In 2014-2015, Coram International provided technical assistance to support the Ministry of Justice in its efforts to reform the juvenile justice and child protection system in Bahrain. Under the project, Coram International reviewed the current system and legislation and drafted a strategy for the reform of the juvenile justice and child protection systems in light of international standards, instruments and best practices. The strategy covered the objectives of the reform process setting out the short and long-term actions required to achieve these. Following the development of the draft strategy, Coram International provided guidance to the Legislative Office to amend the juvenile and child laws to give effect to the reforms proposed. Coram International also engaged with stakeholders to discuss and determine priorities, resources and next steps in the reform process.
From 2009 to 2011, Coram International engaged in ground breaking research into the administrative detention of children, globally. The research involved extensive desk review of documents, including reports from the treaty monitoring bodies, as well as the development of qualitative questionnaires that were completed by UNICEF and NGO offices across the world, and, in-country field research in selected case study countries, including Bahrain (focusing on detention of girls for social rehabilitation), Burundi (focusing on the detention of children in the juvenile justice system), Guatemala (focusing on the detention of children living and working on the streets) and India (focusing on the detention of children for welfare purposes). The report itself focused on a number of key issues in administrative detention, including the administrative detention of children in need of care and protection, administrative detention for security purposes, administrative detention for immigration reasons, administrative detention within the juvenile justice system and administrative detention of children for health purposes. Other case studies were also developed through desk-based research, including Guantanamo Bay, immigration detention in the UK, administrative detention of girls in the MENA region and administrative detention of children in Tajikistan. The report was published and is available here.
