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Whitewashing Women’s Rights Violations: The Participation of Bahrain’s Supreme Council for Women in the Gender Equality Forum
The Generation Equality Forum, organized by UN Women, is taking place in Paris between June 30 and July 2, 2021. Working alongside civil society, the Forum is a global gathering focused on discussing and promoting gender equality all over the world. The Supreme Council for Women (SCW) in Bahrain reported on January 30, 2021 that it had accepted its invitation to participate in the Forum in Paris.
The SCW is closely connected to the Bahraini government, which has continuously committed systematic human rights violations, including violations of women’s rights. The structure of the Council relies heavily on royal endorsement. The president of the SCW is the King’s first wife, Princess Sabeeka, and all high positions in the Council are appointed by royal order. By the Council’s own admission, it is founded by and directly affiliated with the King. It also operates on a national strategy based on his vision. Therefore, the structure of the Council does not encourage the objectivity needed to effectively advocate for women’s rights in the country.
In some ways, the Council can be regarded as a mechanism the Government can use to whitewash human rights violations.The mere existence of the Council provides legitimacy to the Government on issues of gender. In the past, it has been referred to as evidence of Bahraini women’s empowerment. For example, although Bahrain retains many reservations on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) the SCW claimed that the Convention had been “put into effect” in July 2016.
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Sadeq AbdAli AlAsfoor
Updated Profile- Sadeq AbdAli AlAsfoor was only 20 years old when he was arrested. Since his arrest, Sadeq was convicted in an unfair trial and has been subjected to torture which harmed his physical and psychological health. After the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Jau prison, where he is currently held, Sadeq contracted the virus.
On 6 March 2012, officers from the Ministry of Interior raided Sadeq’s house at dawn, surrounding it with nearly 60 police jeeps and civilian cars. They broke into his room, blindfolded him, and stole money from him. The officers, who also had a sheet of paper with a list of names of wanted individuals, arrested Sadeq without a warrant.
Following his arrest, Sadeq was forcibly disappeared for three days. On the fourth day, he called his family to inform them he was at the Dry Dock Detention Center. During his interrogation, which lasted three days, Sadeq was threatened and tortured into making confessions without his lawyer’s presence. He was tied to a chair, blindfolded, beaten and kicked all over his body, forced to stand for days, discriminated against because of his religious beliefs, deprived of the right to prayer, and insulted repeatedly. Sadeq sustained injuries including swelling in his eye as a result of beating and did not receive specialized treatment for his injuries. He was only given an unprescribed cream to apply to the swelling by himself.
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- Oman frees activists arrested during unemployment protests (Reuters)
Omani authorities released on Wednesday dozens of activists who were arrested during last week's protests, activists and human rights groups said, as the Gulf state attempts to defuse tensions over unemployment.
- African journalists slam UAE 'manipulation' over Qatar World Cup (AlJazeera)
The Federation of African Journalists (FAJ) has condemned what it calls attempts by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to “manipulate” African journalists into speaking out against the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
- Saudi Women's Long Road Towards Equality (FairPlanet)
Saudi Arabia’s ultraconservative monarchy, led by Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman, tries to project an image of a modern regime, especially towards women, who are subjected to a system in which they are completely under the authority of men. But beyond the nice words the steps forward are minimal, and women who dare to claim their rights are brutally punished.
- Tribute to Artur Ligęska, Former Prisoner in UAE (Human Rights Watch)
Artur Ligęska, a 40-year-old Polish citizen who has spoken out widely about torture and ill-treatment in Emirati prisons, was found dead in his apartment in Amsterdam, the Netherlands on May 26, 2021. The Gulf Centre for Human Rights and Human Rights Watch are deeply saddened by the news of his death and extend their sincere condolences to his friends and family.
- Bahrain: Stop Denying Abuse of Detained Children (Human Rights Watch)
A Bahrain government report denying that police and detention-center officers beat, insulted, and threatened to rape four boys, ages 15 to 17, in detention in late 2020 and 2021 lacks any credibility in the face of compelling evidence, and is a blatant effort to whitewash serious human rights violations, Human Rights Watch and the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD) said today.
- Letter re: UK Response to Abuses against Children by Bahrain Authorities (Human Rights Watch)
A Letter written to James Cleverly, MP, Minister for the Middle East and North Africa, and Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs and Human Rights Minister.        
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