Parliament Backs Child Protection Measure Amid Court Disputes

Bahrain’s Council of Representatives has approved, by majority vote, a parliamentary proposal aimed at protecting the rights of minor children during ongoing family disputes, referring the recommendation to the Government for consideration and implementation.

The proposal, reviewed by the Legislative and Legal Affairs Committee, allows mothers and grandparents to complete official government transactions on behalf of minors while cases remain pending before the courts. MPs stressed that legal disputes between adults must not result in administrative or humanitarian harm to children.

Presenting the proposal, MP Jalal Kazem Al Mahfood delivered a key intervention that shaped the debate, warning that children often become unintended victims of procedural rigidity during prolonged family disputes. He said minors are frequently deprived of timely access to passports, residency documents, healthcare registration, and educational services due to the absence of interim authority while cases remain unresolved.

Al Mahfood told the committee that family disputes may take months or years to reach final rulings, while children’s daily needs remain immediate and continuous. He stressed that the proposal does not interfere with judicial authority or influence court outcomes, but instead establishes a temporary and regulated mechanism to ensure that minors’ affairs proceed without disruption until judgments are issued.

Under the proposal, Bahraini and non Bahraini mothers, as well as grandparents, would be authorised to finalise essential procedures such as issuing birth certificates, passports, residency permits, and other official documentation required for healthcare, education, and social stability.

The committee examined the proposal across several meetings during the third and fourth legislative sessions, consulting legal advisers and reviewing responses from the Supreme Council for Women and the Ministry of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments. In its final report, the committee unanimously recommended approval, citing constitutional obligations, family stability, and the psychological wellbeing of minors. The Council subsequently endorsed the recommendation by majority vote and forwarded it to the Government.