Non-Stop Violations of the Convention of the Right of the Child in Bahrain

Bahraini government has arrested and ill-treated many children since the start of Arab Spring. Shia Rights Watch included detailed report about the situation of children in this country in its 2012 Bahrain Report. Now after months the violations continue and no human rights or child’s rights organizations could help the arrested children. The media has stopped covering the situation and the Bahraini authorities are taking advantage of the world’s silence.

Many minors and children are spending their valuable time in jails instead of schools. Hussain Ali Al Saqqai, a 13 years old boy, Mohammed Abdulghani Al Shawaikh a 13 years old boy and Hussain Abduljalil Alhawaj a15 years old boy are children who have been arrested from Manama following clashes between protesters and police on December 7^th/2012. Al Saqqai and Al Shawaikh are in Juvenile prison in Isa Town while Alhawaj was detained for fifteen days at the Dry Dock prison with adults.

Other examples are Ebrahim Al Muqdad, a 15 years old boy, and Jehad Sadeq, a 16 years old boy. They were arrested on 23 July, 2012. The two young boys were subjected to ill treatment. They have been in detention for more than four months to this day. Their last court hearing was yet again postponed to December 25 because of the absence of the Ministry of Interior’s witnesses. The two boys are detained in an adult prison while being tried under Bahrain’s terrorism law.

Qasim Juma Al Kuwait, a 15 years old boy is another example of child’s rights violation. He was arrested on 12 December 2012, during a house raid. He is currently held in Dry Dock prison

S.R.W believes Bahraini government has gone too far in violating rights of human and specially children and minors. S.R.W urges U.S government and all human rights organizations to take action and ask Bahraini authorities to free all children and stop violating their rights. It is any human’s right to participate in peaceful protest and express their opinion. Bahraini government will only increase the un-satisfaction among its citizen by arresting innocent children.