Bahrain
The annual Trafficking in Persons Report by the US State Department ranked Bahrain anew on the Tier Two special watchlist on human trafficking. Bahrain was cited because of the alleged presence of a significant number of victims of severe forms of trafficking in the country. The report also accused Bahrain of failing to open a shelter for trafficking victims. In the country’s defense, Ministry of Foreign Affairs assistant undersecretary Shaikh Abdulaziz bin Mubarak Al Khalifa said that the government has allocated the funds and approved a site for the shelter, which is expected to open soon. In the meantime, the government recognizes and supports the temporary shelter for abuse victims being run by the NGO, Migrant Workers Protection Society. Shaikh Abdulaziz disclosed further that the Kingdom was also considering stricter laws and stiffer penalties for human trafficking.
According to Philippine Ambassador to Bahrain Eduardo Maglaya, there was a 21.41 percent increase in the number of Filipino workers hired or rehired last year compared to 2004. Maglaya also noted an increasing number of skilled Filipino workers coming to Bahrain, including doctors, nurses and educators. Out of some 30,000 Filipinos in Bahrain, 60 percent are skilled workers.
According to the Philippine Embassy in Zinj, the remains of Filipina domestic worker Rowena Jover has been repatriated to the Philippines after her relatives withdrew their earlier request for an autopsy at Bahrain’s Public Prosecution. Jover died on 15 May from injuries she sustained after falling from her Bahraini employer’s third floor window in Manama. Jover’s sponsor claimed that the domestic worker had been in a “confused state" of mind since arriving in Bahrain. However, her relatives are not convinced that no foul play was involved. They plan to have her autopsied by the National Bureau of Investigation in the Philippines and have also asked her cousin, a naturalized Bahraini, to follow up her case in Bahrain. Jover was a registered nurse and had expected to be employed as a caregiver instead of a domestic worker in Bahrain.
Indonesian domestic worker, Darjeem Ankot, who jumped from the second floor window of an apartment in Salhiya on 2 June, was taken to the Salmaniya Medical Complex for treatment. A Bahraini man from a neighboring family discovered the injured domestic worker and immediately called an ambulance. Ankot’s reason for jumping out of the window was not clear but neighbors suspect that she was trying to escape from her male Bahraini employer who allegedly kept her locked up in a room.
The Chamber of Deputies has approved a proposal doubling the fees for expatriates renewing their driver’s licenses and registering secondhand cars. Expatriates now have to pay BD40 for the said transactions. The chamber made the decision despite objections from the Ministry of Interior, which pointed out that the proposal was discriminatory and violated international treatises that prohibit unequal treatment between citizens and expatriates.
The parliamentary affairs committee has rejected a proposal by Deputy Ahmed Hussain seeking to forbid Bahraini men from marrying foreigners. According to committee head Yousif Zainal, the proposal violated the freedom of men to marry the women of their choice. The Supreme Council for Women had also opposed the proposal because of its negative effect on public freedom and family stability. Hussain claimed that his proposal intended to eliminate the negative social effects of marrying non-Bahrainis and offset the increasing number of unmarried Bahraini women. He plans to resubmit his proposal if the Chamber of Deputies uphold the committee’s decision.
Sources: Kanwal Tariq Hameed, “Surgery for flat plunge maid," Gulf Daily News, 5 June 2006; Geoffrey Bew, “‘Help victims of trafficking’ call," Gulf Daily News, 7 June 2006; Meera Ravi, “Anti-trafficking steps on: govt," Bahrain Tribune, 7 June 2006; “Expats to pay BD40 to renew license, register old cars," Bahrain Tribune, 7 June 2006; “Panel: No ban on marrying foreign women," Bahrain Tribune, 8 June 2006; Eunice del Rosario, “Cousin to take up maid’s death case," Gulf Daily News, 11 June 2006; Habib Toumi, “Manama vows to end human trafficking," Gulf News, 11 June 2006; Eunice del Rosario, “Skilled Filipinos ‘opt for Bahrain’," Gulf Daily News, 12 June 2006; Eunice del Rosario, “Filipina maid’s body sent home," Gulf Daily News, 14 June 2006