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).

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Summary
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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)

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Prevention - Pamphlet Distribution
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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.

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Prevention - Public Awareness Campaigns
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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.

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Protection - Victim Assistance Shelter
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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.

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Protection - Standardized Housemaid Contract
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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.

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Protection - Legal Status to Laborers
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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.

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Prosecution - Abused Worker Cases
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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.

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Corrupt Recruitment Agencies
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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.

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A Successful Rescue
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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