Gulf Daily News - 26 January 2005

By ROBERT SMITH

BAHRAIN has been criticised by human rights activists for its track record on combating racial discrimination. Weak legislation, double standards within the system, a lack of public awareness campaigns and an absence of the topic from the national curriculum are just some of the reasons given.

They also accused Bahrain of failing to implement all articles of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, which it signed back in March 1990.
The criticisms are spelled out in a shadow report submitted to the United Nations (UN) by members of the now-dissolved Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR) and the International Federation for Human Rights.

Gulf Daily News - Vol XXVII NO. 303 - Monday 17 January 2005

By ROBERT SMITH

HUMAN rights activists will send a shadow report to the UN to accompany Bahrain's official submission on efforts to combat racial discrimination in the country.

Both will be considered by the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, which comes under the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The shadow document has been compiled by members of the now-dissolved Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR).

They have been granted observer status at the 66th session of the committee, which starts at the UN offices in Geneva next month.

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
PRESS RELEASE

AI Index: MDE 04/002/2005 (Public)
News Service No: 007
10 January 2005

Manama, Bahrain: Governments of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) - Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) - must wait no longer to address inherent violence and discrimination against women in their countries, a conference for activists from GCC countries concluded Sunday.

At least 60 participants from GCC countries, including some from Yemen, agreed at the end of a two-day conference that the most imperative need to stop violence against women was for their governments to reform existing laws that discriminate against women and introduce and implement laws that offer them safeguards.