Manama: Bahrain's parliamentary delegation participated in the second session of the Forum of Women Parliamentarians, held as part of the 151st General Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). Hala Ramzi Fayez, a member of the Shura Council and Bahrain's parliamentary delegation, emphasized that parliaments have the capacity to establish legal and humanitarian frameworks aimed at promoting justice and shielding children from illegal adoption. She highlighted that safeguarding children's rights is integral to Bahrain's human rights and humanitarian initiatives. Addressing illegal adoption, she noted, is a paramount national priority, underlining Bahrain's commitment both internationally and domestically to protecting children's best interests and shielding them from any form of abuse and exploitation.
According to Bahrain News Agency, Fayez elaborated that illegal international adoption is not merely a procedural violation but a serious harm impacting a child's right to identity, belonging, and family. She pointed out that some children have been taken from their mothers through deceit, coercion, or document forgery, causing many families to endure years of anguish with no hope of discovering the whereabouts of their children.
Fayez stated that as women parliamentarians, they approach this issue with a heightened sense of humanity, recognizing its deep ties to motherhood, justice, and the child's right to be loved and protected, rather than sold or taken away. She emphasized the responsibility of women parliamentarians to recognize and address this issue by advocating for the classification of illegal adoption as a form of child trafficking, and calling for victims to be granted access to their original identities, records, and family roots with dignity and respect.
Fayez also underscored the importance of restorative justice and support, including the provision of psychological, social, and legal assistance to victims and their families. She proposed the potential establishment of truth and reconciliation commissions or restorative justice mechanisms under state supervision to help restore trust and provide victims a route to healing through acknowledgment of their suffering.
Further, Fayez stressed the necessity of prevention through legislation, oversight, and international collaboration. She called for the development of laws that guarantee transparency in legal adoption, proper execution and enforcement, stringent regulation of agencies and intermediaries, and alignment with international conventions, ensuring that adoption is used solely as a last resort when all national care options have been exhausted.
She also advocated for international partnerships to enable information exchange and track cross-border trafficking networks. Fayez concluded by expressing confidence in the ability of parliaments and legislative bodies to establish strong legal and humanitarian safeguards that protect children and ensure that adoption remains an act of care and compassion, not one of exploitation or trafficking.