Local filmmakers and artists have come together to highlight the plight of domestic workers in Bahrain, specifically housemaids who are often physically abused and not paid.

They have joined an awareness campaign spearheaded by the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA), which has launched the Bahrain Awareness Award, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

Twenty-three movies and artworks have been short-listed for the award, which is being held under the slogan 'Human Too'.

They include 15 short films and eight posters - four graphic designs and four sketches and paintings - depicting various aspects of domestic workers' lives in the country.

"We received more than 50 diverse and pursuant short movies, drawings and posters from participants, the size and quality of which were commendable," said LMRA chief executive officer Ausamah Al Absi.

"The competition targets young people aged between 16 and 26, and the goal is to tap into their ability to devise a variety of ideas to create an impact on the universal culture of respect for the rights and duties of expatriates as an important class of society."

The public can vote for their favourite production online through www.bahrainawards.com, from tomorrow until May 15.

The votes will then be tallied and presented to an independent panel of jurists who will select the top five winners by the end of June. The winners will be eligible for a combined cash prize of BD21,000 ($55,392).

Two friends, 23-year-old Mohammed Radhi and 13-year-old Mohammed Ahmed, created short film Bacher (Tomorrow), which captures the life of a domestic worker who has not been paid for months.

"We have this situation in Bahrain and we should admit that we do not pay our domestic workers their wages on time," Radhi told the GDN.

"Because I have suffered from late payment I fully understand what it really means."

The three-minute production was shot in a Bahraini house in Dair.

"I got support from my friend Fadhel Najeeb, who allowed us to use his house and also acted in the movie along with an Indian friend Salman Abu Alkatheer," added Mr Radhi.

"It was a great experience and we are happy that through technology we are able to create awareness in society."

Another three-minute film called Too Late has been produced by a group called Alarouj Acting Band and the Sanabis Cultural Centre, which portrays a housemaid trying to run away after she has been mistreated.

By the time the female employer of the house realises her mistake, the employee has suffered emotional and physical injuries, thus justifying the title.

Bahraini Mohammed Rafea created the film, Maria, which is about an Asian housemaid who does her chores cheerfully, but counts the days until she is finally paid.

Tiara by Omar Farooq is about the broken dreams of an Indonesian woman, who aspired to become an ambassador, but ended up as a domestic worker and was ultimately never paid.

Other movies are Shades by Sanadullah Mohammed Ali, Al Ajeer by Ali Al Sindi and This Is My Right by Red Lens Studio.

Artworks short-listed for the award includes two hand-drawn sketches by 17-year-old Indian Binscal Pascal.

The Al Noor International School student said he believed in the cause behind the initiative.

"I think this is an innovative move from LMRA and it addresses a major issue that exists in Bahrain," he told the GDN.

The overall winner will go home with BD6,000 cash prize, while the runners-up will receive BD4, 000, BD3,000, BD2,000 and BD1,000 respectively.

Two cash awards for artistic excellence, costing BD3,000 and BD2,000, will be offered by MasterCard International, while 10 public voters will have the chance to win BD100 each through a raffle draw. - TradeArabia News Service