Human rights in Kuwait
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Human rights in Kuwait derive from the 1961 Constitution of Kuwait as well as a series of international treaties.[1]
Treaties
Kuwait is a party to several international human rights treaties, including[2]
- 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 Organize Convention
- Abolition of Forced Labour Convention
- Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention
- Convention against Discrimination in Education
Migrant workers
Some migrant workers are subjected to conditions of involuntary servitude by employers in Kuwait. The workers were subject to physical and sexual abuse, non-payment of wages, threats, confinement to the home, and withholding of passports to restrict their freedom of movement.[3][4]
Bedoon
There are 100,000 Bedoon in Kuwait. The Bedoon are reportedly stateless people. The Kuwaiti government believes most Bidoon are foreign nationals from neighboring countries. Kuwait considers the Bedoon illegal immigrants.[5]
Women's rights
Kuwaiti women are among the most emancipated women in the Middle East region. In 2014 and 2015, Kuwait was ranked first among Arab countries in the Global Gender Gap Report.[6][7][8] In 2013, 53% of Kuwaiti women participated in the labor force.[9] Kuwaiti women outnumber men in the workforce.
Muslim women in Kuwait are discriminated under the family law. Children born to a Kuwaiti mother and non-Kuwaiti father do not get Kuwaiti citizenship, unless the father is dead, a POW or divorced with the Kuwaiti mother.[10]
Media freedom
According to a 2009 report from the Reporters without Borders, Kuwait is engaged in pervasive Internet filtering and selective filtering in security areas. The primary target of Internet filtering is pornography. The Kuwait Ministry of Communication regulates ISPs, making them block pornography and anti-security websites.[11]
Voice over Internet Protocol is legal in Kuwait.[12]
See also
References
- ↑ "Freedom in the World: Kuwait". Freedom House. 2011. Retrieved 25 June 2012.
- ↑ "Ratification of International Human Rights Treaties - Kuwait". University of Minnesota Human Rights Library. Retrieved 25 June 2012.
- ↑ "Trafficking in Persons Report 2007". U.S. Department of State. 2007. Retrieved 25 June 2012.
- ↑ "2007: Annual Survey of violations of trade union rights". International Trade Union Confederation. 2007. Retrieved 25 June 2012.
- ↑ "BBC Talk Show about Bedoon (29:07)" (in Arabic).
- ↑ "The Global Gender Gap Index 2014 - World Economic Forum". World Economic Forum.
- ↑ "Kuwait highest in closing gender gap: WEF".
- ↑ "Global Gender Gap Index Results in 2015". World Economic Forum.
- ↑ "Kuwait: Selected Issues" (PDF). p. 17.
Kuwait has higher female labor market participation than other GCC countries; further improvements in labor force participation can support future growth prospects. Kuwait’s labor force participation rate for Kuwaiti women (53 percent) is slightly above the world average (51 percent) and much higher than the MENA average (21 percent).
- ↑ ?, ? (10 March 2014). Human rights watch. Kuwait City: ?. p. 2.
- ↑ "Kuwait: State of the media", Menassat
- ↑ "Nokia Networks' Zain Make Kuwait’s First High-definition Voice Call in Live LTE Network". Retrieved 2014-07-26.