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Bedoun (Arabic: بِدون , sometimes bedoon, bidūn, bidoun) are stateless persons, from the Arabic bidūn jinsiyya (Arabic: بدون جنسية, without nationality).[1] The term is used mostly in Kuwait, where the large bedoun population has been a continuing problem,[2] and Bahrain. Although most of the bedoun are Bedouin, the two terms have different meanings.[3][4]
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Biduns may be people who did not fill in proper citizenship paperwork (perhaps due to illiteracy, xenophobia or ignorance) prior to 1920, have illegally entered these nations to avoid poverty or war, or those who have settled in Kuwait since 1920 but who have not been recognized by the state. In the 1920s there were no border control between neighboring countries, other people from other countries resided in Kuwait and want a Kuwaiti citizenship. They are not afforded the rights of a full citizen of the country and cannot vote. The children of bidun fathers are themselves considered bidun.
Many of the bedoun in Kuwait, although they may have Bedoin roots, have been urbanized for several generations. A large portion of the Kuwait bedoun were born there, but are not deemed to be authorized citizenship under Kuwaiti law.[3] Some of these are bedoun simply because their male ancestor failed to file for citizenship in 1960 during the relatively brief time-window[5] as Kuwait achieved independence. Given that bedoun are a significant part of the population of Kuwait, the issues of their civil, legal and social rights cause constant stress.[2]
Before 1990, the majority of bidun were Bedouin settlers from the northern Arabian Peninsula. Following the invasion by Iraqi forces into Kuwait, a third of the 300,000 bidun living in Kuwait before the invasion either fled to Iraq or produce proofs showing their citizenships (mostly Saudi or Syrian). Many Bidun succumbed to the Government's pressure and produce mostly faked passports from other nations to allow them to get a job or simply reside in the county. In the last few years, many Kuwaiti citizens and international organisations criticized Kuwait for its handling of the Bidun issue. Most of the Bidun people are not allowed to work or obtain a drivers license, nor are they allowed to travel as they lack any travel documents. Despite the Government's claims of trying to solve this issue, it has mostly ignored all calls to put an end to the suffering of these people. It granted citizenships to less than 2000 bidun families and failed to ease the restrictions on basic human rights imposed on more than 90,000 persons.
In 2011, Kuwaiti courts ruled for the first time that bedoun are allowed to be issued certificates of birth, marriage and death.[6] Prior to that time bedoun were impeded in seeking education and employment by the lack of such documentation.[7] In 1980s, the Kuwaiti government did issue some administrative documents to bedoun, but the recipients had to identify themselves as illegal residents who claimed to have Kuwaiti relatives.
Although the exact number of bedoun residents was unknown, the Ministry of Planning estimated there were more than 100,000 bedoun in the country at the end of 2006. The government continues to discriminate against the bedoun in areas such as education, employment, medical care, and freedom of movement. Bedoun children may not attend public schools. Although the government accepted bedoun in an increasing number of government positions, it barred bedoun from enlisting in the armed forces. Bedoun generally did not qualify for the subsidized health care that citizens received, and the government also made it difficult for them to obtain official documents necessary for employment or travel, such as birth certificates, civil identification cards, driving licenses, and marriage certificates.
On February 18th 2011, emboldened by popular uprisings across the Arab world, hundreds of stateless residents in the province of Al-Jahra took to the streets to demand their rights. They clashed with security forces. Human Rights Watch reported that 120 demonstrators were arrested and approximately 30 others requiring medical treatment.