further prevent and reduce the problem of childhood statelessness in the country. This submission has been structured to highlight issues that may be included in the List of Issues by including them in text boxes under each substantive section, and recommendations that may be drawn on for the Committees Concluding Observations by listing them at the very end of the text. The Report of Bahrain to the Committee 4. This submission highlights challenges in the realisation of the right of every child to a nationality in Bahrain, and the increased practice of arbitrarily depriving individuals of their nationality, and the impact this has on their families and children. It will highlight three main issues: the intergenerational nature of statelessness among the Bidoon and Ajam communities, discrimination against women in nationality legislation, and the discriminatory and arbitrary practices of Bahraini authorities in the deprivation of nationality which, coupled with discrimination against mothers, results in children being born without a nationality. 5. The Kingdom of Bahrain’s September 2017 State Report to the Committee reiterated the position it articulated at its previous review that an amendment addressing gender discrimination in the nationality law is currently pending before the legislature. The State report also mentioned that Law No. 35 of 2009 on the treatment of Bahraini women married to foreigners has eased the issue of residence fees, health and education, and some government fees.4 While the co-submitting organisations welcome the proposed amendment of this law, we note that many years have lapsed since this amendment was first proposed, with no concrete reform or visible progress being made. 6. Despite the significant impact on the child’s right to acquire and retain a nationality, and on the enjoyment of other rights, the State Report is silent on both the issue of children of the Bidoon and Ajam communities, and the issue of children of parents who had been arbitrarily deprived of their nationality. Bahrain’s International Legal Obligations 7. The gaps in law and policy that are detailed below, specifically in Bahrain’s current Citizenship Act which was enacted in 1963 and amended in 1981, are in clear violation of the international obligations of Bahrain. This includes Bahrain’s obligations under Articles 7 and 8 of the CRC, Article 9 of the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), (equal rights for women to acquire, change and retain their nationality and to confer their nationality to children and spouses) and Article 24 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which obligates states to ensure each child’s right to a nationality. . CRC/C/BHR/4-7, paragraph 45 ،‫اما فيما يتعلق بقلق اللجنة بالتمييز ضد األطفال المولودين ألم بحرينية وأب غير بحريني في حصولهم على الجنسية البحرينية‬ ‫ كما سبق وأن‬.‫ وهو اآلن رهن المداولة أمام السلطة التشريعية وقت إعداد هذا التقرير‬.‫فقد قُدم مشروع قانون يقضي عند تبنيه أن يحصل األطفال على جنسية أمهم البحرينية‬ ‫ بشأن معاملة ابناء المرأة البحرينية المتزوجة من أجنبي معاملة البحرينيين في كل ما يتعلق برسوم اإلقامة والصحة والتعليم وبعض الرسوم‬2009 ‫ لسنة‬35 ‫صدر قانون رقم‬ .‫الحكومية‬ 4