Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2010, published 100th ILC session (2011)

Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182) - Bahrain (Ratification: 2001)

Article 5 of the Convention. Monitoring mechanisms. Labour inspection. The Committee previously noted the Government’s indication that no cases of child labour were registered in the previous years. However, noting a report indicating that the enforcement of child labour laws was adequate in the industrial sector, but not as effective outside that sector, the Committee encouraged the Government to take measures to strengthen the capacity of monitoring mechanisms in non-industrial sectors.

The Committee once again notes the Government’s statement that there were no cases of exploitation or recruitment of children detected in the labour market. However, the Committee notes an absence of information in the Government’s report on measures taken to strengthen the capacity of the labour inspectorate, or other enforcement bodies, in the monitoring of non-industrial sectors. Therefore, the Committee once again requests the Government to provide information on the steps taken or envisaged to strengthen the mechanisms which monitor the implementation of the provisions giving effect to the Convention in non-industrial sectors.

Article 7(2). Effective and time-bound measures. Clauses (a) and (b). Providing the necessary and appropriate direct assistance for the removal of children from the worst forms of child labour, and for their rehabilitation and social integration. Child victims of trafficking. Following its previous comments, the Committee notes the Government’s statement in its reply to the list of issues of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) of 21 July 2008 that the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) has organized training courses for civil servants involved in combating trafficking, in addition to the establishment of a telephone hotline through which foreign workers may report abuse. The Government also indicates that the National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking has distributed publications and pamphlets (in various languages) on trafficking-related issues at airports and ports (CEDAW/C/BHR/Q/2/Add.1, page 8). The Committee also notes the Government’s indication in its report to the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) of 25 March 2010 that section 7 of Act No. 1 of 2008 on combating the trafficking of persons provides for the establishment, through a ministerial order of the MSD, of an evaluation committee on the status of foreign victims of human trafficking (CRC/C/BHR/2-3, paragraph 507). However, the Government does not indicate if this evaluation committee has been established. Furthermore, the Committee notes the information in a report on the trafficking of persons in Bahrain of 14 June 2010 (available on the website of the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (www.unhcr.org)) (Trafficking Report), that within the previous year, the Government made no discernible progress in improving protective services available to trafficking victims, and that there was no formal procedure for identifying trafficking victims among vulnerable groups. The Trafficking Report also indicates that, although the Government funds an NGO-run shelter that receives victims of trafficking, many police officers were unaware of the shelter’s existence, and few victims were referred to the services there. The Trafficking Report further indicates that information regarding the toll-free hotline available to trafficking victims was not well disseminated. The Committee therefore requests the Government to strengthen its efforts to provide the necessary and appropriate direct assistance for the identification and removal of child victims of trafficking, and for their rehabilitation and social integration. It requests the Government to provide information on the measures taken in this regard, and to supply information on the number of victims of trafficking under the age of 18 who have been identified and have received rehabilitative assistance, shelter and other services. The Committee also requests the Government to indicate if the evaluation committee on the status of foreign victims of human trafficking has been established and, if so, to provide information on its activities.

Clause (d). Identify and reach out to children at special risk. Orphans. The Committee previously noted the establishment of the Royal Charity Organization (RCO), which is responsible for the welfare of Bahraini orphans, and undertook projects to provide for the material needs of child orphans who might otherwise be pushed to work. The Committee requested information on the number of child orphans receiving such services.

The Committee notes the information in the Government’s report that there are centres for the care and education of orphans in the country. The Committee also notes the Government’s statement in its report to the CRC of 25 March 2010 that the RCO provides a monthly payment of 30 dinars (approximately US$80) to all orphans in Bahrain (up until the age of 23). The Government indicates that since the RCO’s establishment in 2001, 8,274 orphans have benefited from this service (CRC/C/BHR/2-3, paragraph 215).

Article 8. International cooperation. The Committee previously noted that the Government had signed Memoranda of Understanding with labour exporting countries, and noted the Government’s indication that it would engage in regional cooperation with respect to the issue of eliminating the worst forms of child labour. It requested the Government to provide information on progress made in this regard.

The Committee notes the information in the Government’s report concerning cooperation with foreign countries to regulate migrant labour, to ensure that persons under 18 are not granted work permits. The Government states that it coordinates with the embassies of source countries to verify the age of foreign workers before the worker receives approval from the relevant authorities. The Government indicates that this collaboration will continue in the future to ensure that children are not sent to work in Bahrain. The Committee also notes the information from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) that it is collaborating with the Government to strengthen its capacity to, inter alia, prevent the trafficking of persons. The IOM website indicates that a counter-trafficking capacity-building intervention will be implemented by the IOM (in close collaboration with the MSD), to complement current efforts of the Government to curb the trafficking in persons. The Trafficking Report indicates that this collaboration resulted in a three-day trafficking investigation course for 29 law enforcement officers.