61. At a joint press conference held on January 11, 2012 by the Foreign Minister, Minister of Human Resources, Youth and Sports and Attorney General, an initiative was announced to temporarily halt issuing of new work permits to Bangladeshi nationals and discussed registering the biometric details of all expatriates in an effort to combat human trafficking. At the press conference it was also announced that employers would be advised to cease withholding passports of foreign nationals.26 However, some government authorities continue to withhold the passports of expatriates stating that it is with the intention of safe keeping. 62. The Rapid Assessment of Employment Situation in Maldives conducted by HRCM in 2009 further revealed that some domestic workers, especially migrant female domestic workers are at times trapped in situations of forced labour, and is in many cases restricted from leaving the employer’s home. The report also highlighted that even though the situation of migrant workers employed as labourers is grim and may not technically be defined as bonded labour or forced labour, it is questionable whether such labourers can freely terminate their employment. The report has put forward a total of 71 recommendations to the State and 8 recommendations directly relate to improvement of the situation of migrant workers in the country. a) Consider requiring entry visas be obtained from the Maldivian High Commission/Consulate in the country concerned for nationals of countries subject to trafficking in order to prevent human trafficking. Maldivian High Commission/Consulate concerned could check the permission issued for the employment of the applicant and/or other relevant documentation prior to issuing the visa. b) Consider ratification of or accession to the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families. c) Include provisions in a housing code setting minimum standards for accommodation of workers. Chapter: Article 8: Prohibition of Slavery 63. The HRCM has been periodically monitoring implementation process of these recommendations by the State. Following are the results of the implementation of the 8 recommendations by State on 2011.The findings suggest a lack of appropriate measures taken by the State to implement the recommendations. Out of the 8 recommendations, there were no efforts put to implement half of the recommendations. Those recommendations that State has failed to implement are27: 32