Bahrain tests manual on women rights

Bahrain is among five other countries testing a training manual on women's rights in the context of an international convention that prohibits all forms of discrimination against women.

The workshop, to be held December 21 and 23, will discuss women's political rights and immigrant women rights.

Bahrain signed the agreement the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) back in June 18, 2002.

The agreement was adopted in 1979 by the UN General Assembly, and is often described as an international bill of rights for women. Consisting of a preamble and 30 articles, it defines what constitutes discrimination against women and sets up an agenda for national action to end such discrimination.

By accepting the convention, states commit themselves to undertake a series of measures to end discrimination against women in all forms.

The workshop will be organised by the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights in collaboration with United National Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) with the support of the United Nations Development Programme.

Fifty participants including both women and men representing government officials, NGO representatives, the women police department, religious figures, media, lawyers will discuss the agreement.

"Many topics will rise when discussing the agreement as it's an international agreement and many people think it conflicts with our culture or the religion of Islam," said Executive Director of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, Abdul Hadi Al Khawajah at a press conference yesterday.

The workshop, to feature an all-local team of trainers, will come up with recommendations and feedback about the manual.

"The workshop will be for the better of Bahraini and immigrants women living in the country," he said. Topics to be discussed include marriage, inheritance and custody as well as the circumstances and rights of the housemaids in the country.