CEDAW pact: MPs agree to amend conservations

Manama : After a seven-hour discussion yesterday, the MPs agreed to amend some of conservations of the Kingdom of Bahrain with regard to an international agreement on the protection of women’s right. 

The Parliament weekly session was extended for the first time in years to discuss the report of the council’s Women and Child Committee on Law Decree 70 of 2014 in regard to enrolment to the international agreement of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). The MPs claimed that agreeing to “the amendments would affect the sanctity of Bahraini families, as it allows women to leave houses or get married against their parents will”.

The agreement on the report came after a long discussion among Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ali Al Khalifa, MPs and committee head MP Roua Al Hayki. 

Al Hayki had repeatedly requested the  Parliament Chairman Ahmed Al Mulla, to withdraw the committee’s report to be discussed after two weeks. However, her requests were rejected by fellow MPs and Al Mulla. Owing to the loud discussions and speeches of MPs, Al Mulla suspended the session for around 15 minutes.

However, the MPs’ main discussion was in regard to the agreement’s compliance with the Islamic Sharia. They rejected the removal of the Kingdom’s conservation regarding the international agreement, which was recommended by the committee. 

They were proved wrong anyhow by the representatives of the government, including Foreign Affairs as well as Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments Ministries.