التوعية

"BBS Advocacy Issues: Family Law, Labor Market Reform, and SME Procurement"

The BBS took on several important advocacy issues during the 2007-2008 program year: lobbying parliament to accept changes to the proposed Family Law; advocating the revision of Labor Market Reform Strategies in Bahrain so that they benefit women; and lobbying the government to set aside a percentage of its procurement contracts for SMEs.

The government of Bahrain encouraged women to run for office in the 2002 parliamentary and municipal elections and has initiated work on family law aimed at regulating women's rights in areas such as divorce, marriage, and child custody. In 2001, the government established the Supreme Council for Women, an umbrella organization devised to oversee women's rights-related work in Bahrain. The number of NGOs devoted to women's issues has grown over the last three years. Since that time, the BBS, has worked closely with the Bahrain Women Union and religious leaders to present a new law to the parliament. They also worked with the BWU to conduct a survey on how the old family law negatively affects women which will be presented formally in 2009.

Starting in 2001, the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (MOLSA) developed "A Strategy for Employment and Integration of the National Workforce in the Labour Market in Bahrain." This Strategy includes a wide range of comprehensive measures aiming at significant labour market reforms for the short and medium term. The Labour Market Regulatory Authority is tasked with implementing this strategy. In order to raise awareness of this issue and ensure the strategies implemented benefit Bahraini women, the BBS hosted an awareness-raising event for the public in March 2008 where the LMRA presented its research and strategies and provided an opportunity for attendees to comment on the strategies and propose revisions.

Currently, SMEs have little access to government procurement contracts, which are generally given to large companies that the government owns a stake in. At the BBS Corporate Ambassadors Event, the final panel discussion focused on creating a government set-aside program for small and medium sized businesses, similar to the 5% set aside program for women and minority owned businesses in the United States. Barbara Kasoff, President, CEO and Co-Founder of Women Impacting Public Policy provided an overview of the program and the importance of collecting data on the impact of small and medium sized businesses on the economy to present to the government when lobbying for a set aside program. She also emphasized the need for clear guidelines and procedures following the implementation of this type of program. Participants pressed Dr. Abdulaziz Abul, a panelist and member of the Council of Representatives in Bahrain to support a set aside program and he suggested various committees of the Council this program could be presented to. Following this discussion, the participants resolved to bring this proposed program to the government and collect coalition partners, led by the BBS. The BBS continues to collaborate with Barbara Kasoff to discuss draft legislation and plans for successful implementation of a new law.