Manama: King Hamad Bin Eisa Al Khalifa has provided vulnerable categories of women in Bahrain with the opportunity to benefit from housing services.
Under directives from King Hamad, unmarried women, divorced and widows without child custody who even though they do not meet eligibility terms will enjoy housing services, without ownership rights.
The decision was based on a recommendation by the Supreme Council for Women (SCW), the official entity seeking to empower women politically, socially and economically in the kingdom.
King Hamad has issued directives to take the necessary legal measures to assist the women set to benefit from the services, Bahrain News Agency (BNA) reported late on Tuesday.
King Hamad, seen as a champion of women’s rights since he assumed power in 1999 following the death of his father, announced the decision as he received Princess Sabeeka Bint Ebrahim Al Khalifa, the chairwoman of the Supreme Council for Women.
King Hamad said at the meeting that he valued the significant role of Bahraini women and their outstanding competence in the positions of responsibility they have assumed, BNA said.
The monarch said that opportunities were available for all Bahraini women to contribute to the nation-building process and to serve their society as the country moves forward, the official news agency said.
The establishment of the council as an advisory body with a mandate to follow up on Bahraini women’s advancement is a living proof of the kingdom’s appreciation of the status of women, he said.
The Council has been spearheading a national drive to elevate the social, economic and political status of women through a series of national programmes that highlight the competence of women and the significance of their active involvement in the nation-building process.
Princess Sabeeka, Bahrain’s First Lady, has been pushing to empower women and to help them benefit from social advantages.
In 2012, she called for the implementation of a recommendation issued by SCW in 2010 to extend the social umbrella to include Bahraini women married to foreigners.
Women’s needs should be integrated in Bahrain’s development process and the gender opportunity equality units set up in some government and official establishments should be invigorated, Princess Sabeeka said.
Several ministries, official establishments and the bicameral parliament have set up special units to boost women’s chances in employment and promotion.
The units are part of a national plan to meet the needs of women employees and to bolster their contributions to the nation-building process
Despite a very challenging social environment, Bahrain is one of the most forward-looking countries in the Arab world in empowering women.
