Minister of Social Development heads the Kingdom of Bahrain’s delegation to review the reports of the two optional protocols attached to the Convention on the Rights of the Child

28-08-2024

H.E. Mr. Osama bin Ahmed Khalaf Al Asfoor, Minister of Social Development, headed the Kingdom of Bahrain’s delegation to the interactive dialogue session at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, where the Kingdom of Bahrain’s initial reports on the two optional protocols related to the Convention on the Rights of the Child were reviewed: the Protocol on the Protection of Children from Trafficking, exploitation in prostitution, and from Pornography, specially the Protocol on the Protection of Children in Armed Conflict in Particular. In H.E speech, the Minister of Social Development stressed the marvels progress made by the Kingdom of Bahrain in promoting children’s rights and implementing the agreements it has ratified, under the lofty royal vision of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of the Kingdom of Bahrain, and with the support and assistance of the government headed by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister. This vision has contributed to implement the conditions of childhood in the Kingdom at various legal, social, educational and cultural levels, in an integrated work environment between all parties. The Minister highlighted the most important achievements of the Kingdom of Bahrain in terms of its commitment to the Convention on the Rights of the Child in general, and its two complementary protocols, based on the valuable interest that the Kingdom concerned in all subjects related to childhood, and its continuous and persistent efforts to improve the reality of this important group that constitutes the base of building the society, and its keenness to review its achievements periodically, in order to ensure the provision of protection and a safe environment for children and to raise an educated generation capable of improving the future of the Kingdom of Bahrain with efficiency and competence. During the discussion, the Minister reviewed the national initiatives and specific achievements to protect children's rights, most notably the "National Strategy for Childhood 2023-2027", and the Kingdom's possession of an integrated system of policies, laws and programs that highlight the importance of enhancing the protection of children's rights, in particular the Law on Restorative Justice for Children and their Protection from Abuse, in addition to establishing the Social Care Complex, and allocating an independent prosecution to consider cases in which a child is accused of committing crimes, and cases to be a victim. The Public Prosecution also launched the Social Care Initiative in the year 2021, to identify the underlying causes of crimes and address and eliminate of those causes, and the Public Prosecution issued a mechanism to question the child once in sexual assault crimes to preserve his/her psyche. On the subject of electronic blackmail, the Minister highlighted on launching a national campaign in cooperation with a several government agencies, to educate children and their parents about the dangers of cyberspace. A child protection unit was also established in cyberspace, and a special office was inaugurated to receive children in the General Administration office for Combating Corruption and Economic and Electronic Security, with the aim of providing comprehensive protection for this category. The Minister also pointed out the creation of the position of Commissioner for Child Rights, within the framework of the independent National Institution for Human Rights, and as an observer in the National Committee for Childhood, where his work specializes in understanding the issues facing children, and protecting and promoting their best interests. The Family and Child Protection Office was also created to ensure an independent legal path for facts related to the family and child, and to provide immediate protection for them, while maintaining confidentiality and privacy, by providing an appropriate environment when they visit police stations. The Minister of Social Development stressed that the Kingdom of Bahrain has achieved pioneering achievements in the field of children's rights, through the issuance of legislation that have contributed to protecting this category from participating in armed conflicts, including the issuance of Decree-Law No. 44 of 2018 regarding the issuance of the International Crimes Law, which works to confront the involvement of children in armed conflicts and classify it as a war crime. At the end of H.E. speech, the Minister expressed his pride in the participation of stakeholders from government agencies and civil society organizations in preparing the two reports, in addition to presenting the drafts to international experts, and activating the principle of best practices in involving stakeholders, as workshops were held with the participation of students and representatives of civil society organizations, to discuss a number of topics related to the two reports. For their part, the members of the committee, headed by Ms. Anne Skelton, noted the great progress achieved by the Kingdom of Bahrain in supporting children's rights, indicating that the Kingdom has demonstrated high efficiency in interacting with the UN committee and providing clear responses to the committee's inquiries, submitting the required reports within the specified times, and establishing a constructive and continuous dialogue with the Kingdom of Bahrain in this regard.