Dr. Leila Nicolas*
Globally, even though youth rights have a long history that is
longer than commonly known, it was not until the nineties of the twentieth
century that these rights swirled to the surface at global level, most notably
with the 1992 Report of UN Special Rapporteur on Youth and Human Rights. After
that, youth rights became at the center of human rights international law, that
were included in many international treaties specifically the children's rights
convention.
However,
the dilemma that arose
at the international field was the absence of a clearly defined legal
definition of young people. In contrary to the children, who are progressively
treated and understood as a codified concept with a clear legal status, young
people do exist as a legal category, but this category is not clearly defined
and young people continue to be widely perceived as a socio-political concept
with unclear borders and inconsistent interpretations.
For the case of
Bahrain, what was called "Arab Spring" added more challenges and risks
to the Bahraini Young people that have been deprived from basic freedoms
and rights,
added to the pressing global challenges
on the youth all over the world i.e. high levels of unemployment, vulnerable
working conditions and marginalization from the decision-making processes.
Media Reports from the streets of
Bahrain show that many young girls and boys put themselves on the line of fire
each day by going to the streets calling for their rights. They have been
subject to torture, prevented from education and from their basic right to medication as a
punishment for rebellion. Actually, those young girls and boys were not only
speaking for political change, but struggling to achieve their dreams of
citizenship, right of free expression,
human dignity and equality.
Under International law, the
Bahraini government has the obligation to guarantee the human rights of its
citizens, and has a duty to prosecute human rights' abusers especially the
rights of youth. No measures of responsibility and accountability were taken
when a sixteen-year-old boy- which is usually
regarded a minor in terms of rights - has been subjected to defamation and his
image appeared on various internet websites facing charges of "terrorist
attacks". It is a great sign of double standards in Bahrain where the
government treats young people as adults in matters of judicial responsibilities,
in cases of arrest, prison and justice while only granting them the rights of
minors, or offering them no rights at all.
It
is urgent to call for youth rights as a part of human and citizen rights in
Bahrain. It should be one
of the main issues raised in any negotiation or reconciliation process between
the government and the opposition; to highlight current challenges for young people
in accessing their rights, to explore the rationale of binding and non-binding
instruments to ensure that young people can adequately access their basic
freedoms and rights, and to implement the right of youth to freedom from all
forms of violence.
While the globe is enjoying the big step
in the progress of youth rights through the finalization of the Youth
Development Index, the Arab governments have to answer the question whether and
how they want to engage in the youth rights discourse changing the challenges
and risks of youth bulbs in their countries to major advantages.
On 17 December
1999, the United Nations General Assembly declared 12 August be the International
Youth Day. It is important on this day especially to call for the people and
governments of the world to take into consideration the input of the future
generations all over the world and in Bahrain as well. Investing in the future, is the real
investment that may build a new Bahraini State, that may raise up to the
expectations of new generations...it is the wise investment in youth.
Dr. Leila Nicolas is a professor in the
Lebanese University, and an expert in the fields of Humanitarian international
law and international Justice.
