NIHR’s Committee on Complaints, Monitoring and Follow-up convenes its 13th Regular Meeting by Teleconference
28 Apr 2020
Under the chairpersonship of Ms. Maria Khoury and membership of Dr. Hameed Ahmed Husain, Mrs. Rawdha Alaradi and Mr. Ammar Ahmed Albannai, the National Institution for Human Rights (NIHR)’s Committee on Complaints, Monitoring and Follow-up has convened its 13th regular monthly meeting by teleconference, where Ms. Khoury welcomed the membership of Mr. Ammar Albannai in the Committee, considering that his work in the Committee would raise communication with all parts of the community.
The Committee congratulated all citizens and residents on the occasion of the blessed month of Ramadan, hoping that Allah will return it to everyone with health and safety and bring the people of Bahrain together with love and human brotherhood, stressing the need for citizens and residents to adhere to the guidelines and directives of competent authorities to overcome Coronavirus pandemic.
The Committee further valued the sincere national efforts to evacuate citizens abroad, especially after the resolution to expedite those measures to ensure their prompt return to the homeland in order to avoid any risks to them due to the outbreak of Coronavirus (Covid-19), praising the directives of HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister, to use the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain (Gulf Air) in the evacuation process.
The Chairperson of the Committee informed members of the measures taken by the General Administration for Correction and Rehabilitation of the Ministry of Interior by activating remote medical advice service to the inmates of the centres and prescribing appropriate treatment remotely, in an effort to maintain health and safety of inmates and individuals, the matter which reflects keenness to provide healthcare and appropriate treatment for inmates under all conditions, stating that such precautionary measures contribute to improving the quality of services provided to the residents of those centres, especially medical services, which enhances human rights in general.
The Committee addressed the NIHR’s recent efforts through its visits to isolation, treatment and precautionary quarantine centres, meeting with medical teams, communicating with cases in those centres to ensure basic human rights principles and communicating with expatriate workers to examine their living conditions and to ensure the provision of safety, hygiene and healthcare requirements in accordance with internationally recognized standards as well as the availability of water and appropriate food around the clock. The Committee emphasized the importance of continuing such visits to ensure that everyone enjoys their basic rights guaranteed under the Constitution, national laws and relevant regional and international instruments in light of such exceptional circumstances witnessed by Bahrain.
The Committee then discussed all its previous resolutions and recommendations and examined the actions taken thereupon. It reviewed a number of complaints received by the NIHR, legal assistance provided and cases monitored via the media and social media during March – April 2020, amounting to (3) complains with contents varied between the right to health, the right to physical and moral safety and the right to work, in addition to providing (30) legal assistances, monitoring (14) cases via the media and social media and receiving (77) calls through the toll-free hotline during the said period.
Based upon the NIHR’s keenness to actively participate in the application of the provisions of the Law (18/2017) on Alternative Penalties and Measures and to contribute to reintegrating those who subject to the provisions of this Law in the society, it allocated a number of jobs that are in line with the goal for which the Law has been enacted. This was the outcome of the Committee’s discussion of its periodic statement of the cases related to the application of the provisions of the Law on Alternative Penalties and Measures.
Due to the current conditions and the precautionary measures taken by the Kingdom of Bahrain to combat the Coronavirus, in compliance with the directives and guidelines of the official authorities to limit the spread of the virus, based upon its keenness to the health and safety of everyone, the NIHR continues the provision of its services through the smartphone mobile application (NIHR Bahrain), its website (www.nihr.org.bh) or the toll-free hotline (80001144).
