NIHR’s Committee on Complaints, Monitoring and Follow-up convenes its 17th Regular Meeting by Teleconference
27 Aug 2020
The National institution for Human Rights (NIHR)’s Committee on Complaints, Monitoring and Follow-up convened its 17th regular monthly meeting by teleconference under the chairpersonship of Ms. Maria Khoury and membership of Dr. Hameed Ahmed Husain, Mrs. Rawdha Alaradi and Mr. Ammar Ahmed Albannai. The Committee stated the importance that all inmates of correction and rehabilitation centres practice their basic rights, especially the right to practice religious rites. Based upon the broad powers of the NIHR pursuant to its Incorporation Law, Ms. Khoury briefed the members of the Committee on the NIHR’s ongoing strategy to activate its oversight and human rights role and intensify its visits to correction and rehabilitation centres to ensure that their inmates are enjoying their right to practice religious rituals, especially during Ashura season, in accordance with the laws, regulations and directives of the concerned authorities with regard to compliance with precautionary measures under the current health conditions. The Committee appreciated the tangible cooperation by reform and rehabilitation centres in providing a healthy and safe environment for the practice of various religious rites, the matter which reflects the concepts of tolerance and coexistence in the Kingdom of Bahrain over decades.
During the meeting, the Committee reviewed the actions taken with regard to all its previous resolutions and recommendations, including the NIHR’s initiative to educate expatriate laborers in the State of their basic rights, the NIHR’s role in promoting those rights and the possibility to resort to the NIHR if necessary, through publishing a number of awareness messages on social media platforms and the media.
The Committee also reviewed the procedure taken with regard to communicating with the concerned parties to consider the possibility of re-examining the groups covered by the Ministry of Labor and Social Development Resolution no. (3) of 2013 regarding the ban on working at noon in open places during the established ban hours.
The Committee discussed the complaints and legal aids provided, which were received by the NIHR during the period from 24 July to 24 August 2020, where the NIHR monitored (13) cases via the media and social media and (159) calls via the NIHR’s toll-free hotline during the said period. The Committee touched on the round table activity that the NIHR intends to hold next September in coordination with the Committee on Public Freedoms, which aims to bring together all the relevant parties and stakeholders, in order to discuss the expatriate laborers file in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
Ms. Khoury informed the members of the Committee that the Committee on Detention & Facilities Visitation will start conducting field visits to the housing of expatriate laborers of a number of companies very soon in order to ensure the provision of adequate hosing that matches safety standards and requirements.
The Committee further discussed the extent to which some parties cooperate and coordinate with it to find out appropriate solutions, stressing the need for continued communication with the Ministry of Housing for more cooperation and interaction in finding out appropriate solutions for a number of complaints and aids relating to the right to an adequate standard of living.
