In December 2019, Bahrain's Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) announced the launch of a new service to allow migrant workers to sue their employees for mistreatment and labour abuse.

The two new branches of the LMRA allow workers to report abuse without needing to go directly to the Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowment Ministry. The service offers support including a translation service and help compiling identity and employment information; if workers are not in possession of these themselves the service can access them directly through a database. The service only registers those cases that go to the labour court, however.

Responding to the news, NGO Migrant-Rights acknowledged the potential of the service to fill existing gaps preventing migrant workers from seeking redress for abuse. Nevertheless, Migrant-Rights has also highlighted a number of areas where the proposed changes may fall short. The barriers to justice they highlight include: translation of all documents into Arabic for the labour court; navigating and understanding the labour court and its processes; and practical access to a lawyer and attendance at the court. Even once workers obtain a ruling in their favour, Migrant-Rights warned, the ruling may not be enforced, or the employer may refuse or be unable to pay compensation or outstanding salaries.