PROTECTING and promoting the rights of young people in Bahrain will be the mission of the kingdom’s first Child Rights Commissioner.
Dr Hooreya Yusuf, who is also the first to hold such a post in the Gulf, officially launched her mandate at an inauguration ceremony at the Diplomat Radisson Blu Hotel, Residence and Spa yesterday.
Present were Supreme Judicial Council vice-president and Court of Cassation president Chief Justice Shaikh Khalid bin Ali Al Khalifa, ministers, senior government officials, ambassadors and dignitaries.
The GDN reported on June 17 that the National Institution of Human Rights (NIHR) board of commissioners had announced the appointment of Dr Yusuf as a Child Rights Commissioner.
She will be in charge of all issues concerning children, work to protect and promote their rights and best interests, support policies and create an appropriate environment conducive to children.
NIHR chairman Dr Ali Al Derazi had praised Dr Yusuf’s experience in the field of child rights.
She has attended specialised workshops in the UK on dealing with children’s complaints and has an extensive knowledge of international covenants and practices.
Yesterday, she vowed to protect the rights of all children in the kingdom.
“Bahrain has taken pioneering steps to protect the rights of children by signing international conventions and having local legislations that protects this segment of the society,” she said during the ceremony.
“I want to give an independent voice to all child-related issues and work on different plans.”
Dr Yusuf holds a PhD in Media and Communication Sciences from the Lebanese University and a Master’s degree in Media and Public Relations from Ahlia University, Bahrain.
She previously served as the Bahrain Small and Medium Enterprises Society’s secretary general, and held several positions with the NIHR.
On the sidelines of the event, Dr Yusuf told the GDN that they would continue to work with different partners in holding lectures or workshops to develop the personalities and skills of children.
“We need children to have self-confidence to express their views, handle their problems and express themselves to their families.
“We are creating a generation that has all the rights and freedoms.”
Dr Yusuf said a special team will be set up within the NIHR to focus on child-related issues, interests and work towards supporting policies, legislation and conduct research and studies related to children’s rights.
“We have a platform to monitor all issues, receive complaints (from children below 18 years) or views related to education, health and safety.
“All meetings or interviews will respect the privacy of the individuals.”
Dr Al Derazi said they receive complaints related to children, and now there’s a special team to investigate such cases.
“We have already started receiving calls and complaints which will be investigated by this special team,” he told the GDN.
“The NIHR has all the available tools to register grievances via our hotline (80001144), and a follow-up mechanism to handle the complaints.”
Meanwhile, British Ambassador Roddy Drummond said the UK will continue to share its best practices with Dr Yusuf.
He also praised former Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People Koulla Yiasouma and Northern Ireland Co-operation Overseas Justice adviser Paula Jack for working closely with Bahrain’s authorities.
Speaking at a session during yesterday’s ceremony, Ms Yiasouma focused on exchanging ideas and best practices at developing a mechanism to defend children’s rights.
“Bahrain is making a leading statement to have a commissioner who specialises in children’s rights, in recognition of the importance of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child,” Ms Jack told the GDN.
In 2021, His Majesty King Hamad ratified Law 4/2021 on the promulgation of the Corrective Justice Law for Children and their Protection from Ill-Treatment.
The law guarantees children restorative justice, care and protection from ill-treatment.
It aims to give top priority to the child’s interests in all rulings, decisions and procedures related to them, regardless of the authority that issues or executes them.
The law also specifies penalties to be imposed on those who incite or coerce children to commit crimes, prepare them for that, or assist them in committing them.
Child Corrective Justice Courts were then set up to examine criminal cases related to crimes committed by children aged over 15 at the time of the crime.
The Social Development Ministry also runs the Child Protection Centre to follow up on cases of physical and psychological abuse, negligence and sexual assaults.
It launched a toll-free hotline (998) in 2011 to receive calls to report children being subjected to violence or abuse.
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