Second Annual Report of the National Institution for Human Rights (NIHR) 2014 - Kingdom of Bahrain trafficking in Persons, as this entails that the beneficiary will escape punishment while being an accomplice. It further does not allude to the possibility of exempting the offender from punishment in the case of reporting the crime79. 22. While the aforementioned issues are addressed in the general provisions of the Penal Code promulgated by the Decree Law No. 15 of 1976, as amended, NIHR is of the view that since the crime of trafficking in Persons is considered an organized and non-traditional crime and has a separate law dedicated for it, it is preferable that the provisions of the Law cover all issues related to this crime in order to assist law enforcement officers and the investigation body (the public prosecutor or the competent court) to deal appropriately with this crime in accordance with the law and to match its serious implications. 23. In terms of the efforts made towards combating human trafficking, NIHR notes that the Committee established under Article No. 8 of the Law is a national committee entrusted with combating the crime of trafficking in persons. It is represented by the official bodies of government, along with civil society organizations. Therefore, it is obliged, to develop a national strategy to combat trafficking in persons. However, since the establishment of this Committee, it did not perform the role assigned to it in this regard. In affirmation of NIHR intention to consolidate coordination and cooperation with the Committee concerning the dissemination of human rights culture and promoting and protecting human rights on the ground, it has prepared a proposed draft national strategy to combat trafficking in persons. The draft was sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as the body concerned with this issue in order to be referred to the said Committee for consideration and taking the necessary action. 24. The draft national strategy includes four key themes, namely: “prevention”, “protection”, “prosecution”, and “building local, regional, and international partnerships”. The first strategic theme related to “protection” includes three key strategic objectives. The first objective is “drawing up comprehensive policies to combat trafficking in persons”, through evaluating and reviewing the reality of this crime in the Kingdom, proposing new laws or amending the laws in force, taking advantage of the best practices in this area, and adopting preventive policies for the purpose of combating children trafficking and exploitation. The second strategic objective is related to “raising awareness” among the public on this crime through the development of awareness programs targeted towards ministries and official and non-official bodies, strengthening the role of civil society institutions and non-governmental institutions, and incorporating the provisions of the law in academic courses in law schools, specialized national institutes, and relevant training programs. The final strategic objective is related to “conducting specialized training in the field of combating trafficking in persons” through the development of a general framework for training programs and creating a national training team on the fight against this crime and updating it in the light of international developments. 25. The second strategic theme related to “protection” includes three main objectives. The first objective is to “identify the victims and those affected by trafficking in persons crimes” by determining the mechanisms for identification of the victims and those affected by the crime in accordance with the relevant international standards, and designing and implementing training programs for law enforcement officers and civil society institutions specialized in identifying the victims and those affected by this crime and dealing with them appropriately. The second strategic objective deals with “protection and support of victims and those affected by trafficking in persons crimes” through setting up one or more center for sheltering the victims and those affected by this crime in a safe and temporary manner, facilitating the reporting of such cases, and preparing qualified personnel for the shelters to provide guidance, 79 UAE Federal Anti Human Trafficking Law No. 51 of 2006. 70

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