Since its inception, SIU has been working to strengthen joint cooperation with the relevant human rights and monitoring authorities in Bahrain, in order to support national efforts to eliminate all forms of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
Among the aspects of this cooperation are the Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2013 with the Ombudsman, and National Institution for Human Rights (NIHR) in 2015, regarding dealing with complaints related to allegations of torture and ill-treatment. It aimed mainly at the joint work in terms of facilitating procedures for reporting such complaints, instill confidence among those affected, and quickly exchange information, in order to reach effective and productive investigations, and to avoid any obstacles that may limit in any way the disclosure of the truth of those facts and those responsible for them.
On an international level, SIU has signed an agreement with the UN Development Program aimed at strengthening the Unit’s capabilities to carry out its role in accordance with international standards. Based on the said agreement, several international experts in related fields have visited SIU and contributed to the development of its work. Moreover, SIU has been able, through the agreement, to view and benefit from the experiences of some counterpart devices in different countries, all with the aim of reaching the highest levels of efficiency.
