Women's rights in Kuwait

Kuwait Times, Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Nouriya Al-Othman

Human rights are a significant feature for a country to embrace. Many countries have been struggling to achieve women's rights, but not all of them have succeeded. Only recently have women in Muslim countries gained the right to vote. For example, Egyptian women were only enfranchised in 1956, Jordanian women in 1974, and finally Kuwaiti women won the right the vote in 2005.
Women in Kuwait have long been a source of strength in the community, even before this was officially recognised by the government. Although Kuwaiti women have been gaining momentum in society only slowly, their evolution has been an impressive validation of their intelligence and strength. Although Kuwait is considered a developed country, Kuwaiti women have yet to claim their place in political society.
"The late ruler of Kuwait, Sheikh Jaber Al-Sabah, issued a royal decree in June 1999, stating that women should be allowed to vote and run for office in the next election', and yet Kuwaiti women have only recently been given the right to vote after years of struggle.
"The granting of political rights to women marked a turning point in the country, and it has been greeted with mixed reactions here. Many activists and women's rights supporters were elected [to municipal posts]. Muna Al-Fuzai, a local Kuwaiti columnist, says she "finally feels like a full human being."
It is through education that Kuwaiti women are being recognised. There is a very high percentage of Kuwaiti women at university and many more are being educated abroad. The percentage of women in universities is higher than men: hence many Kuwaiti women are being offered scholarships without any discrimination.
With a higher level of education, women have the essential tools to compete with men in the work environment. Kuwaiti women are involved in every field. For example, we have skilled doctors, businesswomen, lawyers, engineers, and women who own land, as well as large, well-known companies. They have proved they are able to participate and challenge men in every field.
Furthermore, educated women have demonstrated that they are more than capable in the political sphere. "At conferences, the Western educated women tend to take a prominent role in discussion of issues, and in some of the leadership positions at the event". The only thing we are missing is our political rights, voting, and representing in our country.
With the power of knowledge women today are stepping up to the challenge in every aspect of Kuwaiti society. The new law helped Kuwaiti women activists to participate. Jenan Boushehri and Khaledah Al-Khader are two of the female candidates who are setting up their campaigns and starting to face the challenges.
Khader spoke at her campaign in a victorious tone, telling reporters and supporters that the elections showed the country and the world the capabilities of local women. "This is the first time Kuwaiti women can show the men that we are capable. It is important that we do our best and leave the outcome of the poll to God"
In addition Rola Dashti, the president of the Kuwaiti Economist Association and a political activist, stated that the day Kuwaiti women got their rights was the day "that we as women felt freedom and defeated ignorance. I believe that today is a historic day for Kuwaiti women. Today we have achieved a victory, a victory for freedom. We have won the battle between freedom and ignorance, terrorism against development, and now Kuwaiti women will have a say in parliament," she says.
Even if some of these women are not elected, they have taken the first step. Their efforts to represent Kuwaiti women put them on the right track for the future. - Al-Qabas

Politics in schools

Kuwait Times, Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Muna Al-Fuzai

A new ministerial decision was issued to prohibit politics is schools. School kids are not allowed to discuss his thoughts and ideas publicly with students or teachers, or even the principle. Schools are also not allowed to invite thinkers or politicians to speak. Those who ignore the ministerial order will be punished. A new slap to those who call for increased democratic participation.
This nonsense will be our subject today. At a time when all the country is calling for reform and an end to corruption, the Ministry of Education is working on a new plan to limit students' reactions to what they confront day and night.
The youth are the largest group in our society. They have been trying to express and practice their civil rights lately, on different crucial subjects such as changing constituencies. Now they have been punished for that.
In the Middle East, calls for reform are usually treated with suspicion by the authorities, and as calls for aggressive public participation and rebellion against the ruling powers. Most governments fear such calls and rush to squeeze any protest until it dies from the public's fear of punishment.
But as we enjoy a limited amount of freedom in Kuwait and every rock and stone in this country is talking about democracy, why not let those youngsters practice their civil rights in schools with their teachers' supervision -- instead of encouraging them to practice it in basements or unknown areas where terrorists may lurk.
I believe that citizens should be able to present their own ideas freely through public channels in their own country.
The suppression of citizens' civil rights is the main reason for violence, which knows no border, and it can actually spread all over the world to other countries. The Middle East must stop this contradiction: If they want democratic participation, they should implement it. But in reality, they don't.
If people are to present their ideas publicly about what they think of this country, then there is no better place than schools. Here the youth can talk with their teachers or schools guests about their fears and worries.
If they are prevented from doing so, this will create anger and lead to terror and violence. This is what most Western countries are confronting now, because of these contradictory policies and the hypocrisy in the Middle East.
Any small spark will lead to destructive public action because those in their ivory towers don't care about others -- they just care about how long they will stay in power. These students are no less than any other human living in this country, and just because they can't vote, this doesn't make them less than others. They should not be ignored under any circumstances. This decision is wrong and must be cancelled immediately.

munaalfuzai@kuwaittimes.net

'Orange Youth' demand reform

Kuwait Times, Tuesday, May 30, 2006

KUWAIT: They have been cursed by their opponents as spoiled children and hailed by their supporters as heroes. They call themselves the voice of Kuwaiti youth, and they have broken their silence. Wearing orange T-shirts and waving orange banners and Kuwaiti flags, hundreds of "frustrated" young people launched their campaign for political reform in a rare protest outside the seat of government on May 5. Since then, they have been branded the "Orange Movement" or the "Orange Youth", with some even calling them the "Orange Revolution".
"We are a group of young people, from school, university and young graduates," one of their leaders, 29-year-old Khaled Al-Fadalah, told AFP as dozens of activists gathered outside the election registration centre. Kuwait is holding early elections on June 29 after HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah dissolved parliament on May 21 after a bitter standoff between pro-government and opposition MPs over electoral reform. Opposition MPs have accused the government of deliberately blocking efforts to stamp out vote-buying by reducing the number of constituencies from 25, an issue that plunged the state into political crisis.
"Our beginning was spontaneous," the US-educated Fadalah said. "We were discussing the political crisis in Kuwait at a restaurant. We said we should act. We decided to hold a protest at the council of ministers." The orange protest began with the sending of SMS text messages. Then, through Internet bloggers and mobile phone calls, they set a date and a time. "Between 400 and 500 people gathered. It was very successful," said Fadalah of the peaceful rally that lasted about three hours.
The protesters and pro-reform MPs blame the election system created some 25 years ago for most of Kuwait's alleged rampant corruption, saying it promotes vote-buying and thus produces some corrupt MPs. They have pressed for the number of constituencies to be slashed to five, saying this would expand electoral districts and make vote-buying very difficult. The colour orange was chosen "for no political reason", according to Nada Al-Mutawa, one of the female activists. "It has nothing to do with Ukraine or Lebanese Christian leader Michel Aoun's movement," she told AFP.
Buoyed by their initial success, the orange activists then staged an overnight vigil outside parliament ahead of the crucial May 15 debate. A number of pro-reform MPs visited them at what later came to be known as the "Square of Will". About 1,000 members of the orange movement and others disrupted the parliament session when the government backed a motion to send the constitutional court its own bill that would trim the number of constituencies to 10. They applauded as 29 opposition MPs walked out of the session, and chanted slogans like "we want it five" and "down with the government" - forcing ministers and pro-government MPs to leave the chamber before completing the vote.
Two days later, the protesters held a large public rally at the same spot, followed on May 19 by another at which opposition MPs pledged to back a request to question Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah. "They branded us as children. Yes, we are. But children who love their country and who are determined to force positive change," activist Abdullah Buftain told thousands at the rally. "We acted out of frustration at widespread corruption in every government institution and at every level," said Fadalah.
On the day parliament was dissolved, veteran opposition former MP Ahmad Al-Saadoun hailed the orange youth "as leaders of the Kuwaiti people who brought all political groups under one umbrella". "In seven days, this group of young activists succeeded in bringing down the government. This week is historic for Kuwait, when the people exercised their right of change," Saadun said. The orange activists and opposition MPs consider that the government has "failed" at a popular level. The activists plan to play a key role in the June 29 parliamentary elections, though no Orange Movement member is standing because they are all under 30, the legal age for candidates.
Outside the election registration centre, the activists have managed to speak to most of the candidates, urging them to support a bill to reduce the number of constituencies to five and to fight corruption. "We will monitor the candidates and we will expose the corrupt ones. We will keep a close watch and we will continue to chase them," said Fadalah. The group is now using the Internet to name candidates it alleges are corrupt or who oppose reform. The orange activists have created two lists for candidates. Their "white list" contains the names of reformists, including the 29 opposition former MPs who have formed a new group called Alliance for Change, while the "black list" names hopefuls they allege are pro-government. - AFP

Al-Hashem decries 'deceitful Bangladeshis'

Kuwait Times, Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Dr Sami Alrabaa

Fouad Al-Hashem appeals in Al-Watan (May 28) to the Minister of the Interior to very carefully screen and scrutinise Bangladeshi workers before they enter Kuwait. "They are notorious for being violent and deceitful; they steal, rape women, and fake documents," Al-Hashem claims. My comment: Poor Bangladeshis! Can one generalise as Al-Hashem is doing? Are Bangladeshis really that bad? Or is it just prejudice, his own experience, or someone else's? Think about it? Who is keeping Kuwait's streets and parks clean day and night? Who is collecting the tons of garbage everyday? Who is keeping public places like ministries, schools, hospitals, universities clean because people throw litter everywhere but not in garbage-bins? It is those poor Bangladeshis-and all that for KD 30, if they ever get the money. I just wonder what would Al-Hashem do if he had to live like a Bangladeshi in Kuwait, if he had to live in a hole that rats would refuse to live in.

Besides, if Al-Hashem checked the records of the Ministry of the Interior, he would certainly find out that Bangladeshis are not more criminal than other expatriates or Kuwaitis. How about those Kuwaitis who suck the blood of their employees? For Al-Hashem's information, the Kuwaiti Municipality gives those cleaning companies per expatriate employee KD 220 a month for keeping Kuwait clean. They give the Bangladeshi a KD 30 and keep the rest, if the Bangladeshi ever gets the money. It is those companies that are deceitful-not the poor Bangladeshis. How about those Kuwaitis who sell visas and iqamas (residencies) to expatriates? Are they honest and do they deliver truthful documents when they are asked about job and salary of those expatriates to be shipped to Kuwait? In Islam, it is haram (sinful) to trade with money; to get interest on loans or bank accounts. It is usury. It is equally haram to trade with people, it is maybe more sinful. Bangladeshis are not criminals. Criminal are those who import them to Kuwait and exploit them.

Candidate gets death threats

Arab Times, Monday, May 29, 2006
Mansour Al-Sultan - Special to the Arab Times

Agencies add: A female candidate contesting the June 29 parliamentary elections withdrew from the fray after she allegedly received murder threats from unidentified sources, says Al-Seyassah. Speaking to the daily, the woman called these persons ‘egoists’. They accused her of betraying and put pressure on her family to ‘abandon’ her if she insisted to join politics in addition to threatening to murder her. The woman said she is ready to disclose the names of those who threatened her if she feels safe and the police promise to protect her.
She added a woman contesting the National Assembly seat neither brings shame to the family not is it a scandal. Moreover it is a question of pride for the family and the state. The woman has apologized to the residents in her constituency for withdrawing from the elections saying she had no other alternative. She also appealed to HH the Amir to protect Kuwaiti women against such oppression and person who want to deprive them of their political rights.

Abuse of workers

Kuwait Times, Monday, May 29, 2006

Muna Al Fuzai

Today I would like to focus on another side of the abuse of workers in Kuwait. Unfortunately, the mistreatment they get is not coming from the government but from contractors, the big bosses with rich engineers who want the job done -- regardless of the consequences. It is not fair -- justice is all they want.

This time our victims are not housemaids but simple workers. All are men and working in the building and road sector, as well as in municipality services. The workers are obliged to accept the situation or lose their jobs. I guess accepting peanuts is better than nothing.

Last year, there was a ministerial decision from the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs to forbid company workers performing any street work during the heat of the day. Although this order was not implemented fully by all companies, some of them actually did and realised that it is really unfair to force those poor workers to be machines or worse than a slave, until he drops dead from heat stroke. What harm would be done if they change their working hours a bit, to the afternoon or evening?

I also blame the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs for not following through on its decision and punishing those who don't follow it. As you can see, the weather in Kuwait is hot most of the year. But in summer it gets worse. The hottest point is from one to four o'clock. If it were up to me, I would say it's pretty hot all day long!

Think of the moment when you are driving your car and you stop at the traffic lights. While you are sitting in your car with its freezing air-conditioning you can see workers digging the road, painting or doing something else. All are exposed to the sun during the peak of the day. I swear there is nothing hotter than this time of the day, especially in summer. But we are not in the real summer yet! Those workers are struggling with the bad weather to make a living.

Those workers are carrying out jobs, which you wouldn't ever think of doing. We still enjoy the benefit of their work, when the roads are done and ready. If you are one of those people who spend all day in bed or in an air-conditioned office, then you may not share what those people suffer from daily. Yet, that doesn't make you free from sharing the responsibility to speak for others' basic rights. You are a member of society and we enjoy the work of those poor men. The big engineers made the plan but the workers execute it.

I believe that no matter what nationality or status these people are, we are still obliged to make their conditions better as long as they work in our county. They are our guests, no matter what. I think the local press and NGOs, such as ladies and human rights societies, should include this subject in their agendas. We all feel the heat sometimes!

munaalfuzai@kuwaittimes.net

Arabian Nights on Kuwait's beaches

Kuwait Times, Monday, May 22, 2006
Muna Al-Fuzai

Today I want to shed light over the humiliation carried out by some sponsors towards their maids. Most of us may pass by this behaviour without giving it any attention.
Most families enjoy the beach these days. They love to take their kids out for a few hours. But what I can't understand is why families do not take into consideration who will take care of the children, while they are swimming, playing or buying ice cream.
I can understand if families took their maids with them to have some fun and spend some time with the family outside. Let's see what a normal housemaid does.
First of all, she is the one who takes the lion share of carrying the family's bags, balls, rugs, food etc. Secondly, she is the one who arranges all of these items according to the madam's orders. Thirdly, she is a full time guard for the children while they are swimming or playing on the beach. Fourthly, participation is compulsory and she should play with them all the time until they are exhausted or need to eat.
Fifthly, she must prepare the food for the children and if the family is kind, they may give her some food to eat, or she have to wait until they finish and give her the leftovers. Finally, when the picnic is over, she is asked to pick up all the family's items again and take them to the car. She makes sure the kids take a bath and washes all their dirty laundry for next trip. What a job!
What the maids wear for these trips is not a concern for these families. Most maids go to the pool and beach with in their kitchen clothes or what ever else she is wearing! I can understand that there are no regulations regarding what clothes to wear to swim in the sea.
But, swimming in public pools is not acceptable without proper swimming clothes.
I can imagine that her clothes might have a lot of germs. Besides, wearing a swimsuit is necessary in case she has her period. I certainly would vomit if I saw some menstrual blood in a public swimming pools, simply because a maid was forced to join a little monster when she is not suitably dressed.
Another daily humiliation practiced by some cruel sponsors involves where a family chooses to sit. The seats are usually limited to two or three people. The lady and her husband sit while the maid is kept standing all the time like the slave, except she is not carrying a fan for her masters. Come on people! This is a scene from the Arabian Nights! What you are doing is shameful and abusive to a poor person, just because she is maid and works for you. What harm can be done if she is given a space to sit or asked to go for a walk on the beach on her own, or what ever she would like to do?
I think this is abuse and those abusers need to wake up. We need awareness campaigns media to shake them from their fantasies of slavery. This is 21st century, and the days of empire are long gone.

munaalfuzai@kuwaittimes.net

Torture complaint being probed;
Indian workers maltreated: Embassy

Arab Times, Monday, May 22, 2006
By Ahmad Al-Shimmari - Special to the Arab Times

KUWAIT CITY : The Ministry of Foreign Affairs acting upon a complaint filed by the Indian Embassy in Kuwait that 60 of its nationals had allegedly been tortured physically and mentally by an unidentified company has requested the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor to open investigations into these allegations. The embassy letter also said the workers had not been paid their monthly salaries, forced to work extra hours without pay and deprived of medical facilities.

A memorandum sent by the Foreign Ministry to the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor also highlighted that a group of Indian workers had earlier demonstrated in front of their mission and submitted a written complaint stating how they had been maltreated by the company management and denied their rights.

Meanwhile, knowledgeable sources said the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor has written to the Assistant Undersecretary of the Interior Ministry to complain transactions completed by the Immigration Department carry forged stamps. The letter also stated that the documents are related to visa extensions and the shape of the stamps on the documents look unfamiliar. In addition to that the name of the employee and the date of extension are not clear.

US envoy counsels Kuwait;

‘Treat expat labour fairly’

Arab Times, Wednesday, May 10, 2006

KUWAIT CITY (AFP): The US ambassador to Kuwait urged the host country on Tuesday to respect the basic rights of two million foreign labourers living here and to treat them with fairness. “All workers, Kuwaiti and expatriate, both in the formal sectors of the economy and in households, need to be treated with fairness,” Richard LeBaron told a symposium. “International commitments need to be accompanied by readily enforceable protections for all who labour in Kuwait, including domestic employees. “Let me be clear: I am not talking about special rights, I am referring to basic rights — to be paid an agreed wage on time, to control one’s passport, to have some means of effective recourse in disputes and to have shelter available when needed,” LeBaron said.

Last year, thousands of Asian workers staged demonstrations against non-payment of salary on time. In one such protest, about 1,000 Bangladeshi cleaners stormed their embassy, causing massive damage. There have also been reports of large cases of abuse against those working in households. The issue of labour rights is also relevant to other Arab states in the Gulf with millions of migrant workers mainly from Asia. A Qatari rights group warned a week ago about the less-than-human working conditions of the expatriate labour force in the gas-rich country. And the United Arab countrys has been urged by international rights groups to reform its labour laws to grant more rights to foreign workers following violent riots on two building sites in booming Dubai over the past two months.

MPs supporting criminals

The Daily Star [Kuwait Edition], Saturday, May 6, 2006

Fouad Al Hashim

I was sick to my stomach and absolutely disgusted when I heard the news about the three stooges - I mean MPs Musallam Al-Barrak, Mohammed Al-Khalifa, and Waleed Al-Jerri - intervening on the behalf of the criminals that were executed last week.
These MPs tried to get in touch with higher authorities attempting to reduce the execution sentences of these people to life imprisonment. And who knows, maybe a year later they will intervene yet again but this time trying to win their release from prison so that these criminals can roam our streets killing, robbing and raping.
The parents and families of the victims, seeing that justice is not being met, will be forced to seek vengence with their own hands, and the law of the Jungle will prevail.
Is this what these MPs want?
One of the executed criminals was accused of raping and murdering a five-year-old child, and another was accused of drug trafficking.
My question is this: why would these 'shameless' MPs intervene on behalf of criminals such as these?
God knows if I were the parent of one of these victims, I would want to strangle these criminals with my own very hands.
I also want to ask these MPs what their reaction would be if the victims of these criminals had been one of their own children? And how would they like if I had intervened on the behalf of the criminals calling for amnesty?
It is a very simple question, but I don't think we'll hear an answer any time soon.

Kuwait, take a hint!

On May 2, Qatar's National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) issued a report in response to the latest one issued by the US State Department. Unlike Kuwait’s usual rebottle of excuses, laws that aren’t enforced, denial and of course the need to protect its reputation at all cost, Qatar’s report was actually defending people’s rights.

Qatar's human rights abuses ‘must be tackled’

The Daily Star [Kuwait Edition], Saturday, May 6, 2006

DOHA: The number of human rights abuses officially reported in Qatar in 2005 was double that of 2004, according to Qatar's Human Rights Report 2005 issued Tuesday.
Illegal arrests and detention without trial, violation of workers' rights and domestic violence topped the list of abuses, said an official at the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) that published the document.
“Cases reported to the Committee have doubled compared to 2004. An increasing number of people are now aware of the existence of this committee and are reporting their grievances, “Saeed Jad Allah, director of legal affairs at NHRC, told Gulf News. Ali bin. Samikh Al-Merri, General Secretary of the Committee, announced the publication of the 56-page report at a press conference.
The withdrawal of 5,000 to 6,000 citizens' nationality was also a major problem in 2005.
"This was solved by the end of 2005 thanks to pressure by the committee on a number of governmental bodies. It has concluded with the promulgation of a decree reinstating nationality to all those who met the necessary requirements," Jad Allah said.
He denounced the prevalence of illegal detention and arrest without trial last year. However, he said cooperation with the Ministry of Interior and the Court of Justice had sped up procedures for the repatriation of expatriates detained without charge or trial.
The NHRC report also included a chapter containing recommendations to higher authorities on how to improve human rights in the country. It urged the ratification of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights adopted by the United Nations in 1966. It also called for the enforcement of measures to protect workers' rights and called for more freedom of expression.
The committee's findings were in line with the latest report on Qatar's Human Rights Practices issued by the US State Department that said although there were improvements in a few areas, serious problems remained.
These included the restriction of the right of citizens to peacefully change their government, restrictions on civil liberties including freedom of speech and press, limited freedom of religion, revocation of citizenship and legal discrimination. - Gulf News

Chinese workers protest

Kuwait Times, Tuesday, May 2, 2006

By Nancy Oteifa
KUWAIT: Around 300 Chinese construction workers held a protest yesterday in front of the Chinese Embassy against salary payment policies and wage rates. "These workers are paid KD 40 per month and their salary is send to their folks in China. They are only left with pocket money. The workers resent the fact that their salary is transferred to China. They want to be paid here," said Consul Hei Yanhai. "Some of them are protesting over the amount of money they get here, because salaries in China are much higher compared to what they take in Kuwait," he added.
Some workers wanted to quit their jobs and return home, while others agreed to stay if they are paid here not in their country. Police surrounded the angry protestors, preventing reporters from speaking to them. The consul was trying to calm down the workers and reach a solution. After more than an hour, the workers where taken by buses back to their worksite.
Protests and demonstrations by poorly-paid and ill-treated manual labourers, mostly Asian, have become a common occurrence in the oil-rich Arab Gulf states. Recent strikes in Dubai prompted the government to arrest and deport dozens of labourers involved in last Wednesday's strike. Last year, hundreds of Bangladeshis stormed their own embassy in Kuwait, protesting working conditions that have been labelled as 'modern day slavery' by local and international human rights activists.

Chinese workers demonstrate

The Daily Star [Kuwait Edition], Tuesday, May 2, 2006

Abdullah AI-Najjar
KUWAIT: Tens of Chinese workers gathered in front of their embassy in Yarmouk on Monday to protest the non-payment of their salaries by their employer for six consecutive months. The workers are affiliated to a local firm that engages in large projects in various areas in the country.
There were nearly 150 workers protesting. Embassy officials contacted security authorities as a precautionary measure to prevent workers from breaking into the embassy's compounds.
Police patrols arrived at the scene with ambulances, in case any of the demonstrators were injured during the protest. An embassy official, who emerged from the building, demanded the workers to nominate someone to speak on their behalf.
Kuwaiti authorities summoned the workers' employer, who promised to pay the salaries as soon as possible.
In June 2005, more than 500 workers stormed the Bangladeshi Embassy in protest of the non-payment of their salaries. The protesters also employed a local company, have been working without wages for several months.
The riots resulted in severely damaging the embassy premises. The protestors stormed the first floor, leaving it completely covered in glass and destroyed furniture.
"We saw the workers gathering quite early in the morning; we expected them to complain or tell us about the problem, but they did nothing of the sort. They just went crazy, breaking and smashing windows," said one source at the embassy. Rioters also managed to damage the third floor by throwing rocks at the windows overlooking the parking lot.
A press statement issued by the embassy confirmed the riots and stated that the workers arrived in 14 buses, and approximately 150 of them entered the building all at once. The embassy's security guards tried to stop them at the gate, but the workers managed to break the gate and marched towards the embassy doors. While some workers carried stones, others were armed with iron rods, sticks and cricket bats.