Committee on the Rights of the Child

Fifty-seventh session

30 May–17 June 2011

Written replies by the Government of Bahrain to the list of issues (CRC/C/BHR/Q/2-3) related to the consideration of the combined second and third periodic report of Bahrain(CRC/C/BHR/2-3) *

Written replies by the Government of Bahrain to the list of issues (CRC/C/BHR/Q/2-3) related to the consideration of the combined second and third periodic report of Bahrain (CRC/C/BHR/2-3)

Part I

Reply to the issues raised in paragraph 1 of the list of issues (CRC/C/BHR/Q/2-3)

1. The Chamber of Deputies referred the children bill to the Consultative Council, which has concluded its discussion thereof. The bill is currently in the final stages of promulgation. It contains general provisions and sections on child health care, social welfare, educational and cultural care, alternative care, protection against traffic hazards, educational care and rehabilitation for children with disabilities, treatment of juvenile offenders and protection of children from sexual and physical abuse and assault.

Reply to the issues raised in paragraph 2 of the list of issues

Corporal punishment

2. In accordance with the Convention, Bahraini law provides for all measures for the protection of juveniles in conflict with the law in the Juvenile Act of 1976. The Act emphasizes that a child under 15 years of age is not an offender but is at social risk and in need of reform and protection against delinquency. The legislature also addresses the penalties applicable to juveniles and the extent to which they are appropriate to this age group in the Penal Code. It prohibits the death penalty and life imprisonment and considers the age of a defendant between 15 and 18 years of age to be a mitigating factor in sentencing. Moreover, the legislature gives particular attention to the physical and psychological rehabilitation and to the reintegration of juveniles into society. For that purpose, it has focused on the establishment of social institutions under the Ministry of Social Development such that female police officers, who receive ongoing training in psychology, social research and dealing with minors, deal with juveniles.

Age of marriage

3. The principles provided for in the Convention are consistent with those established by the Bahraini Constitution, paragraph 5 (a) of which provides that: “The family is the cornerstone of society and is sustained by religion, morality and patriotism. The law shall preserve the legal integrity of the family and strengthen its bonds and values and shall protect mothers and children within the family. Moreover, the law shall protect young persons and defend them against exploitation and moral, physical and spiritual neglect.” Furthermore, as human beings, children enjoy all the constitutional rights appropriate to their age.

4. The Bahraini Constitution provides that Islamic law (sharia) is a principal source of legislation in general. This means that all other sources, including domestic, regional and international sources of legislation, must not be inconsistent with sharia law which, naturally, includes the legislation adopted by the State relating to human rights and freedoms, particularly that relating to matters of personal status such as marriage, divorce, filiation and the family in general. Consequently, the domestic legislation promulgated by Bahrain must be consistent with this constitutional provision and, in the field of human rights, recourse must be made to sharia law in order to demonstrate that the source and basis of those rights is a coherent system. It should be noted that the provisions of the Islamic sharia are based on the principle of the best interest of the child, which is the same as that adopted by the international Convention.

5. A Ministerial Decree was issued on 23 September 2007 regulating the procedures for contracting marriages of girls under 15 years of age: “A marriage may not be contracted and shall not be recognized if the bride is under 15 or the groom is under 18 when the contract is concluded, unless there is a compelling need which justifies marriage of persons below these ages, in which case a permit must be obtained from the competent court.”

6. Furthermore, article 18 (4) of section one of the Family Code, promulgated by Act No. 91 of 2009, on the documentation and authorization of marriages, provides that:

“A girl under 16 years of age may be married only with the consent of the sharia court after it has been ascertained that the marriage is appropriate.”

Employment age

7. Bahraini legislation is consistent with the Convention with regard to the minimum age for admission to employment.

8. Under article 32 of the Convention, States parties are required to:

Provide for a minimum age for admission to employment

Provide for appropriate regulation of the hours and conditions of employment

Provide for appropriate penalties or other sanctions to ensure the effective enforcement of the said article

9.Bahrain’s Labour Code for the Private Sector is consistent with these principles. Chapter VIII of the Code provides for a minimum age for admission to employment and prohibits the employment or training of children under 14 years of age.

10. The Labour Code also establishes rules making the employment of those in the age group 14–16 years exceptional and limiting it to certain specific jobs. They may not be employed in industries and professions that are hazardous or detrimental to health. They may not be employed for more than six hours per day and their working hours must be interspersed with one or more rest periods for meals of not less than one hour, such that juveniles do not work for longer than four consecutive hours. Moreover, they may not work overtime or on days of rest, their annual leave may not be less than one full month and their wages may not be based on productivity or piecework.

11. The Labour Code establishes penalties for violating the provisions concerning the employment of juveniles; the penalties apply to employers and, also, to parents and guardians who cause juveniles to be employed in violation of the law.

Reply to the issues raised in paragraph 3 of the list of issues

Right of the child to a name and nationality

12. Article 7 of the Convention concerns the right of the child to a name and the right to acquire a nationality. The Bahraini Nationality Act of 1963, as amended, confirms this right and provides that a child may be deemed to be Bahraini under the following three circumstances:

(a) The child’s father is Bahraini at the time of the child’s birth;

(b)The child’s mother is Bahraini at the time of the child’s birth, in the event that the father is unknown or the child’s paternity has not been legally established;

(c)The child is born in Bahrain to unknown parents, a foundling being deemed to have been born in Bahrain failing proof to the contrary.

13. Moreover, under the Bahraini Nationality Act a minor whose father has acquired Bahraini nationality has the right to opt to retain his original nationality within one year from the date on which he reaches the age of majority. The same applies to any child born to a father who has acquired Bahraini nationality.

14. Furthermore, the State has endeavoured to regulate the identification cards issued by the population register and the legal protection that they guarantee in respect of the child’s kinship and matters of personal status.

15. Article 1 of Act No. 35 of 2009 concerning the treatment of a foreign wife of a Bahraini national and the children of a Bahraini woman married to a foreign man on equal terms with Bahraini nationals in respect of fees for government services provides that: “A foreign wife of a Bahraini national and the children of a Bahraini woman married to a foreign man shall be treated as Bahraini citizens in all matters pertaining to fees for government health and educational services and for residency, provided that they are permanently resident in the Kingdom of Bahrain.”

16.The Supreme Council for Women has taken a number of interim actions and measures until the Bahraini Nationality Act is amended. These actions and measures include consideration of the applications of the children of Bahraini women married to foreign men and reaching consensus in respect of those applications with the committee established pursuant to the directives of His Majesty the King.

17. Pursuant to Act No. 35 of 2009, the minor children of a Bahraini woman are issued with entry visas free of charge for visits or permanent residency under the sponsorship of their Bahraini mother (family reunification). Moreover, adult children are also granted entry visas free of charge under their mother’s sponsorship when they are enrolled in any stage of education. This arrangement also applies to unmarried adult daughters. Measures have been taken to facilitate the issuance of unconditional visas that are valid for a longer period to children not resident in Bahrain who wish to visit the Kingdom, in accordance with procedure.

Reply to the issues raised in paragraph 4 of the list of issues

18. In cooperation with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the National Committee on Childhood prepared a report on the status of children in Bahrain. The report focuses on challenges and shortcomings in the services provided to children in Bahrain and the findings of the report form the basis of the National Childhood Strategy.

19. The National Committee on Childhood, in cooperation with UNICEF and UNDP, is at the final stage of drafting Bahrain’s National Childhood Strategy. The provisions of the international Convention on the Rights of the Child have been classified and grouped under four themes in the strategy, as follows:

The right to survival and development

The right to education and capacity-building

The right to protection

The right to participation and non-discrimination

20. The strategy is based on the childhood situation analysis report, which contains updated statistics, indicators and information. In addition, the report contains the conclusions of the discussion sessions held with child representatives from all sectors of Bahraini society and with those responsible for the childhood sector in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The objective of the discussions was to engage children in the development of a strategy, to listen to their ideas and opinions on matters of concern to them and to determine their needs and priorities. Discussion sessions were held for this purpose with:

Child victims of violence and their guardians

Children with disabilities and their guardians

Children from Arab and foreign communities and their guardians

Gifted children and their guardians

Children, officials and representatives of civil society and non-governmental organizations, youth, the Supreme Committee for Persons with Disabilities, the Centre for Child Protection, the Dar al-Karamah, the Boys’ Home, the Royal Charity Organization and the Ministry of Education

21. The conclusions of the discussion sessions contributed, in the first instance, to the report on the status of children and, in the second instance, to the National Childhood Strategy.

Reply to the issues raised in paragraph 5 of the list of issues

22. A meeting was held between UNICEF and the National Committee on Childhood, the members of which include representatives from the government sector, the private sector and civil society in the Kingdom of Bahrain to discuss a project to establish a centralized mechanism responsible for collecting data. However, the discussions were delayed for a number of reasons and the National Committee hopes to resume the project as soon as possible.

Reply to the issues raised in paragraph 6 of the list of issues

23.The National Human Rights Institution (NHRI) was established by Royal Decree No. 46, which is the highest State authority. It consists of 23 members appointed by royal decree, namely, the president and 2 vice-presidents in addition to 20 members including representatives from civil society organizations concerned with human rights, professionals such as physicians, lawyers, legal specialists and persons concerned with political affairs.

Key functions of the National Human Rights Institution

Develop an integrated national strategy to promote and protect human rights in the Kingdom and propose means and mechanisms for its implementation

Review applicable domestic legislation and regulations on human rights and recommend the changes that it deems appropriate, in particular with regard to the consistency of that legislation with the Kingdom’s international human rights obligations; recommend new legislation pertaining to human rights

Promote a culture of human rights in cooperation with specialized agencies in the fields of education, youth and information; provide information on the means available for the protection of human rights

Comment and make the necessary proposals and recommendations on matters raised by the competent authorities in respect of matters relating to the promotion and protection of human rights

Review the consistency of legislation and regulations with international conventions relating to human rights issues; make proposals and recommendations to the competent authorities on the promotion, protection, support and strengthening of human rights, including on accession to regional and international conventions concerning human rights

Receive and consider human rights complaints and refer, as appropriate, to the competent authorities; follow up such complaints effectively, advise those concerned on the procedures to be followed, assist them in doing so and help resolve complaints with the authorities concerned

Cooperate with international organizations, regional and national authorities and institutions in other countries concerned with the promotion and protection of human rights, in order to contribute to achieving the objectives of the NHRI and developing relationships with the authorities and organizations concerned

Cooperate and coordinate with the national agencies responsible for the preparation of the periodic reports that the Government is obliged to submit pursuant to international human rights conventions and raise awareness of these reports through the appropriate media

Organize conferences and seminars, participate in the international and local meetings of international and regional human rights organizations and conduct relevant research and studies

Publish leaflets and printed materials on the objectives and rules of the NHRI

Publish and disseminate reports on the Kingdom of Bahrain’s evolving efforts in the field of human rights and on relevant situations in the country

Contribute to building capacities relevant to human rights, including technical development and training for staff working in national institutions concerned with public freedoms, political, cultural, social and economic rights and law enforcement

Publish an annual report for submission to the King on the human rights situation in the Kingdom of Bahrain

Budget

An estimated budget of 75,000 Bahraini dinars was allocated from the general State budget

Organization

Twenty-three members, in addition to a general secretariat headed by a chief executive

24. There is no children’s rights unit in the NHRI. However, there are specific committees on children, women and persons with disabilities.

Reply to the issues raised in paragraph 7 of the list of issues

25. The Kingdom of Bahrain recognizes the important role played by civil society in the development process. Children’s associations and human rights organizations are key components in the implementation of the Convention, with the National Committee on Childhood and the NHRI. Moreover, a national centre has been established to support non-governmental organizations, particularly with regard to the training and development of staff. Furthermore, material, logistical and technical support is provided to all organizations concerned with youth and children.

Part II

Reply to the issues raised in part II of the list of issues

(a)New bills or laws and their regulations

26. A number of elements have been proposed and introduced with the aim of strengthening child protection, as follows:

Article 1 of the Trafficking in Persons Act No. 1 of 2008 stipulates that: “Trafficking in persons is the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of a person under the age of 18 years or whose general or personal circumstances preclude him or her from giving consent or making a free choice, for the purpose of exploiting that person, when the perpetrator is assumed to have been aware that the victim was under 18 years of age.”

It has been proposed that a government committee should be established to examine cases of child abuse.

An article has been approved in the children bill concerning the formation of a body composed of representatives from all Government ministries that deal with children and from civil society organizations, for the purpose of examining cases of child abuse.

The children bill contains a number of clauses on child protection.

A key feature of the juveniles bill is that it increases the age of majority from 15 to 18 years.

Amendments to article 7 (1) of the Nationality Act have been proposed that would provide for Bahraini nationality to be granted to the children of Bahraini women married to foreigners.

A decision has been issued whereby a Bahraini woman married to a foreigner can have access to the same health, educational and other services as a Bahraini woman married to a Bahraini man. A number of children of Bahraini women married to foreigners have obtained Bahraini citizenship.

(b)New institutions (and their mandates) or institutional reforms

In 2007, the National Committee on Childhood was restructured

The Committee is responsible for all activities and matters relating to children and for the educational, social, cultural and psychological development of children of all ages. In order to achieve its objectives, the Committee should:

Develop a national childhood strategy in order to help the responsible authorities develop and strengthen projects and programmes to serve and guarantee child rights

Endeavour to provide legal protection for children in various areas

Coordinate with the various governmental agencies and non-governmental organizations in order to ensure that they complement one another and avoid duplication in their spheres of competence

Endeavour to strengthen links and relationships with all non-governmental organizations concerned with children in the Kingdom of Bahrain

Monitor and review the problems and basic needs of children and propose appropriate solutions, including by making recommendations in that regard to the competent authorities in the Kingdom of Bahrain

Cooperate with the competent Arab and international organizations and bodies concerned with children, in order to benefit from their experience and programmes

Develop a detailed database on all child-related matters in the Kingdom of Bahrain and update it, in coordination with all governmental and private agencies concerned

In 2007, the National Centre for Child Protection was established. The Centre, which comes under the Department of Social Welfare in the Ministry of Social Development, is a social welfare institution for the protection of children under the age of 18 years from all kinds of ill-treatment and neglect (physical and psychological abuse, sexual abuse, severe neglect). The objectives of the Centre are as follows:

Protect children from abuse in the family and in society

Protect children from harm during investigations and provide protection services

Provide services and support for children and families

Rehabilitate families so that children can remain in their family environment, to the extent possible

Protect society from abusers and hold them liable

Establish an alternative care centre

In 2007, the Committee for Women and Children was established in the Consultative Council. The Committee is competent to:

Consider and review the compatibility of current legislation relating to women and children with the international conventions that Bahrain has ratified

Consider all bills and proposed legislation referred to it and all other matters related to women and children and submit reports to the Council

Provide opinion to other specialized committees on matters related to women and children

Follow up on recommendations and resolutions issued at parliamentary conferences on women and children and submitted to it by the parliamentary division

A board of trustees was established under the Ministry of Social Development to follow up on the issue of children at risk of domestic and communal violence. Membership of the board includes representatives from all Government ministries and civil society associations concerned.

A child support hotline was set up (988).

Scientific centres and clubs for children and youth were established.

The services provided by Batelco Child Care Home for children experiencing domestic violence were developed.

The National Human Rights Institution was established by Royal Decree No. 46 of 2009 (see above, part I, para. 6).

(c)Recently introduced policies, programmes and action plans and their scope and financing

The Supreme Council for Women developed the national plan for the implementation of the National Strategy for the Advancement of Bahraini Women that was launched in 2007. The strategy covers seven thematic areas including family, health and training and education. In addition, it includes a number of strategies to ensure the protection of girl children, to develop the behaviour of adolescent girls, to provide comprehensive early childhood welfare and education, to provide high quality schooling for girls at the basic educational stage and to promote the health of girl children and girls of school age.

The National Childhood Strategy.

The National Strategy for Persons with Disabilities, which includes a full chapter on the protection of children with disabilities.

(d)Recent ratifications of human rights instruments

The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights was ratified in 2007

The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights was ratified in 2006

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women was ratified in 2002

Bahrain became a signatory to the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict and to the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography

Part III

Data, statistics and other information, if available

Reply to the issues raised in part III, paragraph 1 of the list of issues

27.The Kingdom of Bahrain guarantees the right of Bahraini nationals and residents to free health care at government health centres and hospitals and to education up to secondary level at government schools.

28.The Ministry of Social Development has allocated a budget of $50,000 to the National Committee on Childhood and a further $50,000 to the development of a national strategy for childhood in the Kingdom of Bahrain, in addition to a further $50,000 contributed by UNDP. The child development sector budget is approximately $1.3 million annually, including for children’s clubs, youth clubs and the scientific centre.

PAGE \* MERGEFORMAT 10GE.11-42830Reply to the issues raised in part III, paragraph 2 of the list of issues

(a)Percentage of children enrolled in preschool education

Education and education services in the Kingdom of Bahrain, 2000–2009

Education and education services	1999/2000	2000/01	2001/02	2002/03	2003/04	2004/05	2005/06	2006/07	2007/08	2008/09
Nurseries and kindergartens (private only) (1)
Students	10 474	10 802	11 145	11 702	12 442	12 406	12 752	13 455	13 699	15 443
Teachers	721	739	762	804	822	825	814	854	866	993
No. of classes	633	696	691	713	715	720	723	737	746	839
No. of nurseries and kindergartens	135	139	133	134	135	138	134	134	124	135
Students at Government and private schools (2)
Government	114 669	115 818	118 129	120 335	122 356	123 237	129 110	124 852	125 580	125 614
Private	28 449	30 249	31 925	33 436	35 651	38 014	41 655	43 202	47 523	52 137
Total	143 118	146 067	150 054	153 771	158 007	161 251	170 765	168 054	173 103	177 751
Teachers at Government and private schools (2)
Government	6 809	7 172	7 946	9 006	9 767	10 513	10 836	11 117	11 479	12 054
Private	1 681	1 789	2 024	2 041	2 188	2 495	2 629	2 903	3 002	3 324
Total	8 490	8 961	9 970	11 047	11 955	13 008	13 465	14 020	14 481	15 378
Classes at Government and private schools (2)
Government	3 843	3 903	4 013	4 143	4 240	4 301	4 495	4 352	4 355	4 326
Private	1 212	1 303	1 354	1 424	1 527	1 651	1 817	1 897	2 042	2 210
Total	5 055	5 206	5 367	5 567	5 767	5 952	6 312	6 249	6 397	6 536
Government and private schools
Government	193	193	195	196	199	203	203	204	204	203
Private	40	42	46	47	52	55	56	60	63	65
Total	233	235	241	243	251	258	259	264	267	268
Total population	637 582	661 317	710 554	764 519	823 744	888 824	960 425	1 039 297	1 106 509	-
Students per 1,000 population	224	221	211	201	192	181	178	162	156	-
Students per teacher
Government	17	16	15	13	13	12	12	11	11	10
Private	17	17	16	16	16	15	16	15	16	16
Total	17	16	15	14	13	12	13	12	12	12
Students per class
Government	30	30	29	29	29	29	29	29	29	29
Private	23	23	24	23	23	23	23	23	23	24
Total	28	28	28	28	27	27	27	27	27	27
Students per school
Government	594	600	606	614	615	607	636	612	616	619
Private	711	720	694	711	686	691	744	720	754	802
Total	614	622	623	633	630	625	659	637	648	663

Source: Kingdom of Bahrain, statistics .

(1) Does not include children in private nursery schools and kindergartens.

(2) Includes students, teachers and classes in private schools and kindergartens.

(-) Nil. Not a vailable.

(b)Percentage of children completing primary and secondary education

Number of students and classrooms in Government education by level and type of education, disaggregated by sex, 2009/2010

Level	Type of education	Students	Classrooms
Male	Female	Total	Male	Female	Total
Primary
	General	2 8 8 21	31 435	61 3 6 6	1 087	1 0 9 4	2 181
	Religious	1 310		1 310	43		43
Total	31 231	31 435	62 666	1 130	1 0 9 4	2 224
Preparation
	General	1 6 742	15 998	31 740	618	508	1 024
	Religious	4 8 7		437	16		16
Total	16 179	15 998	32 177	6 32	508	1 040
Secondary
	Science	1 8 2	137	32 9	6	3	8
	Literary	8 1	84	17 6	3	2	6
	Commercial	68 3	494	1 087	14	14	28
	Standardized track	6 813	14 9 5 9	2 5 762	2 8 8	4 88	7 8 1
	Technical	4 084		4 084	18 6		185
	Vocational training	372		372	1 8		1 8
	Vocational education	618	30 8	828	22	12	34
	Religious	133		133	6		6
Total	14 7 8 7	1 6 9 8 3	30 78 0	66 2	524	1 07 8
Grand total	62 207	63 3 8 6	125 6 03	2 214	2 128	4 340

Source: Kingdom of Bahrain, Ministry of Education, Educational Statistics Section.

(c)Percentage of children enrolled in informal education programmes and training

Percentage of children enrolled in children’s and youth centre: ... per cent.

Percentage of children enrolled in the Salman Cultural Centre and Al-Ibda` YouthCentre: ... per cent.

(d)Teacher-student ratio and number of students per class

(Statistics to be provided by the Ministry of Education).

Reply to the issues raised in part III, paragraph 3 of the list of issues

(Information to be provided by the Ministry of Labour).

Reply to the issues raised in part III, paragraph 4 of the list of issues

Victims by age

29.Predominantly, male and female victims are between 12 and 14 years of age; this age group represents 48 per cent of the total, and there are more male than female victims. The second largest age group is between 9 and 11 years, which represents 26 per cent of the total.

Victims by gender

Male and female victims are most frequently in the 12–14 age group.

Age of male and female victims, by age group

1.Males

The 12–14 age group ranks first

The 9–11 age group ranks second

The 7–8 age group ranks third

The 15 years age group ranks fourth

2.Females

The 12–14 age group ranks first

The 15 years age group ranks second

The 9–11 age group ranks third

The 7–8 age group ranks fourth

Victims by nationality

The majority of victims (89 per cent) are Bahraini nationals, including males and females

Arab nationals (8 per cent) rank second

Foreign victims represent 3 per cent of the total

30.We note that the majority of child victims are Bahrainis and that there are more male than female child victims; 81 per cent of victims are male and 19 per cent are female. Ninety per cent of child victims of other Arab nationalities, who rank second in terms of nationality, are male and 10 per cent are female. The percentage of male victims among foreigners, who rank third in terms of nationality, is higher than the percentage of female victims.

Victims by governorate

Northern Governorate

31.There are 171 child victims in the Northern Governorate. There are 82 per cent more male than female victims. Among the other governorates, the Northern Governorate has the highest number of child victims of assault.

Capital Governorate

32.There are 59 child victims in the Capital Governorate, which ranks third in respect of the number of child victims. More victims are male (63 per cent) than female (37 per cent).

Central Governorate

33.The Central Governorate has the lowest number of child victims of assault among the five governorates. Of the 32 child victims, 94 per cent are male and 6 per cent female.

Southern Governorate

34.The Southern Governorate ranks second after the Northern Governorate in terms of the number of child victims. Of the 62 child victims, 54 (87 per cent) are male and 6 (13 per cent) are female.

Muharraq Governorate

35.Muharraq Governorate ranks fourth in terms of the number of child victims. The number of male victims is several times higher than the number of female victims: 91 per cent of victims are male, whereas 9 per cent are female.

Victims by type of assault

36.The most common type of crime against children is physical assault: 64 per cent of the victims of such assaults are males.

37.Sexual assaults are the second most common type of crime against children after physical assault. The percentage of male victims of sexual assault is higher than that of females.

Number of child victims of physical and sexual assault (reported incidents committed by adults)

38.The highest percentage of physical assaults against children is in the Northern Governorate (49 per cent), followed by the Southern Governorate (19 per cent). The percentage of physical assaults in Muharraq Governorate and the Central Governorate is close (15 per cent and 11 per cent, respectively). The lowest percentage of physical assaults is in the Capital Governorate (6 per cent).

39.The highest percentage of crimes of sexual assault against children is in the Northern Governorate (50 per cent), followed by the Capital Governorate. The percentage of such crimes is equal in the Central and Southern Governorates (9 per cent each) and the lowest percentage is in Muharraq Governorate (5 per cent).

40.The most frequent assaults against children are physical assaults and the majority of victims are male.

41.The second most frequent assaults against children are sexual assaults; the majority of victims are males. Although girls are also victims, it is believed that cases do not reach the complaint stage.

Reply to the issues raised in part III, paragraph 5 of the list of issues

The Bahrain Centre for Child Protection

Number of children subjected to violence who are beneficiaries of the Bahrain Centre for Child Protection, by type of abuse, age group and gender, 2009

Type of abuse	Age group	Total
0–5	6–10	11–15	16–18
Male	Female	Male	Female	Male	Female	Male	Female
Severe neglect	6	3	6	5	4	3	0	0	27
Psychological violence	0	0	1	1	2	4	0	0	8
Physical violence	7	0	6	4	7	8	0	0	32
Sexual violence	11	8	22	7	10	11	0	1	70
Total	24	11	35	17	23	26	0	1	137
Grand total	35	52	49	1	137

Number of children subjected to violence who are beneficiaries of the Bahrain Centre for Child Protection, by age group, governorate and gender, 2009

Age group	Governorate	Total
Muharraq	Capital	Central	Northern	Southern
Male	Female	Male	Female	Male	Female	Male	Female	Male	Female
0 – 5	7	2	1	0	10	2	5	6	1	1	35
6 – 10	9	2	7	0	8	6	11	5	0	2	50
11 – 15	6	7	1	4	10	4	5	7	1	1	46
16 – 18	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	3	0	0	6
Total	22	11	9	4	28	15	21	21	2	4	137
Grand total	3 3	13	43	42	6	137

Number of children subjected to violence who are beneficiaries of the Bahrain Centre for Child Protection, by type of abuse, age group and gender, 2010

Type of abuse	Age group	Total
0–5	6–10	11–15	16–18
Male	Female	Male	Female	Male	Female	Male	Female
Severe neglect	4	4	5	2	2	2	0	0	19
Psychological violence	6	6	15	9	16	6	1	1	60
Physical violence	12	12	35	7	46	10	0	1	123
Sexual violence	5	10	17	13	14	12	0	0	71
Total	27	32	72	31	78	30	1	2	273
Grand total	59	103	108	3	273

Services received by children experiencing violence at the Bahrain Centre for Child Protection, 2009–2010

No.	Type of service	No. of cases
1	Family and social counselling	369
2	Psychological counselling and rehabilitation	168
3	School follow-up	38

Royal Charity Organization for the welfare of orphans

Boys’ home

Number of children in the b oy’s h ome, March 2011
Male	14

Child care home

Number of children in the child care home, March 2011
Male	17
Female	2
Total	19

Reply to the issues raised in part III, paragraph 6 of the list of issues

Number of youths attending the Juvenile Welfare Centre from 2008 to September 2010

No.	Year	2008	2009	2010
Type of case for which juvenile committed or detained	Sex	Sex	Sex
Male	Female	Male	Female	Male	Female
1	Theft	19	0	2	0	4	0
2	Assault and brawling	1	0	7	0	7	1
3	Causing damage	1	0	5	0	23	0
4	Running away from home	0	2	0	0	0	0
5	Moral cases	11	4	0	2	0	1
6	Protection	2	0	0	2	0	0
7	Lost	0	0	0	0	0	0
8	Risk of delinquency	4	2	6	1	2	0
9	Traffic cases	3	0	2	0	0	0
10	Other	6	0	1	0	1	0
Total	47	8	23	5	37	2
Year total	55	28	59
Grand total	122

Cases of juvenile delinquency, 2010

Crime	No. of juveniles accused	No. of cases settled at administrative hearing	No. of cases referred to court
Reconciled	Against unknown person	Rejected	Convicted	Acquitted	Deferred	Archived
Serious assault	4	-	-	-	-	-	4	-
Ordinary assault	76	6	-	28	1	-	41	-
Attempted assault	1	-	-	-	-	-	1	-
Attempted suicide	15	15	-	-	-	-	-	-
Rape by force or coercion	5	-	-	1	-	-	4	-
Sexual assault (sodomy)	11	-	-	-	1	-	10	-
Attempted sodomy	7	1	-	3	-	-	3	-
Indecent acts and incitement to debauchery	1	-	-	-	-	-	1	-
Violation of public morals	11	3	-	2	-	-	6	-
Violation of liberty	6	-	-	1	-	-	5	-
Abduction	1	-	-	-	-	-	1	-
Threat	2	-	-	1	-	-	1	-
Libel and insult	14	-	-	4	-	-	10	-
Robbery	6	1	-	1	-	-	4	-
Attempted robbery	9	-	-	6	-	-	3	-
Highway robbery	18	1	-	2	-	-	15	-
Burglary	8	-	-	4	-	-	4	-
Shoplifting	7	2	-	3	-	-	1	-
Theft from other places	4	-	-	1	-	-	3	-
Causing damage	32	-	-	12	-	-	20	-
Rioting	1	-	-	-	-	-	1	-
Assault against officials	2	-	-	-	-	-	2	-
Insult to officials	1	-	-	-	-	-	1	-
Arson	3	-	-	1	-	-	2	-
Attempted arson	1	1	-	-	-	-	-	-
Traffic violations	1	-	-	-	-	-	1	-
Begging	3	-	-	-	-	-	3	-
Bad behaviour and rejecting the authority of a parent or guardian	14	1	-	6	-	-	7	-
Frequenting persons at risk of delinquency and suspected delinquents	3	-	-	1	-	-	2	-
Other offences	2	-	-	-	-	-	2	-
Total	260	21	-	77	2		158	1

Source: Ministry of the Interior.