Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07MANAMA548
2007-06-13 13:41:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Manama
Cable title:  

BAHRAIN: 2007 TIP REPORT AND TIER 3 ACTION PLAN

Tags:  KCRM KWMN ELAB PHUM PREL PGOV SMIG BA HUMRIT 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO4007
OO RUEHDE RUEHDIR
DE RUEHMK #0548 1641341
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 131341Z JUN 07
FM AMEMBASSY MANAMA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6917
INFO RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHBVAKS/COMUSNAVCENT PRIORITY
RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L MANAMA 000548 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/12/2017
TAGS: KCRM KWMN ELAB PHUM PREL PGOV SMIG BA HUMRIT
SUBJECT: BAHRAIN: 2007 TIP REPORT AND TIER 3 ACTION PLAN
DELIVERED

REF: A. STATE 81216


B. STATE 79564

Classified By: DCM Susan L. Ziadeh for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L MANAMA 000548

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/12/2017
TAGS: KCRM KWMN ELAB PHUM PREL PGOV SMIG BA HUMRIT
SUBJECT: BAHRAIN: 2007 TIP REPORT AND TIER 3 ACTION PLAN
DELIVERED

REF: A. STATE 81216


B. STATE 79564

Classified By: DCM Susan L. Ziadeh for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Poloff delivered the 2007 Trafficking-in-Persons
Report and the Tier 3 short-term action plan for Bahrain
(reftels) June 12 to MFA Assistant Undersecretary for
Coordination and Follow Up and head of the Anti-Trafficking
Task Force Shaikh Abdul Aziz Bin Mubarak Al Khalifa, who
expressed his disappointment at the news of Bahrain's
placement in Tier 3. He mentioned a speech he had delivered
June 7 as guest of honor at an annual fund-raiser dinner for
an NGO that assists migrant workers, in which he described
action in several areas the GOB had taken over the last year
to combat trafficking. He said that he had been proud about
how much the government had done and was honored to speak
about its achievements. Shaikh Abdul Aziz made clear that
even though he is disappointed about the Tier 3 ranking,
Bahrain is not making efforts to combat trafficking because
of the annual TIP report or merely to avoid Tier 3. He said
that the government is taking steps against TIP because of
the importance of the issue, commenting it is simply "the
right thing to do" in light of international standards on
human rights.


2. (C) Shaikh Abdul Aziz also called attention to a speech
made by Crown Prince Shaikh Salman Bin Hamad Al Khalifa at
the 96th International Labor Organization Assembly in Geneva
on June 11. In his address, the CP had announced that a
regional dialogue on workers' issues would be held in
Bahrain, the first dialogue of its kind in the Gulf region.
The CP had said that Bahrain was committed to protecting the
rights of foreign workers under international law and
principles of human rights and called on all concerned
stakeholders in the issue of migrant workers from
labor-sending and labor-receiving countries, including
workers, employers, and government officials, to participate
in the regional dialogue.


3. (C) Shaikh Abdul Aziz recognized that enactment of the
anti-trafficking legislation had been delayed longer than
hoped, but that it had now left the hands of the executive
branch to be taken up by parliament. He attributed the delay
to the government trying to simultaneously focus on other
equally important and related labor reform legislation. He
said that labor reform fits into the overall strategy for
combating trafficking since new labor legislation will cover
household workers for the first time and over time will
abolish the sponsorship system. He said that once both of
these pieces of legislation are enacted and begin being
enforced, Bahrain should have in place all the minimum
standards to qualify for Tier 1. Bahrain will do its part to
be leaders in the region to defend the rights of expatriate
workers, with or without U.S. recognition of Bahrain's
accomplishments related to trafficking.


4. (C) Regarding the action plan, Shaikh Abdul Aziz said
that he would convene a core group of the Anti-Trafficking
Task Force, including representatives from the Ministry of
Labor, Ministry of Justice and Islamic Affairs, the Public
Prosecution, and immigration officials from the Ministry of
Interior, on June 21 or 22 to discuss targeted efforts to
show progress on items in the action plan in the next 60
days. He pledged to send a copy of the 2007 TIP report to
concerned ministries right away so they could begin to
generate discussion points in the lead up to next week's
meeting. In terms of areas in which there could reasonably
be progress in the limited time frame, he mentioned focusing
on information about recent prosecutions and reviewing arrest
and deportation policies. He reminded Poloff that on May 29
the Ministry of Social Development had hosted a symposium,
highlighted on local television and in the press, on efforts
in Bahrain to combat trafficking as part of the GOB's public
awareness campaign. (Note: DCM and Poloff attended this
one-day event, which was more widely attended than any
previous event on TIP, with 70-80 representatives from civil
society, foreign embassies, government, the legal profession,
and business in attendance.)

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