Human rights in Kuwait
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Human rights in Kuwait are mixed. Whereas male Kuwaiti nationals enjoy a moderate range of rights, there are severe allegations of human rights abuses among foreign nationals. Kuwait uses the death penalty for serious crimes like murder and drug trafficking.
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[edit] Treaties
Kuwait is a party to several international human rights treaties, including[1]
- International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
- International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
- Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
- Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
- Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery, the Slave Trade, and Institutions and Practices Similar to Slavery
- Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others
- United Nations Convention Against Torture
- Convention on the Rights of the Child
- Convention concerning the Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour
- Convention concerning Forced or Compulsory Labour
- Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention
- Abolition of Forced Labour Convention
- Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention
- Convention against Discrimination in Education
[edit] Foreign nationals
Individuals of foreign descent who live permanently in Kuwait, or bidun, have severely limited rights. Until recently, it was nearly impossible to gain citizenship, and it is still limited. Bidun who fail to gain citizenship or register as foreigners face the threat of deportation. According to a report by Human Rights Watch, "Kuwait severely restricted their rights to leave and return to Kuwait, to marry and found a family, and to work, and their children's rights to education, to be registered immediately after birth, and to acquire a nationality."[2] After the Gulf War of 1990-1991, Kuwait expelled more than 400,000 Palestinian refugees (after the PLO allied itself with Iraq during its invasion of Kuwait). Guest workers also encounter several human rights abuses, and the right to organize a labor union is limited[3].
[edit] Human Trafficking
In June 2007, Kuwait became among the worst offenders in human trafficking according to a report issued by the United States Department of State. The inclusion was due to the Kuwait government's repeated failure to tackle the problem.[4]
[edit] Press
In 2005 Kuwait ranked 85th in the Reporters Without Borders world survey of the freedom of the press[5]. According to the 2004 full report, Kuwait ranks among the most free countries in the Middle East for the press, but there is still widespread self-censorship of local and foreign press, and certain subjects are understood to be taboo.[6]
[edit] References
- ^ University of Minnesota: Human Rights Library: Kuwait accessed 9-8-2006
- ^ Human Rights Watch: Kuwait
- ^ Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000: Trafficking in Persons Report 2007
- ^ Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000: Trafficking in Persons Report 2007:[1]
- ^ Reporters Without Borders: 2005 Annual Worldwide Press Freedom Index accessed 8-8-2006
- ^ Reporters Without Borders:Kuwait: Annual Report 2004
[edit] External links
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