Bahrain says Human Rights Watch report is “inaccurate”

Bahrain criticized Human Rights Watch’s (HRW) annual report regarding the gulf kingdom. The 659-page document released by HRW in late January 2016 covers human rights in 90 countries. The report documented a number of human rights abuses in Bahrain, to which the Bahraini government responded, saying it “contains fundamental errors,” and “a number of claims[…]

Sri Lankan Workers Return Home after Abuse in GCC

With the assistance of the Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Bureau, about 150 domestic workers have returned to Sri Lanka after suffering abuse in GCC countries, particularly Kuwait. Some sought refuge at the embassy in that country a few months ago. Many Sri Lankan women have journeyed to the Gulf as to work domestic help, which[…]

Armenia refuses to extradite Bahraini activist

The Armenian government refused to extradite Bahraini activist Fadhel Radhi back to Bahrain. Armenian authorities arrested Radhi on January 2, 2016 in the Yerevan airport on an international Interpol warrant requested by Bahrain. Radhi fled Bahrain to avoid a seven-year prison sentence on charges that human rights groups consider to be politically motivated. After his[…]

Oman Passes a Law Forbidding More African Domestic Workers

The Sultanate of Oman will no longer be issuing work visas for domestic workers from the five African countries of Ethiopia, Kenya, Senegal, Cameroon, and Guinea. A senior official from the Royal Oman Police explained that the government implemented the official ban yesterday, on 1 February 2016, but had already been in the process of[…]

Laudatory comments on women’s empowerment fall short of reality

The chairman of Bahrain’s Institute for Political Development (BIPD) expressed Bahrain’s pride in the achievements of the Supreme Council for Women under the leadership of Princess Sabeeka al-Khalifa, the wife of Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. He “affirmed BIPD’s keen interest in women’s participation in all its programs,” and stated that women’s empowerment[…]