Second Annual Report of the National Institution for Human Rights (NIHR) 2014 - Kingdom of Bahrain WOMEN’S RIGHTS • Urging the Government to take serious and conciliatory steps for the purpose of expediting the referral of the Jaafari part (Section II) of the draft family law to the legislative authority. • Urging the Government to take measures in order to grant housing services to women married to foreigners in the event of divorce, abandonment, or death of spouse. • Expanding the establishment of equal opportunity units in ministries, government agencies, and private sector institutions that did not take the initiative to establish these units, in order to follow up the activation of a national model for the integration of women’s needs in development. • Considering and allowing the Human Rights Council Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, and the Working Group on the issue of discrimination against women in law and in practice to visit the Kingdom. RIGHTS OF THE CHILD • Urging the Government to follow up the effective implementation of the National Strategy for Children for the years (2013-2017). • Urging the Government to activate the regulatory and supervisory role over nurseries, kindergartens and government educational institutions to ensure that children enjoy a safe environment that is free of exposure to the various forms of violence, abuse or neglect. • Urging the Government to submit its periodic report to the Committee on the Rights of the Child emanating from the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the scheduled deadlines. • Considering and allowing the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography of the Council of Human Rights to visit the Kingdom. RIGHTS OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES • Urging the Government to improve the infrastructure by taking into account the engineering requirements appropriate for individuals with disabilities in public facilities, especially in modern buildings and complexes. • Urging the Government to provide sign boards that correspond to certain disabilities (hearing and speaking disabilities) in forms that are easy to be read and understood. The signboard should be placed on public buildings and other facilities, to ensure that persons with disabilities have access to the available services. • The media should contribute to raising awareness of the problems of individuals with disabilities and how to deal with them, and introducing their families to the services provided by the Government for this category. • Urging the Government to include the basic concepts of human rights education and the International Convention on Persons with Disabilities in the curricula of primary and secondary education, which will help promote the rights of this category. • Increasing the Government’s interest in preparing specialized technical personnel to work in the field of rehabilitation of persons with disabilities, and introducing a prerequisite course entitled: “Care and Rehabilitation of People with Disabilities” within the curricula of psychology and sociology departments. • Urging the Ministry of Social Development to continue the follow-up and effective implementation of the national strategy for the rights of disabled people for the years (20122016). 23