Ahead of Bahrain’s review under the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain submitted a report attesting to the treatment of persons with disabilities in Bahrain, in particular the government’s failure to follow through with its treaty body obligations.
In our submission, we examine the impact of Bahraini policy on persons with disabilities in the following areas:
- Reallocation of disability budget allowances toward other social expenses by the Ministry of Social Affairs
- Insufficient disability benefit support provided by the government to uphold a decent standard of living and quality of life for disabled persons
- Limited accessibility of quality education for the disabled, along with poor training and pre-hiring screening procedures for teachers and school staff
- Crackdown on free functioning of independent civil society, cutting off critical support and social services distribution for disabled persons in Bahrain
In each field, we have found the Government of Bahrain’s actions to have fallen short of its promises as well as its obligations.
Overall, we found that despite claims to “ensure that people with disabilities obtain full rights on an equal basis with others, achieve comprehensive integration and receive the best care and development,” and despite promulgating a number of laws and legal provisions meant to support persons with disabilities and provide them with equal access and equal rights, officials’ implementation of these laws and provisions falls far short of the letter of the law. Thus despite nominal protections, the government has failed to actively work to promote and protect the rights of persons with disabilities and persons with disabilities continue to face more difficulties in securing equitable access to employment, healthcare, and housing than do able-bodied persons.
