Bahrain "Human trafficking at the crossroads"

16 March 2009 - In view of its prime location between east and west, the Middle East has an important role to play in tackling human trafficking. Bahrain is a destination and transit country for trafficking in persons. Recognizing the magnitude of the problem, Bahrain held a conference in early March to foster public-private partnerships. Hosted by Her Highness Sheikha Sabeeka Bint Ibrahim Al-Khalifa, the title of the meeting was " Human trafficking at the Crossroads" and it aimed to attain rapid and effective action to alleviate the exploitation of human beings and bring and end to the suffering that this causes to its many victims.

Why is the involvement of the private sector so crucial in this fight in a country like Bahrain? For one, the economy of the country depends heavily on migrant labour. As a result, many foreign labourers who come to Bahrain to work as domestic servants and in the construction industry end up being exploited by their employers. Moreover, the number of foreign domestic servants and housemaids brought into Bahrain has increased greatly over the past several years and sadly Bahrain has no specific anti-trafficking laws. Therefore, Governments are now stepping up their efforts to address the root causes of human trafficking, but they feel the private sector must come forward and tackle this issue in its own sphere of influence and must also demonstrate its commitment to ending this global scourge by abiding with the legal frameworks developed and pursuing a zero tolerance approach.

With the help of the Suzanne Mubarak Women's International Peace Movement, a milestone was reached in January 2006, namely the "Athens Ethical Principles". This great achievement was formulated and endorsed by a number of business leaders and outlined a zero tolerance approach to the eradication of human trafficking to be implemented by the business community. UNODC Executive Director Antonio Maria Costa fully agrees with the involvement of the private sector. "The solution is public-private partnership - working together to keep slave-made goods and services out of supply chains and off the shelves," said Mr. Costa during his speech at the Bahrain conference on March 2 ^nd. The complex nature of human trafficking requires the involvement of multiple stakeholders to work together towards effective solutions. "Our common challenge is to make sure all links in the production chain are clean: including subcontractors, recruitment agencies and labor brokers" said Mr. Costa. "For inspiration, I encourage you to look again at the Athens Ethical Principles or consult the Handbook for Employers & Business to combat forced labor, this material offers excellent insights about what can be done, individually and collectively" he admitted.

The conference concluded with the Manama Declaration on Human Trafficking at the Crossroads, supported by the Kingdom of Bahrain. The conference's outcome proved to be a testimony to the region's commitment to continue supporting the Athens Ethical Principles and to energetically build on the newly adopted declaration.  In the light of this Crossroads Conference, Bahrain reiterates its strong support to fight human trafficking while assuring that more companies take action and encourage corporate responsibility as after all it is everybody's business.

Manama Declaration (pdf)

Handbook for Employers & Business (pdf)

Athens Ethical Principales (pdf)