First Topic Advisory Opinions submitted from the NIHR to the Shura Council The NIHR submitted to the Shura Council during the reporting period one advisory opinion, as follows: Draft law to promulgate Corrective Justice Law for children and their protection from ill-treatment, pursuant to Royal Decree No. (20) of 2019. 1. The NIHR expressed its advisory opinion on the draft law promulgating the Corrective Justice Law for children and their protection from maltreatment, which is comprised of (90) articles, especially the articles relating to or affecting or directly impacting human rights and basic rights. The NIHR commended the value added of such legislation in the overall legal ecosystem, especially in the juvenile courts and legal protection of children. 2. The core of the NIHR opinion was focused on some terminology used in Paragraph (10) of Article No. (12), for fear it might trigger broad divergence in views and legal interpretation explaining it. The text mentioned the term (bad conduct) and (defiant), however the NIHR preferred to reconsider these two terms, and showed the legal description of these behaviors in a clear, accurate, and disciplined manner. 3. As to Article (84), the NIHR concluded that it would be advisable to reconsider the wording of the paragraph relating to the child’s criminal record, and the rulings that may be shown in it. The NIHR affirmed its opinion of the necessity to articulate a clear text that prohibits looking at the records of the convicted children, except for the persons directly concerned with disposing of the case in question, or other duly authorized persons, with a mandatory judgment report that entails deleting the names of convicted juveniles automatically from criminal records once the child completes (18) years of age, in line with the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Administration of Juvenile (The Beijing Rules). NIHR Bahrain- Eighth Annual Report 2020 105