The Supreme Council for Woman celebrates its 10th anniversary

The Supreme Council for Woman (SCW) celebrates this year –its 10th anniversary was established within the issuance of the Royal order in August 2001 .The SWC followed His Majesty the King directly, and is a reference to all the official authorities with regard to women's affairs, and specializes in decision making and reviewing opinions and matters related to the status of women directly or indirectly.Bahraini women have contributed to the development of their country since late 1920’s, when they were allowed to attend schools and receive formal education.Holding jobs in the Government and private sectors, they worked alongside men to foster the country’s development. They were also able to hold leading positions that proved their outstanding capabilities.However, in the year 2000, their competence gained firmer ground with the National Action Charter, which safeguarded their rights, stipulating that the country would promulgate laws that would defend women and protect families; "All citizens are equal before the law in terms of rights and duties, without discrimination amongst them because of sex." The charter also guarantees the enjoyment of the right to participate in public affairs and political rights for both men and women, especially voting right and nomination for public office.Furthermore, Bahraini women gained solid ground in what concerns acquiring large scale uplifting of their status with the establishment of the Supreme Council for Women in 2001, by which efforts of women development gained institutionalization.The granting of full political rights to vote and run in municipal and parliamentary elections was a leap forward and consolidated their status as the partners of men in the country's building process.This paper will cover the situation of women in decision-making positions by identifying the extent of their contribution in the economic and political spheres as well as a review about the role of the Supreme Council for Women in this area highlighting the remaining challenges.Under the political and democratic reforms, and in line with the Beijing Platform for Action (1995), Bahrain has entered a new phase in women's empowerment, with more women being able to exercise their role effectively.Today, Bahraini women have higher administrative positions in many ministries and institutions because of their high educational levels that enabled them to upgrade their positions from the status of recipients to the status of real and effective participants in decision-making.Achievements of Bahraini Women in attaining Decision Making Position:In term of political participation, Bahraini women have participated in the preparation of the National Action Charter (2001) and participated in the referendum process on the National Charter with a percentage of (49%). In 2002, Bahraini women participated for the first time in the municipal and parliamentary elections, but despite their high rate of participation in municipal elections (49%), the candidates for this elections did not exceed the number of (11) for every (100) men. As for the parliamentary elections (2002), the women participation rate had reached (48%), and the number of candidates in this elections did not exceed (4.6) for every (100) hundred men. Unfortunately Bahraini women did not succeed in these elections.In 2006, Bahraini women participated for the second time in the elections and there was noticeable increase in the number of candidates in the parliamentary elections from 8 candidates in 2002 to 18 candidates in 2006 knowing that one candidate (won by default) has succeeded in being the first Bahraini women in the parliament.In term of the membership of women in the Shura Council (which is the upper house of the national assembly and the main legislative body in Bahrain), women participation have soared from (10%) in 2001 to (15%) in 2002 up to 25% in 2006.The participation of women in the economy and labour market is vital to the growth of the country and to achieve sustainable development.Bahraini Women are increasingly engaged in pioneering position and roles within the Kingdom both in the public and private sector and have joined new economic sectors and occupied posts which were limited to men in the past as mentioned earlier.Women now also have a presence in labour unions, among 34 labour unions there are 4 unions which are .The establishment of the Supreme Council for Women (SCW) was another manifest in promoting the status of women. The Council, which is chaired by Her Highness Shaikha Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, set among its objectives to empower Bahraini women to assume a greater role in their country's development, promote better awareness of their capabilities, ensure their fair rights are protected and help them tackle problems in all areas.One of the most important achievements of SCW was the launching of the National Strategy on the Empowerment of Bahraini Women, which aims at empowering women in different fields that include; decision making, economy, civil society, education and training, family, health and environment.Within the framework of the strategy, a political empowerment program was initiated by the Council, in co-operation with the United Nations Development Program, to boost women's status in the political sphere. It integrated a number of training and awareness programs and workshops that educated women in order to prepare them for entering the political scene.