Based on Government reply and Comments from the Bahrain Center for Human Rights :
The UN (CERD) Committee Criticizes Bahrain[i]
The Committee on Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD):
Calls for Establishing a national human rights institution, finds the Political Associations act of 2005 unduly restrictive, asks about the arrest of human rights activists in 2007, and requests steps to ensure protecting female domestic workers
Based on Government reply and Comments from the Bahrain Center for Human Rights :
The UN (CERD) Committee Criticizes Bahrain[i]
The Committee on Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD):
Calls for Establishing a national human rights institution, finds the Political Associations act of 2005 unduly restrictive, asks about the arrest of human rights activists in 2007, and requests steps to ensure protecting female domestic workers
Background: At its 1700th meeting held on 11 March 2005, the Committee on Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) adopted its concluding observations, after considering the Bahrain Government’s sixth and seventh periodic reports.
The Bahrain Government sent its comments to the Committee in a document dated 19 October 2006 (a UN translation of the document is attached). On 28 February 2007, the Committee held a meeting in Geneva with a delegation from the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) where expert members of the Committee received and discussed updating information and BCHR’s comments on the Government reply. (BCHR Comments to the CERD is attached)
Based on the Government reply and BCHR Comments, the Committee issued a press report including the following remarks: (link)
The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination this morning reviewed its follow-up procedure, hearing a progress report from Committee Expert Morten Kjaerum on the status of States parties with regard to follow-up to the Committee’s concluding observations (..)Committee Expert Morten Kjaerum said that since August 2006 the Committee had received three full follow-up reports from States parties that had been requested to make them: France, Bahrain and Georgia.
Concerning Bahrain, whose periodic report (CERD/C/BHR/CO/7/Add.1) had also been examined at the sixty-sixth session of the Committee, the Committee had requested information on implementation of four specific areas in its concluding observations. The Committee had recommended that Bahrain establish a national human rights institution, living up to the Paris Principles; that Bahrain encourage the establishment and working of integrationist institutions; that steps be taken to prevent and redress serious problems experienced by female domestic workers; and that all without distinction should enjoy the right to work, housing and social security equally.
In its reply, Bahrain did not enumerate specific steps, but had relied on citing relevant legislation regarding those issues, or by simply stating that the Government encouraged the work of civil society organizations. Mr. Kjaerum felt the replies did not seem to provide sufficient information on the areas concerned. With regard to support for human rights organizations, the Committee should ask about the Political Associations act of 2005, which had been found to be unduly restrictive, and ask for information about the arrest of human rights activists in January 2007. Concerning domestic workers, the Committee could request what steps were being taken, in particular to ensure that the legislation in place protected female domestic workers, in particular with regard to debt bondage, passport withholding, rape and physical assault.”
(Kindly: Find the three aforementioned documents attached)
[i] This report is issued by the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) – 15 March 2007