PROTECTION
The government made some progress in improving identification and protection of trafficking victims. The government identified 50 suspected trafficking victims in 2014, a significant increase from the 21 victims identified in 2013. Of these victims, 40 were identified as sex trafficking victims and 10 as forced labor victims. The Ministry of Social Development (MOSD) managed a 120-bed domestic violence shelter, which also offered services to female trafficking victims and their children. In 2014, the shelter assisted and provided some medical services to 45 women while their cases were pending in court. Shelter residents could only leave the shelter with a chaperone. The majority of trafficking victims in Bahrain continued to seek shelter at their embassies or at an NGO-operated trafficking shelter. The government provided very limited shelter services to male trafficking victims; however, the MOSD began efforts in 2014 to construct a shelter dedicated to men.
When investigating claims of abuse from domestic workers that ran away from their employers, some police stations reportedly followed up immediately, while others let days or weeks lapse between attempts to contact the employer by phone. This failure to immediately investigate claims of abuse and potential trafficking crimes left victims at risk of further exploitation and without protection services.The Labor Law No.36 provides some protection to domestic workers, which includes requiring domestic workers be provided a labor contract specifying working hours, annual leave, and bonuses; it also requires the employer pay the worker at least once a month. Nonetheless, the government did not issue guidance on implementation of the law. Police officials did not systematically and proactively identify victims—especially victims among the domestic worker population—in stations across the country. NGO sources reported many domestic workers entered the country illegally or under false pretenses, so they did not benefit from protections in the law. NGO sources assessed punishment of trafficking victims had significantly decreased in comparison to the previous reporting period. Nonetheless, the government did not have policies to protect trafficking victims from punishment for crimes committed as a direct result of being subjected to human trafficking; trafficking victims were punished for employment or immigration violations and subjected to detention and deportation. It continued to lack systematic procedures to identify victims among vulnerable groups, such as domestic workers who fled abusive employers or women arrested for prostitution. The Ministry of Interior’s anti-trafficking division used criteria, developed in partnership with an international organization, to assist law enforcement officials to identify trafficking victims. NGOs stated victim identification efforts by police were improving, but remained inconsistent across different stations.
Bahraini officials stated they encouraged victims to participate in the investigations and prosecutions of their traffickers and the public prosecutor was responsible for protecting victims of trafficking crimes during preliminary investigations and court proceedings.While the labor law stipulates foreign workers may change sponsors during investigations and court proceedings, victims were unable to change sponsors while their complaints were being adjudicated by the court. It was unclear how many trafficking victims whose cases were not being adjudicated were

able to change sponsors, if any. Workers typically did not file complaints against employers due to distrust of the legal system and lengthy court procedures, inability to afford legal representation, lack of interpretation and translation services, concern over potential loss of residence permits during proceedings, and fear of additional maltreatment at the hands of the employer. In addition to staffing, counselling, and legal support, the government funded the repatriation of third-country nationals to their home countries, but did not report how many victims were provided this assistance during the reporting period. The government provided foreign victims with legal alternatives to their removal to countries where they faced retribution or hardship, including assistance in finding legal work and a new sponsor.

PREVENTION
The government increased efforts to prevent human trafficking by reforming its National Committee to Combat Trafficking in Persons and expanding its awareness campaigns targeting both migrant workers and Bahraini employers. In March 2015, leadership of the committee transferred to the LMRA, the level of participation was raised to the undersecretary level for each ministry, and representatives from the Bahrain News Agency and three human rights-focused NGOs joined. In addition, the government established the Protection of Migrant Workers’ Rights Unit within the LMRA to staff the committee, tasked with serving as an information hub and service center for trafficking victims and potential victims, as well as coordinating with other relevant ministries on all cases as they move through the system. The committee met once a month during the reporting period and focused primarily on increasing prosecution, expanding victim assistance, broadening training for government personnel, and raising  awareness.
In September 2014, the government transferred its management of domestic worker visa processing to the LMRA, which allowed the government to better monitor domestic workers’ places of employment and labor law violations.To ensure timely payment of wages, the LMRA piloted a partnership with a private company to provide employers the ability to set up regular money transfers to debit cards to receive payment.The government did not report how many workers were included in this pilot or whether they would make this a mandatory requirement. The LMRA created an awareness-raising competition targeting Bahraini youth aged 16 to 26 years, calling for either a photo, drawing, short movie, or a poster for the general public submitted via social media, to encourage respect for the rights of domestic workers. It distributed pamphlets in English and 13 other languages to foreign workers; it also placed advertisements on public transit, which explained workers’ rights and advised victims to contact their embassies or call the LMRA hotline if their rights had been violated. The LMRA also distributed SIM cards containing credit to each foreign employee upon their arrival at the Bahrain Airport. Despite past commitments and pledges, the government did not abolish the sponsorship system, which contributed greatly to forced labor and debt bondage. The government did not make efforts to reduce the demand for commercial sex or forced labor. The government provided anti-trafficking training or guidance for its diplomatic personnel.