The Supreme Council for Women (SCW) is
Bahrain
Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...
’s advisory body to the government on women's issues. It is chaired by
Sheikha Sabika bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, the wife of Bahrain’s King
Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa
Hamad bin Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa ( ar, حمد بن عيسى بن سلمان آل خليفة '; 28 January 1950) is King of Bahrain since 14 February 2002, after ruling as Emir of Bahrain from 6 March 1999.
He is the son of Isa bin Salm ...
. The current Secretary General of SCW is Hala Al Ansari.
SCW was established to promote women’s rights in the Kingdom and women’s full participation in society, and has been at the forefront of the campaign for the introduction of a unified personal status law (see
Women's rights in Bahrain
Women's rights have been a cornerstone of the political reforms initiated by King Hamad, with women gaining the right to vote and stand as candidates in national elections for the first time after the constitution was amended in 2002. The ext ...
). It has also published studies, worked to coordinate campaigns with other women’s rights groups, and sought to promote
female candidates for the 2006
municipal and general elections. Among the candidates contesting the 2006 poll, held on 26 November 2006, was the Council's Dr
Munira Fakhro
Munira Fakhro ( ar, منيرة فخرو) is a Bahraini academic and was a candidate in Bahrain's 2006 general election for the opposition Waad.
Dr Fakhro is Associate Professor at thUniversity of Bahrain having received her Doctorate in Social Po ...
, who stood for the ex-Marxist
Waad.
Former activist with SCW,
Dr Nada Haffadh
Nada Haffadh was Bahrain's first female cabinet minister when she was appointed Minister of Health in 2004, serving in the position until September 2007. Previously she served in Bahrain's upper house of parliament, the Consultative Council.
Bi ...
, was appointed Bahrain’s first full female cabinet minister. She was Minister of Health from 2004 to 2007. Several other members are legislators in the upper chamber of parliament, the
Consultative Council.
Political opposition
According to Lulwa Al Awadhi the biggest obstacle to women's rights in Bahrain are clerics, who set political agendas for their followers and have remained steadfastly against a united family law in the kingdom. Ms Al-Awadhi said of particular concern is Shia clerics' objections to women taking part in municipal elections due to what she termed their 'strange' perception that female municipal councillors may be called late in the night to help with a municipal problem and thus be placed in a morally compromising situation.
Criticism
Ghada Jamsheer, the most prominent women's rights activist in Bahrain has accused the Supreme Council of hindering women's rights in Bahrain, calling it a "government cliché". In a statement in December 2006 she said:
In a May 2007 statement, the Women's Petition Committee called for the dissolution of the Supreme Council for Women, citing its failure in "building and supporting Bahraini women". It further noted that "most women attained decision making positions on the basis of tribal or sectarian affiliation or personal allegiance to the Authorities and some members of the Royal court." The statement claimed that the SCW withheld support to prominent female activist
Munira Fakhro
Munira Fakhro ( ar, منيرة فخرو) is a Bahraini academic and was a candidate in Bahrain's 2006 general election for the opposition Waad.
Dr Fakhro is Associate Professor at thUniversity of Bahrain having received her Doctorate in Social Po ...
in the
2006 elections
The following elections occurred in the year 2006.
* Elections in 2006
* Electoral calendar 2006
* 2006 Acehnese regional election
* 2006 American Samoan legislative election
* 2006 Bahraini parliamentary election
* 2006 Costa Rican president ...
, knowingly allowing Ali Salah of the
Salafist
The Salafi movement or Salafism () is a reform branch movement within Sunni Islam that originated during the nineteenth century. The name refers to advocacy of a return to the traditions of the "pious predecessors" (), the first three generati ...
Islamist Al Asalah
The Al-Asalah Islamic Society ( ar, جمعية الأصالة الإسلامية) is the main Sunni Salafist political party in Bahrain. The party is the political wing of the Islamic Education Society (''Al-Tarbiya Al-Islamiya'') which fund ...
party to win.
Letter to the King of Bahrain Concerning Failures of the Supreme Council for Women
Women's Petition Committee, 2 May 2007
See also
*Bahrain election 2006 women candidates
Women candidates of the 2006 Bahrain election, which took place on the November 25, 2006 were reported to have received numerous threats from Islamic salafist and other factions to prevent them taking part. In all, eighteen female candidates of va ...
*Women's rights in Bahrain
Women's rights have been a cornerstone of the political reforms initiated by King Hamad, with women gaining the right to vote and stand as candidates in national elections for the first time after the constitution was amended in 2002. The ext ...
References
{{Reflist
External links
Supreme Council for Women (Arabic)
Supreme Council’s campaign for the personal status law (Arabic)
'Clerics biggest obstacle to women's rights in Bahrain'
Kuwait Times, 1 April 2006
Prospective women poll candidates learn campaigning
Khaleej Times, 21 March 2006
Gulf News, 23 March 2006
Politics of Bahrain
Women's organisations based in Bahrain
Women's rights in Bahrain