Interview with Wajeeha Al Baharna, President of Bahrain Women's Society, on the Nationality Campaign in Bahrain

Interview with Wajeeha Al Baharna, President of the Bahrain Women's Society, March 7, 2006

By Anna Workman, Program Associate, WLP

What is the current situation in Bahrain right now as regards the nationality law?

Well, our nationality law gives Bahraini men the right to pass their nationality to their children, but not Bahraini women. When a Bahraini man marries a non-Bahraini woman, she will be granted Bahraini nationality after five years and his children are automatically granted Bahraini nationality. But Bahraini women who are married to non-nationals cannot pass their nationality to their children, which means their children are treated like foreigners in Bahrain. They don't have access to health services, education, and many other benefits for citizens in Bahrain

How does the current law affect women's lives?

Through our meetings with these women, we witnessed the great deal of insecurity and instability they experience within their families. They must renew their children's residency permit every year. They cannot add their children's data to their passport and they cannot travel with them. Their children are considered non-Bahrainis, and so are their husbands.

Children have no job security. Employment is difficult. If they go to hospitals or medical centers, they have to pay - it is free only for citizens. When they apply to university they are considered foreigners, and priority is given to Bahraini citizens.

Many of the families affected are poor and cannot afford the fees for residency permits, healthcare, and education.

Why is the right to nationality an important issue for women in Bahrain?

This is one form of discrimination women face in Bahrain, and we consider it critical because we see the extent of suffering it causes for women and their children. The children are born in Bahrain, their families and friends are all Bahraini, yet they cannot enjoy the security and belonging because they are not fully accepted and don't have political rights. They are considered foreigners. Many of the women married to non-nationals are divorced or widowed and are alone and without income, and on top of that their children are not considered Bahrainis by law.

How did the Bahrain Women's Society start working on the issue of nationality?

During one of my visits to Beirut, CRTD-A invited the Bahrain Women's Society to participate in a regional meeting and join the campaign. The idea was welcomed at once because I thought it would allow us to address one aspect of discrimination against women. We joined the campaign in November 2004, but we really started our action in May 2005.

What activities has the Bahrain Women's Society been carrying out at the national level to advocate for women's right to nationality?

Since May 2005, with CRTD-A's cooperation and funding, we have carried out two advocacy workshops and three seminars for other Bahraini women's organizations, the media, parliamentarians, and members of the Shura Council.

We had a meeting with Bahraini women married to non-nationals and the outcome was astounding. In one day, 140 women came to our offices and we listened to their sad and painful accounts. This meeting was covered by the local newspapers and has made a big difference in the community. Everyone was talking about it, saying they didn't know how much these women were suffering. Using case studies, we really helped raising awareness on this issue from a new perspective. We also had the women complete forms as part of an in-depth study, giving details about their husbands and children.

We had an official meeting with the Supreme Council for Women in Bahrain because they are also working on the issue, but with a different approach. We met with the parliamentarians' blocs - the Islamic Bloc, the Economic Bloc, and the Democratic Bloc, and they gave us their full support. We met with the other cabinet of our government, the Shura Council - the Committee for Women and Children - and they also gave us their full support. We also met with the Undersecretary of the Ministry of the Interior for Passports and Immigration and he promised us a comprehensive review of the nationality law, but he didn't discuss whether this review would lead to granting women the right to pass the Bahraini nationality to their children.

Our campaign is very purposive and seeks specifically to modify one phrase in the law in order to give both men and women the right to pass on their nationality to their offspring.

What progress have you made so far?

Actually, I have some breaking news. Only today the government has proposed a new nationality law, which we need to review. I don't have full details, but I hope there will be a change in this article allowing Bahraini women to pass on their nationality. This will make our pathway to change a lot shorter!

What are the main challenges you face in Bahrain to reform of the nationality law?

In Bahrain, we have a lot of hot political issues; The constitution, parliamentary elections, and local issues between the government and the opposition. These kind of issues have dominated the media. So when we do a workshop, or an awareness campaign on the importance of nationality law we find it difficult to get media coverage.

Also, it has been challenging to communicate with Bahraini women married to non-nationals. They don't want to be exposed to media - they are often very reluctant when we ask them to do an interview or make a video, or write to a newspaper. 140 women came to the meeting and hoped that we could fix their problem right away. They filled out the research forms hoping that we would address them to the King and achieve an immediate change. But when we asked them to be patient and join us in the campaign for their rights, they felt depressed. It is very important to look at the psychological dimension - their bitter experience has made them hopeless.

Are you finding public support for your activities in Bahrain?

We gained a lot of public support from the community as a whole as well as from many officials. We have had a very positive response from the community, including religious groups. They are opposing reform of family law vehemently, but not this particular change in nationality regulations.

What are the main benefits to working with regional partners on this issue?

It makes me feel stronger and more confident about what we are doing and the way forward. Meeting with regional partners and counterparts provides an opportunity to share experience and best practices, to seek advice and inspiration, most of all it gives the assurance that we are not working alone.

Besides, change is contagious. When an Arab State sees that another has reformed its nationality law for example, it is immediately encouraged to do the same. Thus, it is a great opportunity to discuss obstacles and challenges with regional partners, draw attention to common issues and possible course of action, as well as being informed on relevant changes and solutions adopted in other countries, such as Algeria, Egypt, and Morocco.

What are the main similarities and differences between the situation in Bahrain and that in the other campaign countries?

We are very similar. We are facing the same problem. There might be some differences. For example, the situation is even more complicated in Lebanon. There are many political groups involved, whereas the situation is more straightforward in Bahrain. Nonetheless, the core issue is the same.

In addition, it took 20 years of campaigning to achieve reform in Egypt. It seems that it will take less time in Bahrain. I hope it will not exceed two years to accomplish the sought reform.