Bahraini Women Empowerment Awards distributed
Manama : The fifth edition of HRH Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa Award for Bahraini Women Empowerment was held at the Supreme Council for Women (SCW) yesterday.
The ceremony was organised under the patronage of HM the King’s Wife and SCW Chairperson HRH Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, in the presence of ministers and senior officials of the public and private sectors.
HRH Princess Sabeeka honoured the top three winners in the public sector category. The first three places went to Health Ministry, Economic Development Board (EDB) and Youth and Sports Affairs Ministry, respectively.
As for the private sector establishments, the first three winners were Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait (BBK), Bahrain Airport Company (BAC) and Bahrain Petroleum Company (Bapco).
HRH Princess Sabeeka affirmed that the award, which was launched in 2004 as per a Royal Decree, is one of the key means the SCW is following to serve the vision of HM the King to empower and develop Bahraini women, and consider her a main contributor to the flourishing of the nation.
“In its fifth consecutive version, this award has been able to establish qualitative standards that enhance the presence of women in the public and private sectors’ institutions, especially after the establishments that participated in the award have realised the usefulness of implementing these standards and the positive impact it had on its performance and productivity,” HRH Princess Sabeeka said.
HRH Princess Sabeeka lauded the efforts paid by the committees in charge of the award in enhancing it throughout the previous five editions.
Receiving the awards from HRH Princess Sabeeka were Health Minister Faeqa Al Saleh, Transportation and Telecommunications Minister and EDB CEO Kamal Ahmed and Youth, Sports Affairs Minister Hisham Al Jowder, BBK CEO Reyadh Sater, BAC CEO Mohammed Al Binfalah and Bapco GM Exploration and Petroleum Engineering Ghassan Al Muhanna.
SCW General Secretary Dr. Hala Al Ansari asserted in a speech during the ceremony that the patronage of HRH Princess Sabeeka has contributed in making the award a successful national initiative since day one.
Dr. Al Ansari noted to the noble goals that the award serves, such as promoting equal opportunities culture and supporting women in the labour market.
Dr. Al Ansari also pointed to the high participation of Bahraini women in the public sector, revealing that the percentage of female workers in the sector rose from 47 percent in 2012 to 49 pc in 2016. The percentage of women in executive positions in the same sector increased from 32 pc to 39 pc in the same period.
As for the private sector, the percentage of female workers was 33 pc in 2016, while the percentage of women holding managerial and supervisory positions increased from 31 pc in 2012 to 33 pc in 2016.
“In terms of positive practices, the Award Committee has detected a number of establishments that are following policies to implement special training and rehabilitation programmes that support women’s access to leadership positions and to provide a number of specific jobs that were not available to women in previous periods, such as in engineering and military fields,” Dr. Al Ansari said.
She added, “A number of institutions have reviewed their working regulations and administrative regulations to take into account the needs of women and men alike to enable them to reconcile their work obligations with their family duties.”
Dr. Al Ansari mentioned some of the positive practices serving the needs of women and family in the awarded establishments.
They included integrating and taking into account the needs of women and the family in the new airport building, where BAC operates a fast lane for mothers, a corner for children and a corner for baby strollers, and at Bapco, unmarried Bahraini women was allowed to benefit from the company’s home ownership programme.
In Health Ministry, women with special family conditions have been given access to health services near their temporary work or residence. The resident mother at hospitals has also been allowed to take care of their infants during the duty, providing the necessary care and maintaining the safety and health of the child. In EDB, father’s leave was granted for three days instead of one day according to the system in most state institutions.
Public Sector Winners
1.Health Ministry
2.EDB
3.Youth and Sports Affairs Ministry
4.Shura Council General Secretariat
5.Education and Training Quality Authority
6.Labour and Social Development Ministry
7.National Institution for Human Rights
8.Education Ministry
9.Supreme Council for Youth and Sports General Secretariat
10.Central Bank of Bahrain
Private Sector Winners
1. BBK
2. BAC
3. Bapco
4. Bahrain Development Bank
5. Royal University for Women
6. Arabian Women University
7. Tatweer Petroleum
8. Aluminium Bahrain
9. Durrat Al Bahrain Company
10. Ahli United Bank
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