the TIP inter-ministerial committee. -------------- Prevention - Public Awareness Campaigns -------------- ¶4. (C) On August 21 BCHR President Nabeel Rajab commented that his organization continues to apply pressure to the GOB by alerting the press about every housemaid abuse case it hears of. He attributed the GOB's swift work in prosecuting Anita Verma's case due to abundant press coverage in the English language newspapers (Ref B). BCHR Public Relations Coordinator Janan Shaikh Abdulla noted that BCHR experiences difficulty in getting its press releases on trafficking cases published in the Arabic press. We noted that chairman of the GOB's TIP inter-ministerial committee Shaikh Abdul Aziz bin Mubarak Al Khalifa had previously requested technical assistance for implementing public awareness campaigns on TIP. -------------- Protection - Victim Assistance Shelter -------------- ¶5. (C) Rajab expressed his frustration with the GOB's lack of progress in establishing a victim assistance shelter. With the approval of Shaikh Abdul Aziz, BCHR raised BD30,000 (USD80,000) to establish a shelter. However, last month the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (MOLSA),the ministry responsible for registering NGOs, sent a letter to Rajab informing him that it is not part of BCHR's purview to establish a shelter and that BCHR must stop working on this project. Rajab hopes to bring this up with Shaikh Abdul Aziz soon. MFA Director of Bilateral Relations Dr. Dhafer Al Umran explained that both MOLSA and the Ministry of Interior (MOI) had delayed establishing a GOB victim assistance shelter because no ONE had the expertise to "do it right." Al Umran admitted that the ministries had been quibbling on a number of issues related to the shelter. The committee was embroiled with who should manage the shelter and provide counseling, medical assistance and legal aid. Assefa stated that IOM will be able to help establish a shelter that meets international standards. Al Umran said he looked forward to meeting the IOM project manager upon his arrival to help resolve the situation. (NOTE: PolOff scheduled a meeting with MFA and the IOM Project Manager on September 21. END NOTE) ¶6. (U) Rajab noted that the Philippine mission has a good reputation for providing refuge to runaway and abused Philippine housemaids. The mission runs a shelter on embassy grounds. However, it does not grant access to BCHR volunteers or police to pursue the investigation and prosecution of legal cases. Therefore a shelter of international standards is preferable. Assefa said that IOM will be able to assist in establishing the screening center that would benefit all victims. -------------- Protection - Standardized Housemaid Contract -------------- ¶7. (C) Rajab also mentioned that BCHR submitted to Shaikh Abdul Aziz the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) model contract that was previously endorsed by the Jordanian government for non-Jordanian domestic workers. Rajab hoped that the inter-ministerial committee would accept the UNIFEM contract as a standardized contract for foreign housemaids in Bahrain. Rajab complained that it has been over 10 months with no feedback from the committee. In response to Assefa's question, Al Umran said that he would check with the committee about the status of adopting the model contract. -------------- Protection - Legal Status to Laborers -------------- ¶8. (C) Ministry of Justice (MOJ) Assistant Undersecretary for Courts and Notary Affairs Judge Abdulla bin Hassan Al Boainain mentioned that he used to hear cases about abused housemaids and knows the legal problems encountered by laborers who press charges against their employers. On August 22 Al Boainain drafted a Letter of Cooperation between MOI, Passport Directorate and MOJ to draft a law that will give workers legal status during the time his/her labor case is being decided. Al Boainain explained that current labor law makes no provision for a laborer who has left his employer due to a labor dispute to remain in Bahrain to work. Al Boainain admitted that the National Assembly is very slow in approving legislation and was skeptical that the amendment could be implemented quickly. -------------- Prosecution - Abused Worker Cases -------------- ¶9. (C) As noted in last year's TIP report, the processing and prosecution of labor cases moves slowly. Rajab remarked that ever since the new Minister of Interior Lt. General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa took office, he has noticed greater care and an increased awareness for abused housemaid cases. Criminal Investigation Directorate Brigadier Farooq Salman Jassim Al-Maawda and member of the GOB TIP inter-ministerial committee Colonel Adil Khalifa Hamad Al Fadhel echoed Rajab's remarks. In their directorate, combating TIP has become a top priority. Rajab recalled in July that the police and the courts moved quickly to apprehend two recruitment agency bosses who allegedly raped two Indonesian and Bangladeshi housemaids. ¶10. (C) BCHR/MWG volunteer Selma Bala added that maids are too scared to press charges and do not like dealing with the authorities. MOJ Al Boainain explained that the GOB appoints legal counsel when someone is unable to afford it, although Bahrain lacked a formal Legal Aid program. Assefa mentioned that some victims feel more comfortable with a NGO attorney and not a GOB attorney. With a University of Bahrain law school that is 78% female, Assefa suggested that Al Boainain consider incorporating women graduate students to advise in labor cases. -------------- Corrupt Recruitment Agencies -------------- ¶11. (C) On August 21, Assefa and PolOff met with four abused and runaway housemaids and volunteers from BCHR's Migrant Workers Group. A Sri Lankan housemaid recounted how she was tied to a table and raped for several hours by her employer. The employer then dumped her on the recruitment agency's doorstep. The recruiter kicked her out of the office to fend for herself. A citizen realized she was injured and called BCHR for assistance. ¶12. (C) Two Indonesian housemaids told Assefa and PolOff that they had run away from their employers just the night before. They claimed that they were forced to clean four households, not just the ONE household for which they were each contracted. In addition, the employer has not paid their salaries in over three months. ONE alleged that she was beaten. Both housemaids said they were too scared to contact their recruiting agent because he would beat them and lock them up until he could find another employer. They would not tell BCHR volunteers the name of the agent. For the time being, they are living with BCHR volunteers who will take them to the police to file a report against the sponsor. ¶13. (C) Bala recounted the story of an Indian housemaid who was raped by her sponsor, locked up and beaten by her employment agency and then put on a plane before she could complain to the police. She offered to provide PolOff with a list of abusive agencies to submit to the GOB to take action. On August 23 Director of Security Affairs Khalid Al Moawda told Assefa that he would like a copy of the list so he could send someone to inspect these agencies. Al Moawda noted that the GOB shut down 63 recruitment agencies in 2003. He added that he is working with MOJ Al Boainain to amend the penal code to assess punishment for these types of crimes. The current law only allows the MOLSA and MOI to shut down or blacklist recruitment agencies. -------------- A Successful Rescue -------------- ¶14. (C) In 2003 Indian housemaid Anita Verma was seriously beaten by her employer (Ref B). Eight months later, healthy and content, Anita recounted how on that night a neighbor who heard her screams called BCHR. BCHR got her medical care, brought her to the police and after recuperation found her a new sponsor. Anita has been able to stay in Bahrain and press charges against her employer. The GOB has not prevented Verma from working while pursuing her case. The court process has been slow but in October the Criminal Courts will rule on her case. Verma plans to stay and work in Bahrain and send money home to her children. MONROE