ANDHRA PRADESH LABORERS IN BAHRAIN

UNCLAS MANAMA 000613

SIPDIS
SENSITIVE

STATE FOR NEA AND G/TIP
BAGHDAD FOR AMBASSADOR ERELI

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM KTIP ELAB KMIG IN BA
SUBJECT: ANDHRA PRADESH LABORERS IN BAHRAIN


1. (SBU) Summary: Most of the trafficked laborers in Bahrain
come from the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, according to an
anti-trafficking activist. She said the efforts of Bahrain's
new labor authority and source country embassies to blacklist
abusive recruitment firms is working. End summary.


2. (SBU) Ms. Mehru Vesuvala, the Secretary General of
Bahrain's Migrant Workers' Protection Society (MWPS) told
poloff on August 28 that the situation for migrant workers in
Bahrain has been improving over the last few years. In her
opinion, the local embassies of the Philippines, India, and
Indonesia were doing the best job protecting their laborers.
She complimented the GOB's efforts, specifically the Labor
Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA),but questioned whether
the GOB was motivated by a moral commitment to combating
trafficking, or by international pressure.


3. (SBU) According to Vesuvala, MWPS had determined that most
of Bahrain's trafficked laborers come from the Indian state
Andhra Pradesh (AP),and specifically from three AP districts
- East Godavari, Nizamabad, and Karimnagar. She guessed that
there are between 20,000 and 30,000 AP workers here. (Note:
There are about 500,000 non-Bahrainis here, roughly half the
population. End note.) Vesuvala said that although media
stringers in the Gulf file stories on trafficking in a number
of Indian languages, MWPS had not seen any in Telugu, the
chief language of AP. She claimed that although other Indian
states have used the media proactively to increase awareness
of overseas labor issues, AP has not.


4. (SBU) Vesuvala said there were significantly fewer
recruiting agencies in Bahrain than there were three years
ago, and attributed this to local embassies blacklisting
agencies that circumvented source country emigration laws.
Vesuvala said that Indian exit controls prohibit uneducated
workers from leaving India without a visa, but recruiters
often provide a Non-Objection Certificate as "employers" in
the Gulf that enable laborers and maids to bypass these
controls. The Indian embassy has blacklisted those
recruiting agencies that participate in similar practices.
The Indian government, and particularly the Indian Ambassador
to Bahrain, Balkrishna Shetty, has cooperated with MWPS. An
Undersecretary from the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs
visited Bahrain at the end of August, 2008, and met with MWPS
officials.


5. (SBU) MWPS has hosted fundraisers every May from 2005 to

2007. MWPS raised nearly USD 80,000 at the 2007 event,
despite only having gotten approval for the event from the
Ministry of Social Development three days prior. MWPS chose
not to hold a fundraiser in 2008, but applied for, and
received, a grant from the Ministry of Social Development
totaling USD 6,000. MWPS also obtained funding from the
Indian embassy to operate its shelter, and from the
Solidarity Center, which offered to pay for a website and
website maintenance.


6. (SBU) Vesuvala acknowledged that the language barrier
presents a formidable challenge to many migrant laborers in
Bahrain, and to MWPS as well. All court proceedings take
place in Arabic. Migrants generally don't speak Arabic, and
few have a working knowledge of English. MWPS has only three
Arabic-speaking members. Vesuvala said that the organization
hopes to begin working with local lawyers to provide legal
advocacy and advice for migrant laborers as soon as October.

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