NIHR organises a forum on 'CEDAW' Convention

Under the patronage of National Institution for Human Rights, a symposium was held yesterday on the convention of Elimination of all forms of discrimination against women and its role in protecting women’s human rights. The symposium coincides with Bahrain’s preparations to discuss the third report in front of the Committee on the Elimination of discrimination against women, that is to be held at U.N. in Geneva next February 11. President of NIHR, Abdul Aziz Abel delivered a speech saying that the symposium comes within the strategy and work plan of (NIHR) for the years 2013-2016 which have been recently launched aiming at spreading the culture of human rights and defending those rights with all available means. Dr. Abel asserted that the rights of women have become an integral part of U.N. commitments through international conventions, including the convention of Elimination of all forms of discrimination against women. That convention includes provisions obliging governments, and governmental and non-governmental institutions and organisations, as well as international and non-international organisations to intensify their efforts to protect and promote these rights. The President of NIHR highlighted Bahrain’s efforts to achieve equality between men and women and not to discriminate between them in accordance with the contents of Bahrain’s constitution, of which was reflected by the ratification of the people of Bahrain on the National Action Charter, that included particular qualitative provisions for women. The most important of those rights were women’s political participation and the Kingdom’s commitment to ensure women’s rights that are not contrary to the Islamic Sharia, and through the government’s initiatives, including the establishment of Equal Opportunities Unit in all various government ministries, official institutions and private sector, and integrating women’s needs in development. The President of NIHR said that the Legislative and Executive Branches work on enacting laws that criminalise violence against women. At the beginning of the symposium, MP of Shura Council and former Secretary General of the Supreme Council for Women, Lulwa Saleh Al-Awadhi reviewed the laws and national legislation governing women human rights in Kingdom of Bahrain, which are Islamic Sharia, National Action Charter, and the amended Constitution of Kingdom of Bahrain for 2002. Lulwa Al-Awadhi also pointed out the international conventions related to human rights and women rights, and presented definition of the most important provisions of the Convention, its articles, and the accordance of its aims with the Millennium goals, its work areas and the basic principles the Convention is established on. Lulwa Al-Awadhi also highlighted the expansion of women’s rights in the new convention, and the reservations contained on CEDAW. Meanwhile, member of Bahrain Women’s Union, Shehzilan Abdul Hussain stressed that there is no contradiction between the Convention and constitutional articles, highlighting that it comes in harmony with the Constitution of Kingdom of Bahrain. For his part, Dr. Ibrahim Badawi pointed out the importance of understanding the reservations on the Convention in general, and what U.N. has developed, which has taken into consideration that countries have sovereignty and the United Nations was working on the principles of human rights, but there are particularities for each state. Dr. Badawi highlighted the importance of cooperation between U.N. and the countries signed the Convention. He also said that once the state acceded to the Convention and expressed its commitment to further action, it has the right to make reservations as long as they are not inconsistent with the objectives of the Convention, and Kingdom of Bahrain presented its reservations, which were based on principles that were inconsistent with its national constants.