News / Persian Gulf

Bahrain women face discrimination

Monday, 09 March 2015 4:06 AM [ Last Update: Monday, 09 March 2015 4:06 AM ]

Bahraini women protest against the Al Khalifa regime. (File photo)

Bahrain’s female activists say women in the country face discrimination, marginalization and exclusion under the rule of Al Khalifa regime.

The Women Affairs Unit in Bahrain’s main opposition bloc, al-Wefaq, called on human rights organizations and campaigners to shed light on the ongoing human rights violations in Bahrain.

“As the world celebrates International Women Day on 8th March, Bahraini women continue to suffer from marginalization, exclusion and discrimination for raising demands for legitimate rights to democracy and justice in Bahrain,” the women activists said in a statement.

Today, many women continue to be excluded from the jobs they are qualified for, while others were either sacked or imprisoned for expressing their opinions, the statement added.

The activists have also appealed the international rights groups to save them from a dark future and clutches of the Manama regime.

Sources say female Bahraini protesters and activists are also facing torture and harassment at detention centers.

Several reports indicate that women are being treated harshly and have been raped or sexually assaulted in some cases.

Witnesses say relatives of several female inmates are frequently taken to detention centers and beaten in front of their eyes.

Since mid-February 2011, thousands of anti-regime protesters have held numerous demonstrations on the streets of Bahrain, calling for the Al Khalifa family to relinquish power.

Scores of people have been killed and hundreds of others injured and arrested in the ongoing crackdown on peaceful demonstrations.

The crackdown on peaceful protests has intensified since the arrest of al-Wefaq leader Sheikh Ali Salman in December 2014.

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