World Children’s Day: Zain ranked top company in region across all sectors in Global Child Forum’s ‘Benchmark

TDT | Manama

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Zain Group, a leading provider of innovative ICT and digital lifestyle communications operating in eight markets across the Middle East and Africa, has been ranked the regional Leader in the Global Child Forum’s ‘The State of Children’s Rights and Business 2025’ Benchmark for the third consecutive year. This ranking upgrade coincides with the annual celebration of World Children’s Day on November 20.

Zain increased its ranking from 8.4/10 last year to 8.5 in 2025, showcasing its region-leading stance on the protection of children’s rights, and the coordinated activities it undertakes to ensure these principles are reflected throughout its business activities and processes.

Founded in 2009 by the Swedish Royal Family, Global Child Forum is a leading organization for children’s rights and business, dedicated to innovative thinking, knowledge-sharing, and networking. In its latest report, conducted in collaboration with Boston Consulting Group, researchers assessed how companies implement children’s rights, and sustainability governance using publicly available data. This global study covered nine sectors and assessed companies against 25 indicators.

Jennifer Suleiman, Zain Group Chief Sustainability Officer commented, “Online safety is of great importance for Zain given that one in three internet users are children and with the expansion of broadband access, this number is only set to rise over time. Zain is fully committed to address the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16.2 calling on ending all forms of violence against children by 2030.”

Ekin Björstedt, Secretary General of Global Child Forum, added “Zain demonstrates that leadership on children’s rights is possible and scalable across the value chain. Being a Leader means moving beyond statements to implementation, monitoring and transparent reporting. We congratulate Zain on a third year at the top and invite others to use the Benchmark to accelerate progress for children.”

From 1,806 of the largest companies globally, Zain scored top in the region for all sectors and higher than the sectoral, industry, and all company averages, more-than-doubling the ranking of many regional corporates in key children’s rights categories. The telecom sector’s average benchmarking in 2025 was 6.5/10, and a regional average was just 3.4, with the average of all companies benchmarked standing at 5.

Zain ranked 10/10 in Governance & Collaboration topic, reflecting the company’s strong top-down approach to safeguarding children’s rights through robust governance structures. Zain achieved perfect scores in multiple indicators including in areas related to Standards & Frameworks; Board Accountability; Grievance Mechanisms; Collaboration with or Donations to NGOs; Minimum age of Employment; Decent Working Conditions & Family-friendly Policies; Materiality Assessment; Supplier Assessment, Actions against Child labor; Marketing and advertising, Product responsibility, resource use and damage to the environment and Community.

Championing Child Protection and Partnership

s Zain works closely with leading NGOs to protect children’s rights across its markets. It has signed a three-year MoU with Child Helpline International (CHI) to support and strengthen child helplines where it operates. Zain also provides clear channels for employees and external stakeholders to report human-rights concerns across its operations and supply chain.

Ethical Labour and Supply Chain Integrity

The company bans child labour across all operations and requires suppliers to comply with the ILO Minimum Age Convention (1973) and local laws. Supplier self-assessments, due-diligence checks and physical audits help monitor compliance. Employees may raise concerns with line managers, HR, the Compliance Office or through the Whistleblower Policy, reinforcing transparency and accountability.

Family-Friendly and Inclusive Workplace Policies

Zain promotes a family-friendly workplace with progressive parental policies. Employees receive four months of maternity leave, followed by flexible hours until the child is four. New mothers may request a twomonth remote “baby-bonding” period. Fathers receive five days of paid paternity leave within 30 days of the birth.

Protecting Children in the Digital Space

Zain’s Data Protection Policy states it does not intentionally process the personal data of children below the legal age (13, 16 or 18, depending on jurisdiction) without guardian consent.

Responsible Marketing and Communications

Guided by its Responsible Marketing and Communications Standard, Zain ensures accurate and transparent messaging involving children. It avoids misleading or manipulative content, aligns with international frameworks such as UNICEF’s MO-CRIA, and safeguards children’s data through parental consent and compliance with local privacy laws. Campaigns promote inclusivity and avoid stereotypes or discrimination.

Global Child Forum works with businesses worldwide to advance children’s rights. Zain’s full 2025 scorecard can be viewed on the Global Child Forum website.