On 28th June 2024, ADHRB delivered an intervention at the United Nation Human Rights Council session 56 during the annual discussion session on the human rights of women. ADHRB expressed concern about Bahrain’s discrimination against women, in violation of the Vienna Declaration.
We express concern about Bahrain’s discrimination against women, in violation of the Vienna Declaration.
Despite the domestic violence law, there are no concrete measures to protect women, offenders are not criminalized, and most CEDAW committee recommendations are ignored. Discriminatory laws persist, including the penal code, family law, and nationality law. Bahrain has not yet amended its nationality law which would allow Bahraini women who are married to a foreigner to pass the nationality on to their children.
Bahrain restricts the freedom of peaceful assembly and association by closing women’s associations. Reports from Special Procedure offices and the CEDAW Committee highlight continuous harassment of women human rights defenders, including intimidation, assault, travel bans, detention, torture, and sexual harassment, compounded by the lack of official statistics and strong reporting mechanisms.
In light of these violations, we ask: how can the international community pressure Bahrain to adhere to the Vienna Declaration and end discrimination against women by following the CEDAW committee’s recommendations?
