MEPI in Bahrain

Ongoing MEPI Programs

The following provides descriptions of ongoing programs in Bahrain, as well as a list of Regional Programs in which Bahraini organizations or individuals participate.

BAHRAIN PROGRAMS

Bahrain Youth Forum Society

Bahrain Online Youth Radio Station - The Bahrain Youth Forum Society is establishing an online radio station to promote civic activism among youth, create a forum for youth to freely discuss national issues affecting their lives and the role of women in their communities, and to highlight success stories of young entrepreneurs.  Through a seven-week training program on online broadcasting for 20 journalism students from the University of Bahrain, MEPI-funded local grant project  aims to increase levels of youth activism and civic participation in selected issues in a youth-targeted environment. The radio station will also provide an opportunity for youth to learn about programs available to them from different sectors in Bahrain. The station will feature programs on school life, marginalized people, health issues, youth debates, youth-run activities, women's empowerment, career counseling, and other youth-targeted issues.   The radio station will be promoted through a public press conference and through Bahrain’s online communities such as Facebook, MySpace, and the blogosphere.

Mayasem Communications

Empowering Women Candidates for the 2010 Bahraini Parliamentary Elections - Despite a number of female candidates having run in the 2002 and 2006 Bahraini parliamentary elections, only one managed to win a seat in the elected lower house.   According to Mayasem Communications, one of the reasons for this is that women candidates in Bahrain generally lack the necessary expertise and experience in strategic planning, when it comes to running for office and in organizing professional electoral campaigns.  This MEPI-funded local grant project will address effective electoral campaign models for Bahrain to equip potential female candidates with the tools needed in preparing themselves for the 2010 elections. Fifty representatives of civil, political and women’s organizations will attend a two-day workshop by an international expert to develop an action plan and best practices for promoting women’s participation. This will be followed by a 3-day political campaign training workshop for 50 women that will conclude with written operational guidelines and communications strategic action plans in preparation for the upcoming elections.

Business Care

Operating for Impact:  Improving the Efficacy of CSOs in Bahrain – Some Bahraini Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) demonstrate effective civic advocacy and activism, but most have limited capacity, membership, and impact.  Through this project, Business Care’s local trainers will first receive training on effective CSO operations, and then will help deliver training to 18 selected CSO representatives through a series of workshops.  Training will address topics such as membership and mission, volunteer work, operation and collaboration, and project management.  In consultation with an international expert and Business Care trainers, participants will produce and implement action plans, and generate a “Bahrain Civil Society Best Practices Guidebook” for every registered CSO in Bahrain.  

Barefoot Workshops

Affecting Public Awareness and Opinion with Video Messaging- Barefoot Workshops and local partner Smart Coaching will give participant groups in Bahrain the ability to convey messages to the public through quality “public service announcement” (PSA), video messages, which can be disseminated via television, the Internet, and mobile phones.  Fourteen representatives of seven selected CSOs in Bahrain (each working in issue areas relevant to democratic development) will participate in an in-depth, three-week training workshop in Bahrain. Each participant CSO will produce and disseminate an actual PSA video addressing an issue of concern to their organization.  Participants will demonstrate their ability to generate future PSAs independently by producing a second PSA with limited consultation and support.  Meanwhile, Smart Coaching representatives will acquire skills and equipment they can apply to support local civil society PSA-making and to provide instruction to Smart Coaching students after the workshop. 

Bahrain’ s Lawyers Association and Bahrain Journalists Association

Training Journalists on Reporting Trafficking in Persons Issues- Bahrain faced serious criticism after it was downgraded for not doing enough to fight Trafficking-In-Persons (TIP). Recently, the Government of Bahrain issued a law to specifically outlaw human trafficking. Through this program, Bahraini journalists and lawyers will be equipped with the necessary professional skills to investigate human rights violations, specifically those that involve trafficking victims.  In addition to improving public awareness about the implications and consequences of TIP, the program will also empower the press to assume an active role as a watchdog to ensure the government’s positive legislation will be translated into actual progress against human trafficking.

Batelco Care Center for Family Violence Cases

Training Program for Judges and Lawyers - Domestic violence affects and damages whole families across all social classes. The affects are far-reaching - not only for the families concerned, but for society in general. Although there are some examples of good practices, Bahrain’s judicial system is in need of fundamental reform on the handling domestic violence cases. Shari’a court proceedings are extremely complex and women are vulnerable to individualistic interpretations of the Shari'a law by Bahrain's predominantly male judges. Without standardized rules of procedure for domestic violence cases, lawyers and judges are left to rely on often contradictory precedents when dealing with evidence, testimony, and verdicts. 
Through this project, 50 Shari’a and criminal lawyers, prosecutors, judges and police officers will improve their understanding of international standards of legislation and investigation of domestic violence cases. In addition, they will improve their ability to litigate these cases, become sensitized to concepts of victims’ rights, and become credible advocates for reforming local domestic violence law, ultimately strengthening rule of law and women’s rights in Bahrain.

Batelco Care Center for Family Violence Cases

Documentary on Personal Status Law in Bahrain - Currently Bahrain relies on Shari’a law with regards to marriage, divorce, child custody, and inheritance.  Family court judges render their judgments according to their own reading of Islamic jurisprudence.  In 2004, the Government of Bahrain signaled the first step towards creating a personal status law or the “family law,” when it created a drafting committee.  Since then, the bill has not moved beyond the drafting stage.  The family law agenda is frequently sidelined, often as a result of opposition from both Shi'a and Sunni religious leaders.  Opposition to the draft law generally stems from a lack of understanding of what it would encompass and the misconception that it would undermine religious values.  The main objective behind this project is to educate a wide cross-section of Bahraini society about the Personal Status Law. Moreover, Respected Sunni and Shi’a religious scholars and legal authorities will clarify that a personal status law would enhance, rather than replace, the principles of Shari’a law.

The Environmental Friends Society

Activating Public Influence on the Revision of Bahrain’s Environmental and Natural Resources Laws - The Environmental Friends Society (EFS), a Bahraini environmental NGO, will analyze and propose improvements to Bahrain’s existing environmental and natural resources laws as well as examine proposed amendments to these laws.  EFS also will implement an awareness campaign to broaden their advocacy efforts to a larger cross section of Bahraini civil society.  Through this project, Bahraini civil society organizations will effectively and positively influence public opinion, and evoke parliamentary and Shura Council action related with environmental and natural resource laws

Bahrain Journalists Association

Improving Press Reporting on Local and National Elections - Accomplished U.S. journalists and journalism professors train journalists in Bahrain to effectively and ethically cover campaigns, candidates, and elections.  A follow-up phase trains journalists on covering the activities of parliament and parliamentarians.  Samples of pre and post workshop reporting are compiled and used as instructional tools.  The project produces a manual for distribution to all BJA members, and a journalist's code of ethics. 

Entrepreneurship Center

[Economic] - The establishment of Center for Entrepreneurial Excellence came as a by product of the 2005 MEET U. S. Alumni Conference that was held in Bahrain. More than 100 participants discussed obstacles to entrepreneurship and identified actions they could take together to help overcome them and advance economic reform.  Participants suggested creating a website, establish Alumni chapters in each of their countries, convening workshops to examine key economic reform issues, passing the entrepreneur skills training they had received on to colleagues, and organizing NGOs to advocate reform.  The launch of the Center for Entrepreneurial Excellence, announced at the conference was hailed as a concrete outcome of the 2004 Forum for the Future and a permanent venue for advancing Entrepreneurship in the region.

REGIONAL PROGRAMS

Bahraini individuals or groups participate in the following programs, which take place in two or more countries in the region (Click Here to see descriptions of regional programs). MEPI reform pillars are listed in parentheses.

• ABA/CEELI - Arab Women's Legal Netwrok (AWLN) [Women]
• ABA/CEELI - Middle East Legal Development Initiative [Political]
• Academy for Educational Development and Sun Microsystems - G-8 BMENA Global Learning Portal [Education]
• AIESEC - Student Organizations Building [Political, Education]
• Association Liaison Office - U.S.-Middle East University Partnerships [Education]
• Beyster Institute - Middle East Entrepreneur Training in the U.S. (MEET U.S.) [Economic]
• Booz Allen Hamilton - Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) and Free Trade Agreement (FTA) Technical Assistance [Economic]
• Center for Civic Education - Arab Civitas [Education]
• CEPPS - Parliamentary Assistance and Political Party Building [Political]
• Chugach - Middle East Finance Corporation Due Diligence [Economic]
• CLDP - Commercial, Judicial, and Legal Reform [Economic]
• FSVC - Partnership for Financial Excellence Part II [Economic]
• ICNL - Middle East Associative Rights Initiative [Political]
• International Finance Corporation - G-8 BMENA Technical Assistance [Economic]
• IREX - Middle East North Africa Development Initiative Alliance (MENA Media) [Political]
• IREX - Media Sustainability Index [Political]
• No Peace Without Justice - Strengthening the Democracy Assistance Dialogue [Political] 
• Junior Achievments - Economic Education and Job Skills Training in the Middle East [Economic]
• OECD - Middle East and North Africa Investment for Development Initiative [Economic] 
• Scholastic, Inc. - My Arabic Library [Education]
• Seeds of Peace - Building School Environments that Encourage Responsible Citizenship in Youth [Education]
• The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars - Enhancing the Role of Arab Women in the Legislative Process [Political]
• The English ACCESS Micro-scholarships Program [Education] 
• UNDP -  Global Democracy Barometer Project [Political]
• University of Michigan - Global Democracy Barometer Project [Political]