India's Ambassador Warns Citizens of Sponsor Exploitation in Bahrain

In a monthly gathering held at the Indian Embassy in Adliya Bahrain last week, the Indian Ambassador Dr. George Joseph discussed two critical issues that have recently affected the sizable Indian community living in Bahrain. The Indian Embassy is one of just a few that host monthly open houses to share contemporary, relevant information to its citizens in an attempt to limit worker exploitation, deportation, and abuses often resulting from strategic loopholes Bahrainis recognize in their legal system and utilize at the expense of unsuspecting expat workers.

Most relevant to the topics covered in this blog was Ambassador Joseph's second point, which took shape in more of a warning he impressed on gathering onlookers.

There has been a recent wave of cases that are presented to the Embassy where sponsors tell their employees to not show up for work and then purposely report them as runaways to Bahrain's Labor Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) to avoid paying monthly sponsorship fees.

The Indian Ambassador encouraged his citizens to report their temporary suspension to the LMRA if it exceeds one day-off, as evidence that proves they did not attempt to flee from their sponsor.

Moreover, the Embassy is now working with a new legal consultant who focuses on these, and similar cases of worker exploitation brought to the Embassy. This is an exciting, atypical service currently unavailable to most of Bahrain's migrant worker communities. Perhaps the Indian Embassy's use of a legal consultant will provide the necessary support to more adequately address cases of worker exploitation and pave the way for other diplomatic missions in the country to offer justice in local legal disputes.

Ambassador Joseph also reminded participants that workers must refuse to work for anyone but their sponsor, because if they are caught they face deportation and blacklisting for any future job opportunities in Bahrain. Similarly, he discouraged workers from beginning jobs under new sponsorship until they legally petition to switch sponsors under Bahrain's new Mobility Law and they receive a new work visa from the LMRA.

These monthly open houses are an exciting and intelligent venue through which legal rights and pertinent information for Bahrain's expatriate communities can be shared, perhaps limiting cases of employee exploitation or even having enough influence to prevent human trafficking.