On the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.. Al-Asfoor: Bahraini women enjoy appreciation and belief in their competence and capabilities

24-11-2022

The Kingdom of Bahrain participates with the international community in the celebration of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, which the United Nations General Assembly has set for the twenty-fifth of November of each year, to highlight efforts aimed at eliminating forms of violence against women and girls and achieving gender equality. Led by the UN Secretary-General and UN Women since 2008, the campaign to prevent and eliminate violence against women and girls worldwide calls for global action to raise awareness and strengthen advocacy and opportunities to discuss challenges and solutions. On this occasion, His Excellency Mr. Osama bin Ahmed Khalaf Al-Asfoor, Minister of Social Development, affirmed that women in the Kingdom of Bahrain enjoy appreciation, respect and belief in their capabilities and competencies, as they have obtained all their rights to protection against all forms of violence and discrimination. God, to promote the rights and gains of Bahraini women, and to ensure that they have a prominent role in society, in addition to consolidating their progress in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In this context, Al-Asfoor praised the national strategy to combat violence against women and protect them from domestic violence, which was launched by the Kingdom of Bahrain through the Supreme Council for Women, headed by Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, wife of the great monarch of the country, may God protect her, which aims to guarantee and promote the rights of Bahraini women, and combat any form of violence directed against them, including domestic violence, stressing that the launch of such strategies reflects the privileged status enjoyed by women in the Kingdom of Bahrain, and the extent of care to preserve their rights and protect them from all forms of violence, especially And that this strategy placed Bahrain in the ranks of developed countries that raise the level of protection enjoyed by women in particular and the family in general. Whereas protecting the family from violence is among the priorities of the government of the Kingdom of Bahrain, considering the family as the first building block in building societies, the Ministry of Social Development is keen to implement programs and projects that aim to protect women from violence, the most prominent of which is the establishment of the “Dar Al-Aman for Women Subjected to Domestic Violence”, as part of community partnership programs with civil society organizations, as the home is concerned with sheltering women and their children who are subjected to domestic violence, and they are sheltered for a temporary period until coordination and cooperation with all relevant authorities, to ensure support for women with all their rights, and the home implements programs Raising awareness in society to combat violence against women by participating in local and state events. Within the framework of completing the legislative system for protecting women in the Kingdom of Bahrain from domestic violence, His Majesty the King of the country, may God preserve and preserve him, approved a law on protection from domestic violence, which is considered a quantum leap in this field, and reflects His Majesty's keenness to improve the conditions of the family on various legal, social and cultural levels, especially since the law aims to achieve justice for women, care for them and protect them from abuse and ill-treatment, so that the interests of the family have priority in all judgments, decisions and procedures. To implement the articles of this law, a decision was issued to establish the Family Counseling Department at the Ministry of Social Development to enhance its efforts in providing counseling and awareness services in the field of protection from domestic violence. His Excellency the Minister of Social Development stated that the Ministry is concerned with licensing private family counseling offices, in addition to implementing counseling and awareness programs and plans that support the stability of the Bahraini family and residents, and are in conformity with best practices and international standards, through family counseling offices in social centers affiliated to the Ministry, to provide counseling and preventive services, and treat problems that Bahraini family members are exposed to, as well as inculcate positive foundations for family members in order to enjoy happiness and mental health. Bahraini women have achieved many unprecedented achievements in protecting their rights, and the high position the Kingdom of Bahrain has reached at the international level in the field of promoting the rights of working women and achieving equality between them and men in the workplace, through the Committee for Equal Opportunities, to which the Ministry of Social Development was one of the first to join and support its goals. This is evident in the Bahraini women cadres that have emerged on the international scene and have been able to represent Bahrain politically, economically and at the level of civil society organizations.