( CNN ) -- For more than a year , rights groups have criticized Bahrain for its crackdown on anti-government protests . The protests , which began in February 2011 , were spurred by the popular uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt but have failed to gain the traction of the other Arab Spring uprisings . Lamees Dhaif , a journalist and activist , shares her thoughts on what is happening in her home country and its future in this conversation , edited for length and clarity . CNN : What do you think about what happened to Ali Hasan , the 11-year-old boy who was arrested in May for participating in an `` illegal gathering '' and released months later from jail ? Dhaif : I think what happened to Ali Hasan is very tragic . Keeping a minor behind bars for a month is unexplainable . No judiciary system in the world keeps infants jailed for this long without a trial . ... I think that children are being detained frequently now in order to silence protesters . The regime wants to warn protesters that it can do whatever it wants to anyone regardless of his/her age or type of activity the person performs at the time of arrest . ... Ali is not the first minor nor the last . There are still others in jail . CNN : How is this story illustrative of what is happening in Bahrain ? Where do you see the situation in Bahrain going ? Dhaif : The situation in Bahrain is unpredictable and chaotic just like all the arbitrary arrests and fabricated charges . The judiciary system is not independent . The charges are a reflection of what the regime wants to take place on the ground . The charges are politically biased , and in most cases , no solid evidence is present . ... The situation is becoming more and more complicated especially now that activists and human rights defenders who were not arrested earlier are targeted now by the regime . An example is Nabeel Rajab , who is detained for bogus charges . The regime is escalating its revenge from its people amidst the silence of the international community . CNN : Considering the world 's attention on Syria and Egypt as well as other Arab nations that have experienced uprisings , do you think that the world has forgotten about Bahrain ? Dhaif : Bahrain is forgotten now , and it was forgotten when the Arab Spring started , because what is happening in Bahrain is not the result of the regime 's rule only . It is the result of the joint collaboration , interests and political unity of more than one country . Bahrain 's allies ( Great Britain and the United States ) do not want to interfere in what is taking place because Bahrain has been a good ally for them in the region . The Gulf Cooperation Council countries ( which besides Bahrain include Kuwait , Oman , Qatar , Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates ) also can not allow Bahrain to have more democracy and freedom because it will pressure other countries to do the same , and they do not want that . So , basically Bahrain has not been forgotten ... but , in fact , it had been deliberately wiped out from the media coverage for political reasons . CNN : What is next for Bahrain ? What steps can be taken to reach a resolution ? Dhaif : The resolution can not take place unless it comes from the allied countries . The international community can place an embargo on Bahrain to force it to become more democratic and undergo reforms . Bahrain 's economy can not stand on its own . It is highly dependent on imports . If it is threatened in this way , it can not go on . Therefore , the international community has to hold its arms sales at least to Bahrain since that is what the regime uses to kill its people . A resolution will take place if the allies agree to give the regime in Bahrain the right to undergo reforms .
Bahrain has been criticized by its restrictions on protesters . The protests were followed by other Arab Spring protests . One Bahrain activist said the protests have been forgotten by the government .