As a result of repeated accidents caused by children's toys that do not comply with the technical regulations concerned with public safety, whether from children swallowing batteries or small parts, or even injuries due to sharp parts or ends of children's toys, The Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism represented by the Testing and Metrology Directorate "National Standardisation Organisation" in the Kingdom of Bahrain, has recently participated in the research and preparation of specifications and regulations related to children's toys in cooperation with the GCC Standardisation Organisation, as well as the standardisation bodies of member states.
National Standardisation Organisation specialists participated with their counterparts from the standardisation bodies in GCC countries, and in coordination and cooperation from the GCC Standardisation Organisation in preparing a unified GCC technical regulation that includes a set of technical requirements for toys for commercial purposes in the GCC common market.
It is worth noting that the regulation includes a set of technical requirements that economic operators (factory, supplier, trader) are required to fulfil in all stages, starting with the manufacturing stage and reaching the stage of circulation in the GCC markets, as all of these requirements are global requirements issued by the International Standardisation Organisation.
This resulted in the issuance of the GCC Technical Regulation for Children's Toys No. 131704-01BD by the decision of the Board of Directors of the Gulf Standardisation Organisation at its 17th meeting held in Riyadh on May 8, 2013 to be implemented starting January 2014.
This regulation includes control over all children's toys designated for those under 15 years of age and includes toys accompanying food items that were announced and noted by the Ministry on April 1, 2019. This regulation also includes an explanation of the basic requirements that must be met in children's toys, whether in those which are locally produced or those that are imported from abroad to the Kingdom of Bahrain.
For its part, the Testing and Metrology Directorate has carried out in the past several inspection campaigns aimed at verifying the safety and security of the products available in the local markets to ensure the safety and security of children while using this toy. We mention the following inspection campaigns:
| Year | Campaign | Classification | Seized Quantity | Cause of Confiscation |
| 2018 | Lighting balloons | Toys | 5487 | Disconnection of the light bulb and disassembling the battery into sharp and small parts that hurt the child and could be swallowed and may lead to suffocation. |
| | Slimes and toys with loose battery covers. | Toys | 2635 | The possibility of the slime containing harmful chemicals because it does not carry the GCC conformity label, and the possibility of the child swallowing the battery due to the lack of a tight seal on the lid. |
| | Toys that are expandable in water. | Toys | 11053 | Small in size so that the child can swallow it, and then it swells inside the abdomen, and it may require surgery to be removed, and may lead to death in some cases. |
| 2019 | Liquid candy toys | Toys | 6243 | Danger of swallowing or suffocation (due to toys holding small swallowable parts), and negatively affecting behavior (inducing children and young people to smoke). |
| | Toys accompanying food items. | Toys | 97067 | Danger of swallowing and suffocation due to the small size of the toy, its violation of the requirements of the Gulf regulation for children's toys, and the failure to carry the GCC conformity label. |
| 2021 | Children makeup toys. | Toys | 1493 | Test reports from the GCC Health Council states that 12 types of children's play products (makeup set) contain antimony in proportions exceeding the permissible limits, as exposure to high concentrations of this substance for a long time may cause damage, including irritation and sensitivity to the eyes and the area surrounding it, and causes irritation to the lungs. |
The Directorate is currently working to strengthen the control on children's toys, as by the middle of 2021 it will impose more stringent requirements in line with the GCC regulation of children's toys, with the aim of ensuring the safety of children's toys products and the safety of their use, and that these products have undergone many safety tests prior to their import and circulation in the local markets.
The Directorate also clarified that by the beginning of June 2021, it will oblige the merchant/importer to provide the following requirements to allow shipments of toys to enter the Kingdom of Bahrain:
- Providing a GCC model inspection certificate for each model of children's toy products.
- Installing the Gulf tracking code on the game (Gulf Matching Badge + QR Code).
- Providing the importer's declaration of conformity.
Additionally, the Directorate confirmed that it is preparing an integrated strategy to reduce the risk of children's toys that do not comply with safety requirements in the Kingdom and the significant contribution to reducing the percentage of injuries among children because of it.
It is worth noting that the Ministry has held a series of meetings with the suppliers and importers of children's toys in the Kingdom of Bahrain, and they expressed their approval and readiness to raise the level of control over children's toys, which serves citizens and residents.
