Recent findings by Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) have highlighted troubling practices in Bahrain concerning the rights of children. According to their report, the Bahraini government is systematically detaining and abusing children to suppress dissent. These actions are in direct violation of international law, including provisions outlined by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Despite a royal pardon in 2024 that saw the release of over 1,500 prisoners, including 40 minors, HRW and ADHRB recorded a notable increase in politically-motivated charges against children from April 2024. These reports include cases of torture, coerced confessions, and the denial of due process. Notably, several minors detained in late 2024 and early 2025 went on hunger strikes to demand their release or an expedited trial. One such case involves Abdul Aziz Husain Jaafar AlHammadi, a 15-year-old arrested in October 2024 without a warrant and held for six months without trial. His treatment flouts Bahrain’s Restorative Justice Law for Children, which limits pre-trial detention to 30 days.
Testimonies from former child detainees underscore a pattern of abuses, including stripping, torture, and threats of rape to coerce confessions. The 2021 Restorative Justice Law sets 15 as the minimum age for criminal responsibility but allows institutionalization for “endangerment,” a term criticized for potential misuse. Husain Abdulla, Executive Director of ADHRB, denounced these continued practices, which appear to persist despite the recent pardon.
This pattern of human rights violations is set against a backdrop of ongoing repression since the 2011 Bahrain uprising. Legislative restrictions and punitive measures have targeted opposition activists, with further calls from human rights organizations urging the EU to intervene, as detailed in HRW’s World Report.