Dubai: A children’s summer camp that focuses on fostering tolerance and preventing exploitation by extremist groups and ideologies has been launched in Bahrain.
Over 100 children, between the ages of nine and 12 and drawn from different areas around the country are taking part in the programme aimed at counteracting sectarianism and social polarization among children and youth Jinan Al Omran, the programme director and Vice-President of the National Commission for Childhood, said.
A team of 33 counsellors has been put together to operate the Peace Camp as part of a larger national strategy for children set forth by the National Commission for Children. The camp is under the auspices of the Ministry of Social Development.
Counsellors found that children were particularly sensitive to the events that hit Bahrain last year, often suffering from sleeping and eating disorders, as well as acting out aggressively and suffering from chronic nightmares.
The commission also hopes to introduce non-violence training in public schools and widen training in conflict resolution over the academic year due to start in September.
Bahrain has been dealing with the aftermath of a anti-government protests which began last year.
While largely quelled, the country has been experiencing sporadic clashes in Shiite neighbourhoods who set fire to tires and attack police officers.
The opposition led by Al Wefaq was in the political vanguard of the demonstrations that broke out in mid-February, 2011.
Its demands included a real constitutional monarchy under which the prime minister would be elected. Recent constitutional amendments which gave the elected chamber the right to hold a vote of no confidence in the premier were dismissed by the opposition as insufficient.
Al Wefaq controlled 18 of the 40 seats in the elected lower chamber before its MPs resigned in February last year in protest over violence being used against protesters.
