SCW Secretary-General participates in Saudi Family Forum 2021

Riyadh, Oct. 26 (BNA): Secretary-General of the Supreme Council for Women (SCW), Hala Al-Ansari, has affirmed that the family stability and cohesion theme tops the priorities of the National Plan for the Advancement of Bahraini Women, highlighting Bahrain's experience in this regard, whose operations are spearheaded by the SCW, led by Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, Wife of HM the King. She indicated that the work plans and initiatives of this theme have been designed in accordance with a scientific method, based on national indices and international comparisons, as well as creating interconnected relationships between the impact of family stability on societal security and the increased participation of women in public life and national economy. Al-Ansari made the statements while participating as a keynote speaker in the fourth edition of the Saudi Family Forum, held in conjunction with the fifth anniversary of the launch of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, praising the directives of the Saudi government to pave the way for Saudi women’s influential participation in their country’s development process, becoming real partners in making the kingdom’s present and future. Al-Ansari said that the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic on the health, economic and social levels require accelerated reviews and treatments, as indicated by the report of the Economic and Social Council of the UN General Assembly on the implementation of the goals of the International Day of Families 2021, noting that many countries have put in place exceptional measures to contain the life difficulties faced by the family, specifically in the field of reconciling family and work responsibilities, positive upbringing of children and increasing the participation of fathers in carrying out family tasks. She indicated that the work of the SCW in partnership with its national allies has been based on three main pillars. The first is the revision and development of laws, as well as bridging the gaps that affect the legal status of family members to ensure they are consistent with the Constitution’s provisions on eliminating all forms of discrimination and reaching justice, while taking the specific family relations into account. The second is the development and implementation of quality policies and strategies to translate legislation and laws into the ground, by integrating the Bahraini family needs in the kingdom’s development process through initiatives and programmes to empower families and enable them to take control of their affairs, in line with the goals set in the Bahrain Economic Vision 2030. As to the third, it is connecting the efforts of the kingdom in the field of women empowerment and advancement with the sustainable development goals. In her speech, Al-Ansari gave examples of the national efforts to develop Bahraini families and enhance the level of their stability, such as the issuance of the Family Law, the designation of special buildings for family courts and fast-tracking the litigation process to reduce pressure on such courts. The national efforts also include allowing appealing family courts’ rulings at the Court of Cassation, the issuance of a law on making family reconciliation and amicable settlement obligatory before resorting to the courts, the launch of the “Family Reconciliation” service to reach out-of-court settlements and the issuance of the Law on the Protection against Domestic Violence. She also highlighted the housing services enjoyed by Bahraini women, especially the widowed and divorced ones, in addition to the establishment of equal opportunities units at all public sector institutions to follow up on the services delivered to families and women-supporting policies, which enables them to achieve balance between their professional and family duties. The SCW Secretary-General stressed that the experiences have proved the necessity and importance of proactive and forward-looking planning for the needs of the contemporary family, revealing that the updating of the National Plan for the Advancement of Bahraini Women, which will end next year, will be based on a number of considerations, including the transition of the Kingdom from the stage of the advancement of women" to women’s self-advancement of women, noting that the focus will be on the sustainability of the advancement of Bahraini women and measuring the impact of their participation on national competitiveness, so that they can advance themselves and decide what is appropriate for them and their family. Ministers, national women experts and leaders, in addition to regional and international organisations participated in the Saudi Family Forum 21, and discussed the main issues of contemporary women, as well as ways to empower them and protect them.