US embassy cable - 05MANAMA1234

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MANAMA 001234 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE PASS TO DOL/ILAB FOR TINA MCCARTER AND DRL/IL FOR 
LAUREN HOLT 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ELAB, EIND, ETRD, PHUM, SOCI, BA 
SUBJECT: BAHRAIN: UPDATE OF WORST FORMS OF CHILD LABOR 
INFORMATION 
 
REF: SECSTATE 143552 
 
1.  Embassy Manama's response to reftel follows.  Answers are 
keyed to reftel questions. 
 
2.  A.  The Labor Law for the Private Sector of 1976, as 
amended, establishes 14 years as the absolute minimum age for 
employment in Bahrain.  Both national and foreign workers are 
covered by this law, although children working as domestics 
and in agriculture and children who work in family-owned 
enterprises that they will inherit are exempted from coverage 
of most of the law.  The Ministry of Labor grants and reviews 
work permits for foreigners pursuant to Article 3, and such 
permits may only be granted to persons 18 years of age and 
older.  The Labor Law for the Private Sector establishes 
special requirements for the employment of children ages 14 
to 16.  Children ages 14 to 16 may not be employed in 
hazardous conditions; may not work overtime or at night; may 
not work on a piecework basis; and in any case may not work 
for more than 4 consecutive hours or more than 6 hours per 
day.  They must also be granted annual leave of not less than 
one full month, which they are not allowed to waive.  Under 
the Education Act, which was ratified by the King on August 
15, 2005 school is compulsory for children ages 6 to 15. 
 
3.  A (continued).  A subsidiary order enacted under the 
provisions of the Labor Law for the Private Sector prohibits 
children under the age of 16 from working in more than 25 
hazardous professions, and sets a maximum allowable weight of 
20 kilograms for children ages 14 to 16 to carry as part of 
their work.  In addition, such children must obtain 
authorization from the Ministry of Labor and undergo a 
medical examination prior to their admission to employment. 
Forced or compulsory labor is also prohibited by the 
Constitution, and the government effectively enforces this 
prohibition.  There is no compulsory military service in 
Bahrain.  The minimum age for enlistment in the Bahrain 
Defense Force is 15 years. 
 
4.  A (continued).  Prostitution is illegal under the Penal 
Code, and encouraging a child less than 18 years of age to 
enter into prostitution is punishable by two to 10 years of 
imprisonment depending on the age of the victim.  Bahraini 
authorities sporadically enforce the laws against 
prostitution.  Child prostitution, procuring, and pimping is 
unheard of.  Violators are dealt with harshly and can be 
imprisoned or, if the violator is a non-citizen, deported. 
In some cases, authorities reportedly return children 
arrested for illicit activities to their families rather than 
prosecute them, especially for the first offense.  Bahraini 
law does not specifically prohibit trafficking in children, 
but there are several statutes under which traffickers can be 
prosecuted, including laws on kidnapping, forced 
prostitution, and coercion. 
 
5.  A (continued).  Bahrain ratified ILO Convention 182 on 
March 23, 2001.  In December 2003, the National Assembly 
approved the UN Convention on International Organized Crime 
and the optional Protocol to Prevent, Suppress, and Punish 
Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children. 
 
6.  B.  The Ministry of Labor is responsible for implementing 
and enforcing child labor laws and regulations.  The Labor 
Law for the Private Sector provides for the inspection of 
workplaces and for legal sanctions against employers found in 
violation of child labor laws.  Violators of the law or its 
implementing regulations are subject to fines of not less 
than 50 dinars (USD 133) and not more than 200 dinars (USD 
530) for each occurrence and each worker.  The same penalties 
apply to any person acting as a guardian of a juvenile who 
permits his or her employment in violation of the provisions. 
 The Ministry of Labor currently employs 17 labor inspectors 
and is in the process of hiring 30 more.  The inspectors 
effectively enforce child labor legislation in the industrial 
sector; however, child labor outside the industrial sector is 
monitored less effectively. 
 
7.  C.  The Constitution provides for free and compulsory 
education at the primary levels.  The majority of school-aged 
children attend school.  In 2001, 98.4 percent of boys were 
enrolled in basic education and 97.5 percent of girls were 
enrolled.  The rules regarding compulsory education were not 
always enforced, but under the new Education Act parents who 
fail to send their children to school will face prosecution. 
The government provides for school equipment, supplies, and 
transportation and establishes separate schools for boys and 
girls at all levels.  In addition, the Government is working 
to improve educational quality by hiring additional teachers, 
reducing class sizes, and offering teacher training and 
professional development courses for instructors.  The 
government has also established educational and vocational 
training programs for school dropouts and has taken other 
measures to encourage regular school attendance. 
8.  D.  The government has developed a national plan of 
action to eliminate the worst forms of child labor. 
 
9.  E.  Statistics on the number of working children under 
age 14 in Bahrain are unavailable, but reports indicate that 
child labor is not widespread.  Children reportedly work in 
family businesses.  In addition, small numbers of children 
perform odd jobs in the Manama Central Market. 
 
MONROE