Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2022 to Question 114769, if she will make an assessment of the compatibility of the statement in that Answer that Bahrain’s Restorative Justice Law for Children specifically addresses Article 37 of the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child, and the findings of Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy and Human Rights Watch report of 7 February 2022 that Bahrain continues to arbitrarily detain six children and that Bahrain should revise the Restorative Justice Law for Children.

We welcome the entry into force in August 2021 of the Restorative Justice Law for Children and support Bahraini Government efforts to ensure the law is fully and effectively implemented. It would not be appropriate to comment further on the specific case mentioned while it is sub judice. We encourage those with concerns to raise them directly with the relevant oversight bodies.