Parliamentarians to vote on anti-crossdressing law

Manama : Parliamentarians will vote this week on a controversial law that criminalises crossdressing in Bahrain by introducing fines and jail terms.

This comes as the Foreign Affairs, Defence and National Security Committee in the House of Representatives recently passed a proposal to amend Article 350 of the Penal Code.

Aimed at criminalising “the imitation of the opposite gender”, the proposal introduces fines of up to BD1000 and jail terms of not more than one year for women who publicly dress and behave like men and vice versa.

The committee recently passed the proposal after getting it reviewed by the Interior Ministry, the Supreme Council for Women, the National Institution for Human Rights and the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs.

The opinions of these authorities varied as some considered it as “unclear” and “lacks clarification”, while others supported its
purposes.

The proposal aims to amend the existing article with, “A prison sentence for a period not exceeding one year or a fine not exceeding BD1000 shall be the penalty for any male or female who publicly imitate the opposite gender or publicly appear indecently in a way that contradicts with public morals and the traditions of the Kingdom.”

Proposal to curb girl’s runaway cases

The proposal claims that the move “will contribute to solving issues that irk Bahraini families, such as girls’ runaway cases”.

“The proposal will help eliminate the phenomenon of girls running away at the instigation of men, against their parents’ will and under the pretext of personal freedom,” the five presenters of the proposal had previously stated.

They further emphasised through this proposal they are seeking other essential purposes including “adhering to the teachings of the Islamic Sharia, as well as filling the legal gap in the system to curb unwanted practices”, citing  a similar law enforced in Kuwait in 2007. 

However, various international organisations including Human Rights Watch condemned the Kuwaiti legislation claiming that the law “leads to torture and arbitrary arrests”.

The committee’s report on the law will be reviewed by the council on Tuesday.