Sectarian discrimination in the kingdom of Bahrain:
The Unwritten Law
A paper Presented to: WANGO ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2003
(Toward an Ethical and Caring Global Community)
September 25-28, 2003 Bangkok, Thailand

The Kingdom of Bahrain is situated in the Arabian Gulf, and is made up of small islands with a population of 715,000, of which the Muslim-Shiite forms over 70 percent [1] of the citizens. The Kingdom is hereditary ruled by the Al Khalifa[2] family. The king is head of the Executive, legislative and judicial powers [3]. Citizens do not have the right to change their government or political system.

Paper presented by BCHR Vice President Nabeel Rajab to the Annual Conference of the World Association of Non-Governmental Organizations, Bangkok, 25 - 28 September 2003

Labour Law in the GCC countries fails to cover domestic workers, who constitute a large proportion of migrant Women workers. These workers face numerous violations and unfortunately there is no deterrent procedure against the breacher or a law to protect this powerless segment in society.

1 - Aspects and dimensions of the problem:

Bulletin of "Committee to Defend Women's Rights in the Middle East" - Number 16 - September 2003

What started as one woman's battle for custody of her children has become a cause célébre, with seven people facing criminal charges. Editor-in-Chief of newspaper Akhbar Al Khaleej Anwar Abdulrahman and six others face a criminal charge of defaming 11 Sharia judges. This is a social case related to women's rights," Mr Abdulrahman said after the case was adjourned until September 23 at the High Criminal Court. He called for a complete separation of state and religion in Bahrain. 'We have to be patient, changes don't come overnight, but the outcome of this case could decide future horizons of Press freedom," said Mr Abdulrahman.