Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government on what basis they are providing technical assistance to the government of Bahrain; and whether they intend to make representations to that government about human rights abuses, including reported cases of sexual assault and torture against female human rights defenders and activists by state officials in Bahrain.

We continue to monitor events in Bahrain closely and we regularly raise human rights with the Government of Bahrain, at senior levels, both in private and public. We continue to encourage the Government of Bahrain to deliver on its international and domestic human rights commitments.

The UK has been providing a range of technical and practical assistance to the Government of Bahrain since 2012, in support of its reform programme. Any training provided by or on behalf of the British Government complies with our domestic and international human rights obligations.

We encourage those with concerns about treatment in detention to report them to the appropriate Bahraini human rights oversight body. We continue to encourage these oversight bodies to carry out swift and thorough investigations into any such concerns or allegations.