Bahrain highlights child protection, anti-trafficking at IPU Forum
Geneva, Oct. 20 (BNA): Bahrain's parliamentary delegation participated in the second session of the Forum of Women Parliamentarians, held as part of the 151st General Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).
Hala Ramzi Fayez, member of the Shura Council and Bahrain’s parliamentary delegation, stressed that parliaments can create legal and humanitarian frameworks to promote justice and protect children from illegal adoption. She highlighted that protecting children's rights is a key part of Bahrain’s overall human rights and humanitarian efforts. Tackling illegal adoption, she added, is a top national priority, reflecting Bahrain’s international and domestic commitment to safeguarding children’s best interests and shielding them from all forms of abuse and exploitation.
Fayez explained that illegal international adoption is not only a procedural violation but a profound harm that affects a child’s right to identity, belonging, and family. She noted that some children were taken from their mothers through deception, coercion, or document forgery, leaving many families to suffer for years without any hope of discovering the fate of their children.
She said that as women parliamentarians, they bring a heightened sense of humanity to this issue, noting its deep connection to motherhood, justice, and the child's right to be loved and protected, not sold or taken away.
Fayez emphasised that the responsibility of women parliamentarians lies in recognition and redress, by advocating for the classification of illegal adoption as a form of child trafficking, and calling for victims to be granted access to their original identities, records, and family roots with dignity and respect.
She also highlighted the importance of restorative justice and support, including the provision of psychological, social, and legal assistance to victims and their families. She suggested the possible establishment of truth and reconciliation commissions or restorative justice mechanisms under state supervision, to help restore trust and provide victims a pathway to healing through acknowledgement of their suffering.
Fayez further stressed the need for prevention through legislation, oversight, and international cooperation. She called for the development of laws that ensure transparency in legal adoption, proper implementation and enforcement, strict regulation of agencies and intermediaries, and alignment with international conventions, ensuring that adoption is used only as a last resort when all national care options have been exhausted.
She also called for international partnerships to facilitate information exchange and track cross-border trafficking networks. Fayez concluded by expressing confidence in the ability of parliaments and legislative bodies to create strong legal and humanitarian safeguards that protect children and ensure that adoption remains an act of care and compassion, not one of exploitation or trafficking.
