CRC
The Kingdom of Bahrain has accorded significant attention to issues relating to childhood. This is reflected in the enactment of the Child Act (2012) and the Restorative Justice for Children and Protection from Maltreatment Act (2021), as well as in the Kingdom’s accession to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1991) and the two Optional Protocols on the involvement of children in armed conflict and on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography (2004).
The Kingdom has also engaged regularly and periodically in submitting national reports on the progress achieved in implementing the provisions of the Convention and its Optional Protocols to the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC). With the growing global concern for children and with a view to improving the human rights environment within national frameworks, the United Nations’ treaty-based and non-treaty-based international human rights mechanisms have called for the adoption of practical approaches to ensure additional policies and measures aimed at strengthening and protecting child rights mechanisms.
The issue of establishing a Child Rights Commissioner was raised in a number of recommendations issued by treaty bodies in their reports and concluding observations on the national reports of the Kingdom of Bahrain, as recently reflected in the reports of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the Committee on the Rights of the Child, and the recommendations of the Universal Periodic Review issued in 2022. This prompted the National Institution for Human Rights (NIHR) to study these observations and recommendations and to contribute actively to their implementation. Acting on its own initiative and pursuant to the powers vested in it under its founding legislation, the NIHR established the position of Child Rights Commissioner in June 2023.
On 11 July 2023, an official ceremony was organized to inaugurate the position of Child Rights Commissioner. The event was attended by numerous officials, ambassadors accredited to the Kingdom of Bahrain, and representatives of civil society institutions, in recognition of the importance of this role in safeguarding the best interests of children and preventing any violations that may affect their lives and upbringing.
The Child Rights Commissioner derives their role and the tasks entrusted to them in the field of promoting and protecting children’s rights from the same mandates assigned to the NIHR under its founding Law No. (26) of 2014, as amended by Legislative Decree No. (20) of 2016. Accordingly, the Commissioner has a broad mandate to represent the views of children and young people; advocate for issues relating to children’s rights; review national legislation and assess its compatibility with relevant international conventions; follow up on issues affecting children and work to protect and promote their best interests; monitor new policies and legislation and assess their impact on children’s rights; conduct research and studies on children’s rights, views, and best interests; receive complaints from children and work to resolve them while providing the necessary support and assistance where required; and strengthen close cooperation between the Commissioner and government entities, civil society institutions, and relevant regional and international non-governmental organizations.
The NIHR hopes that the establishment of the position of Child Rights Commissioner will serve as an effective tool for further promoting and protecting children’s rights in the Kingdom of Bahrain, thereby supporting the realization of its vision and mission of making a human rights culture a way of life experienced by citizens and residents without discrimination, through the engagement of all in achieving better human rights practices.
Mandates of the Child Rights Commissioner:
- To be familiar with international conventions and national legislation relating to children’s rights.
- To act as an independent ambassador for children’s rights, ensuring that their views and interests are heard and giving a voice to all children.
- To understand the issues facing children, work to protect and promote their best interests, and support child-friendly policy environments.
- To establish partnerships with government entities, civil society institutions, and regional and international non-governmental organizations concerned with children’s rights.
- To communicate with broad and diverse segments of society and possess the skills necessary to challenge and influence.
- To represent the views of children and young people and advocate for issues relating to children’s rights.
- To investigate any matter relating to children’s rights, including the adequacy of complaint services and support available to children.
- To conduct and follow up on children’s rights impact assessments in relation to new policies and legislation.
- To conduct research and studies relating to children’s rights, views, and best interests.
- To commission relevant research on the rights, views, and best interests of children.
Role of the Child Rights Commissioner in Promotion:
The National Institution for Human Rights, represented by the Child Rights Commissioner, has organized and participated in numerous events and meetings relating to children, through which the Commissioner’s role and mandates were introduced and direct engagement with participating children took place. These included participation in Youth City in partnership with the Ministry of Youth Affairs and the Labour Fund (Tamkeen); a series of lectures delivered under the Fourteenth Summer Camp Programme for Future Youth Preparation in partnership with the Royal Police Academy; and a number of lectures presented to students at private schools, including Al-Shuwaifat International School and Al-Wisam International School.
In addition, an event was organized for Scout students in cooperation with the Scout Education Department at the Ministry of Education. The total number of beneficiaries of the activities provided to children from the establishment of the position of Child Rights Commissioner in June 2023 until November 2023 reached approximately 580 beneficiaries.
Role of the Child Rights Commissioner in Protection:
Since the establishment of the position of Child Rights Commissioner in June 2023, the NIHR has received 17 complaints concerning children’s rights in relation to identity, persons with disabilities, health, education, and other matters. The NIHR has also monitored no fewer than five cases relating to children’s rights through official newspapers and social media platforms.
Aspirations of the Child Rights Commissioner:
- To introduce the Bahraini, regional, and international community to the role of the National Institution for Human Rights in the Kingdom of Bahrain and to the significant step of establishing the position of Child Rights Commissioner, as well as the important role it will play in supporting the human rights system in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
- To form a “Friends of the Child Rights Commissioner” team consisting of no fewer than 30 children from various segments of Bahraini society, to serve as a support team for the work of the Child Rights Commissioner at the National Institution for Human Rights and as a reflective mirror of that work.
- To develop the Institution’s Complaints & Call Center so that it is better equipped to receive child complainants, through training staff to deal with children and understand body language, in addition to preparing a dedicated room for receiving children’s complaints.
Strategy of the Child Rights Commissioner (2024–2025):
News and Events
Submit a Complaint
Invitation to Participate in the “Friends of the Child Rights Commissioner” Team
- Are you between 12 and 18 years of age?
- Do you wish to work as part of the support team for the Child Rights Commissioner at the National Institution for Human Rights?
- Do you wish to contribute to developing solutions to challenges and do you have the ability to make decisions?
If your answer is yes, we invite you to become a member of the Friends of the Child Rights Commissioner Team at the National Institution for Human Rights, and to contribute to supporting children’s rights in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
To register, please click here to complete the Friends of the Child Rights Commissioner membership form.
For more information, please contact us by phone on 17111678 or by email at events@nihr.org.bh.
Contact Us
- Instagram: @nihrcrc
- WhatsApp: 17111666
- Email: nihrcrc@nihr.org.bh
- Phone: 80001144
