The general secretary of the UN, the president of the current session of the General Assembly, the president of the Economic and Social Council, the executive director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and Professor Cherif Bassiouni participated in the forum.
The Undersecretary for Arab and Afro-Asian affairs, and for international organizations, Shaikha Rana bint Isa bin Duaij Al Khalifa, participated in the forum. She said that Bahrain works on building strategies to complete the efforts and initiatives nationally and regionally and implement the highest standards, inspired by human rights principles, and in compliance with the reform project initiated by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.
She clarified that a specialized unit was set to deal with crimes of human trafficking, in addition a hotline operating 24 hours daily to receive reports of human trafficking. She explained that the executive authority receives reports and provides psychological support and shelter for the victims, and coordinates with the embassies and foreign manpower offices to eliminate obstacles. The LMRA issued leaflets explaining the rights of migrant workers in several languages. It also included the hotline number so that the worker can call anonymously any time to require assistance in his situation. The Ministry of Human Rights and Social Development set up a shelter for victims of human trafficking, under the supervision of the specialized judicial institutions. Labour laws have controlled the role of the state in supervising the working conditions and rights of workers, as well as means of prosecuting employers. In 2009 the system of sponsorship was modified to allow the foreign worker to change his work without needing the permission of the employer. Law No. 19 of the year 2006 defined the guarantees for the victims of human trafficking during investigation and trial.