Bahrain Celebrated Women's Day

Manama As women in Bahrain on Monday celebrate their first Women's Day, around 100,000 of them will receive flowers, courtesy of a Bahraini businessman keen on displaying his support.

"When I heard about Bahrain's decision to celebrate Women's Day on December 1, I thought I should do something to support the initiative," Ahmad Malek said.

"When I travel, people say that we treat women very bad, that we keep them in the house and I say it is not true. The woman is a mother, a sister, a wife, a daughter. She is the centre of the family and keeps everything going. In Bahrain, women are working in ministries, in parliament and we want the whole world to see that women here are living and working normally and they deserve to be rewarded for their hard work and contribution. I want to say to the world that we do respect women," Malek told Gulf Daily News.

The flowers, at a total cost of 30,000 dinars, will include lilies, carnations, orchids and roses, and will be distributed by two flower companies and volunteers at malls, offices, ministries, schools and universities.

Consultations

Each flower will have a card offering congratulations to women on the occasion.

Bahrain's First Lady and Supreme Council for Women Chairwoman Shaikha Sabeeka Bint Ebrahim Al Khalifa in October said that December 1 would be celebrated annually as Bahrain Women's Day.

The date was chosen following consultations with various women's associations and will be used to show support to women throughout the country.

Women in Bahrain have reached several advanced decision-making positions in the private and public sectors and represent 25 per cent of the appointed upper house.

Law

However, strong traditions and powerful domination by conservative religious leaders and MPs in the lower house have hampered efforts to promulgate a family law to improve living conditions for many women.

Awareness campaigns by the Supreme Council for Women and women activists to have the parliament enact the law have not succeeded to mellow the conservatives' stance.

Last week, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, a UN monitoring body composed of independent experts, called for the adoption of a unified family law to end discrimination in marriage, divorce, inheritance and custody of children.

Source : Gulf News