Bahrain Center of Conference on Violence Against Women

GCC push to fight abuse against women
By TARIQ KHONJI
Published: 5 January 2005

OVER 120 judges, doctors, human rights workers, policemen and other professionals from around the Gulf will take part in a three-day Amnesty International (AI) conference on combating violence against women.

The two-day event, which begins on Saturday at the Bahrain Conference Centre, Crowne Plaza, will focus on ways of increasing awareness about the issue in the region and also on legislative reforms which can be put in place.

It is being co-organised by the newly-formed National Partnership Committee (Al Sharaka) and held under the patronage of the Supreme Council for Women.

Participants in the conference will come up with recommendations which will be passed on to government bodies, societies, human rights organisations, NGOs and other stakeholders to implement.

AI consultant for the project on violence and discrimination against women in the GCC Dina El-Mamoun that the results of the conference will be part of an AI report on the subject, which will be issued in March or April.

"The report will also include the results of research that we have been conducting since June," she said.

"It includes information we have gathered from authorities, victims of violence, prisoners, academics, Shura council members and others."

The report and the GCC project are part of an international 10-year AI campaign, which was launched last year.

Ms El-Mamoun was speaking at a Press conference at the Crowne Plaza yesterday. AI Bahrain campaign head Fawzeya Rabeaa said the media also has an important role to play.

"There is a general misunderstanding about the issue of human rights in the Arab countries so one of our main goals is to get the message out there," she said.

Ms El-Mamoun said a major issue is that there doesn't exist any statistics documenting the extent of abuse against women in Bahrain.

"But from the information we have managed to gather from the people we spoke to, we believe that it happens quite a lot. It isn't always physical abuse. Sometimes it is verbal and emotional abuse, which can leave very lasting scars," she said.

Al Sharaka president Ghada Jamsheer said organisers made it a point to invite Shari'ah judges, many of whom she claimed were among the biggest causes of problems for women in Bahrain.

"Women are being subjected to problems as a result of unfair court judgements everyday," she remarked.

© Gulf Daily News