Bahrain

The overall objective of the project is to promote the extension of social protection for migrants in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries in accordance with international social security standards, by promoting research, informing social dialogue and supporting reform efforts.

The project operates along three main axes:

The General Federation of Nepalese Trade Unions (GEFONT) has been reaching out to trade unions in destination countries to ensure the protection of Nepalese migrant workers. They have moreover signed agreements and MoUs with trade unions in Lebanon, Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Hong Kong, and the Republic of Korea to enhance Nepalese workers' rights in these countries.

The FAIRWAY programme addresses underlying causes of decent work deficits at their source through national-level interventions in selected countries of origin in East, West and North Africa (Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, and Morocco). In the Arab States, the programme provides continuity to interventions in countries of destination across the region by building on the work of the Fairway Middle East project (2016-2019), which target low-skilled migrant workers from all regions.

The Expat Protection Centre is a central hub of services operating (24/7), and provides a range of services to expatriate workers, including protection services, complaints and grievances, labour court submissions, as well as providing guidance and assistance to expatriate workers on labour related matters.
Expat Protection Centre houses:

The National Referral Mechanism (NRM) is a process set up to identify, support, and follow up on victims and potential victims of trafficking, and any vulnerable individuals. It is a collaborative framework through which stakeholders fulfill their obligations to protect and promote the human rights of the trafficked -or vulnerable- individual in a timely manner, while coordinating all the efforts in a strategic national partnership. The system launched in 2016, and was fully digitalized in 2018, which operates according to a unified electronic system, linking the concerned authorities.

Labour Market Regulatory Authority launched the Labour Registration Program, in partnership with the private sector through Labour Registration Centres with the aim of providing a safe and balanced-work environment that preserves the rights of all parties and the society, enhancing the efforts to eliminate irregular workers and linking work permits to vocational standards and qualifications.

Labour Market Regulatory Authority's Regional Centre of Excellence and Capacity Building for Combatting Trafficking in Persons (RCoE) is a specialized centre that is responsible for developing regional-specific modules and training material on combating trafficking in persons and victim assistance, in addition to delivering sessions and workshops, regionally. RCoE targets first responders from government and non-government entities to the crime of trafficking in persons, as well as practitioners who deal with victims of trafficking in persons.

The Wages Protection System is a system that enables the LMRA - as a licensing body - to know the extent of the commitment of private sector enterprises to pay wages as agreed and on time through financial transfers through the service providing banks and financial institutions that are approved by the Central Bank of Bahrain.

Labour Market Regulatory Authority provides grants to victims and potential victims of trafficking, through the Victim of Trafficking Assistance Fund. It is a financial assistance aid to ease the effort required in rebuilding their lives.

Two forms of aid can be availed:

- Monthly allowance to VOTs (whose presence is required by the court) and to PVOTs (who voluntarily cooperate with the Public Prosecution).

- Grant to aid with victims reintegration into society.

Labour Market Regulatory Authority launched the optional insurance for domestic workers, which covers cases of absence from work in violation of work permit terms, or unjust dismissal, compensation in case of injury, disability or death and repatriation costs. The insurance is available to employers who recruit domestic workers directly or through licensed employment offices acting as intermediaries.