Manama — Bahrain King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa has approved a Unified Family Law that equates rights of Sunni and Shiite people.

ARIJ published an investigative report by Islam Al-alzaini, entitled “Deferred Life”  that addressed the suffering of thousands of Shiite women in Bahrain courts. Judgments of Ja’fari court were issued according to individual discretion of judges.

Al-alzaini’s report in Bahraini Al-Alyyam Newspaper included statistics from Ja’fari courts show that 11,000 cases of alimony, custody and divorce had accumulated over 10 years. He highlighted how hundreds of children were receiving treatments at social centers due to family conflicts going on for years.

Hala Al-Ansari, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council for Women in Bahrain, praised the role of investigative journalism in bringing about a unified law that will end that situation.

ARIJ has trained more than 1,968 journalists, professors, and students over the last 10 years and helped set up investigative units in Jordan, Tunisia, Palestine, Yemen, Egypt, and Lebanon. ARIJ has overseen the publication of more than 400 investigative reports via Arab and International satellite channels.