DOHA: The National Human Rights Committee (NHRC), in cooperation with the Qatar Lawyers Association, organized a symposium on promoting women's rights, as part of NHRC's fundamental areas of focus.
A delegation from the Kuwait Bar Association Women's Affairs Center and another from the Bahrain Bar Association Women's Committee attended the symposium.
The symposium comes within the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding signed by NHRC and the Qatar Lawyers Association, as well as in light of the Committee's openness to civil society organizations and human rights organizations, at the forefront of which are bar associations and unions in the Arab region.
NHRC's Director of Programmes and Education Department Hamad Salem Al Hajri said that both the symposium and the visit aim to inform on national women's protection and empowerment efforts, in addition to NHRC's experience in promoting women's rights.
Al Hajri said that NHRC's main work is to provide legislative, advisory, and awareness-raising recommendations, and establish local, regional, and international partnerships in the field of human rights.
NHRC's Director of Programmes and Education Department said that the visit stems from the Committee's openness to Arab and international human rights bodies. He also noted the sacrifices and steadfastness of Palestinian women amid the barbaric Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, with the occupation army committing maximum violent crimes against women and children, reaching war crime and crime against humanity levels.
In turn, General Secretary of Qatar Lawyers Association Muna Al Matwaa praised the exchange of expertise on women's protection and empowerment taking place, adding that Islam has honored women and granted them their rights, commanding kindness to them, and asserting their dignity and rights.
Al Matwaa stressed that protecting women's rights is not limited to a feminist approach, especially since not all feminist principles are in line with the local religion and values, adding that protecting women's rights stems from a solid and sound understanding. The General Secretary of the Qatar Lawyers Association said that it is imperative to enhance education and raise generations aware of their rights and duties towards others, generations that do not belittle women.
Al Matwaa noted women's prominent accomplishments and their increased presence in fields that used to be exclusively for men, such as was the case with legal professions.
During the first session of the symposium, Legal consultant at NHRC Jamiaa Al Sulaiti highlighted NHRC's work in promoting and protecting women's rights as part of national efforts to empower women. The second sessionsaw Al Jazi Al Ahbabi from the Protection and Social Rehabilitation Centre (AMAN) discuss AMAN's experience in protecting and rehabilitating victims of domestic violence.
