BAHRAIN adopted exemplary steps towards looking after the welfare of its women and girls during the pandemic, an international forum heard.
Supreme Council for Women (SCW) Assistant Secretary General Shaikha Dina bint Rashid Al Khalifa pointed out how the country was quick in addressing their urgent needs.
Remote working options available to husbands of frontliners, special arrangements for the visitation of children of divorced parents and financial support to female entrepreneurs were among the issues resolved.
Shaikha Dina was part of a panel of speakers at a virtual session titled Empowerment of Young Women in the MENA Region, marking the recent occasion of International Youth Day. The session organised by the International Peace Institute Middle East & North Africa (IPI-MENA) was attended by diplomats and guests.
“Bahrain adapted to the situation with an exceptional flexibility and competence to tackle the repercussions of the crisis facing young women and girls,” she said.
“We reviewed and readjusted the national plans to address their situations and the ramifications of the pandemic on them.
“A work-from-home policy for all working mothers in the government sector was the first step, with the private sector quickly following suit.
“A SCW recommendation was adopted by the government which granted the husbands of frontliner women with children the option to work remotely, as the latter forms 75 per cent of the workforce in the sector. This was applicable across all levels.”
Shaikha Dina
She added that since last year the SCW has also been providing legal, social and psychological support to women and girls.
“We have been working with the relevant authorities to ensure children’s visitations in divorced families as some social centres were temporarily suspended during this time.
“A business continuity programme was launched by Tamkeen with $60 million which benefited 5,400 women-owned enterprises and 1,500 business co-owned by women. Young women entrepreneurs, who account to 23pc of the total, were exempted from various government fees, while banks deferred loans. A provision for electronic payments and other support systems were also introduced.
“Bahrain also maintained 53pc of women’s participation in its labour force during the pandemic.”
IPI – Mena policy analyst Dalya Al Alawi said that the importance of empowering young women, especially in the Mena region, was a prerequisite to creating a peaceful future for all.
“The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has added to the adversely-gendered impact on women, in all aspects of life,” she said. “Globally, youth unemployment has reached outrageous numbers.
“And, sadly, our region is the highest contributor to these numbers at 22.9pc in 2021, of which 42.5pc are female. According to IMF and World Bank data, the region’s average female labour force participation is a low 27pc.”
Ms Al Alawi also noted that the World Economic Forum in its 2021 Global Gender Gap report, stating that the pandemic had reversed global progress in achieving equality between men and women – adding that it would take 133.4 years to achieve total gender parity.
The IPI-Mena Researcher cited the need to act on these ‘alarming statistics’ pointing out the poignant role of IPI to help pave the future of societies with long-lasting peace and sustainable development. “Despite the feats made thus far – it is not enough to knock down gender-based discrimination and violence in the home and world of work,” she added.
“We must continue to work together – both men and women, engaging in conversation between and across generation lines – in order to achieve this goal by 2030.”
IPI Mena director Nejib Friji thanked the attendees and speakers including Kuwait Intisar Foundation founder Shaikha Intisar Salem Al Ali Al Sabah, Libyan Foreign Minister Najla Mohammed Mangoush, former Tunisian Parliament member and Global Parliamentary Network on World Bank and International Monetary Fund Vice-President Olfa Soukri and Fondation Diane founder and Lebanese Women Leaders Council honorary member Diane Fadel.
raji@gdn.com.bh
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