Freedom House: Kuwait top GCC performer in women's rights, lags behind MENA

KUWAIT: On March 3, 2010, Freedom House, a nonprofit organization headquartered in Washington D.C., released a report entitled "Women''s Rights in the Middle East and North Africa 2010."
According to Freedom House''s recent survey, women in the Middle East and North Africa have made modest progress in achieving certain rights over the past five years despite continuing resistance from the religious and cultural elite.
The report stated that while women in the region suffer from greater inequality than do women elsewhere, they now enjoy more economic opportunity, fewer barriers to education, and expanded ability to participate in the political process than they did five years ago.
In an exclusive interview with Al Watan Daily, Lama Khries, Program Director for Freedom House in the Gulf Region spoke about Freedom House''s initiatives in Kuwait and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. She also spoke about the rights of domestic helpers in Kuwait and the progress made by Kuwaiti women, especially in the political domain.
When was Freedom House established in Kuwait?
Khries: Freedom House was established in Kuwait four years ago. We started working under the umbrella of Women''s Cultural and Social Society. We are funded by the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI).
What have been your major initiatives in Kuwait?
Khries: Freedom House is focused on working on family law especially in Kuwait, and Bahrain. We would like to highlight the personal status law in Bahrain and Kuwait, as it applies to both Shia and Sunni cases. We present the actual laws in place and present amendments that give women more rights and show how these changes are compatible with the Sharia. The theoretical portion of our study of family law in Bahrain and Kuwait has been published and the practical portion is coming out soon.
What have you achieved so far in the region?
Khries: We have been working in Jordan since 2004. We coordinate with civil society to work in coalition and advocate with policy makers and decision makers to amend laws such as personal status law and labor laws. Freedom House established a complaint office to deal with domestic violence issues and discrimination in the workplace. We provided legal aid through small offices in rural areas. A gender equality campaign was launched targeting all sectors of society. A legal literacy booklet was published as well. We are currently working on publishing a legal literacy pamphlet in Kuwait with the help of pro bono lawyers. Articles of personal status law will be selected, restated in simpler language, published and distributed to women from different areas of Kuwait.
In Bahrain, our work is mainly in partnership with the Bahraini Women''s Union (BWU) which has other 12 women organizations under its umbrella, the focus is the Family Law Program which aims at enabling reformers advocate effectively and independently for changes to the legal practices of Bahrain concerning the Family Code and Women''s Rights. During the past three years, we supported the Bahrain Women''s Union to advocate for passing family law in Bahrain using different strategies and targeting different key players. Based on this support, the Sunni part of Family Law was passed early 2009 and is currently being applied in Sunni courts. In addition and although the BWU haven''t succeeded in getting the approval from Shi''a higher authority to pass the Shi''a part of the law, the BWU achieved a great success in bringing more Shi''a people to their side to promote the law. These same people went in demonstrations against the law when it was first submitted by the government years ago and now they strongly support it.
In North Africa we have the New Generation of Advocates regional program that works in several countries to engage strategically with a mix of liberal and independent civil society organizations and individuals who share a common vision for human rights and democratic reform in their countries.
What organizations do you work with in Kuwait?
Khries: We have worked with the Women''s Cultural and Social Society, we also worked with the group law firm, and a group of lawyers specializing in family law who have written about personal status law in various newspapers. We are cooperating with the Kuwait Journalists Association and British Council to run workshop on journalistic ethics. We are also planning to work with the Kuwait Society for the Handicapped.
What is your perspective on the rights of female domestic helpers and laborers?
Khries: Female domestic workers are arguably the most marginalized population in the Gulf region, including Kuwait. Although the government has invested limited efforts to improve their rights by, for example, issuing the law that prohibits employers from withholding their passports, the widespread abuse persists. One of the key problems is that the current labor law does not apply to domestic workers, leaving them without basic protections. Compounding to the problem, many domestic workers do not report when they are grossly mistreated out of fear of losing their job or being deported.
How do you compare women''s rights in Kuwait with women''s rights in the region?
Khries: Kuwait is one of the top performers among the GCC states in terms of women''s rights, but the standards in the Gulf region are quite low. When compared to the entire Middle East and North Africa, Kuwait lags far behind countries such as Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, and Lebanon. According to our study, Kuwait ranks 8th out of 18 countries and territories examined.
Over the last five years, Kuwaiti women have made notable strides in efforts to combat discrimination: they won the right to vote in 2005 and the country''s first four female parliamentarians were elected in 2009. The law that required women to obtain their husband''s permission to get a passport was also overturned last year. However, women in Kuwait face constant threats to their rights by conservative political and societal forces. For example, the 2008 decision to start enforcing the law on segregation at private universities within five years and the ongoing arguments about whether women should be prohibited from playing sports are of great concern.
Do you plan to advocate for affirmative action for women in Kuwait?
Khries: Kuwait has excelled in political participation by women. There are four female parliamentarians which is a substantial number compared to other countries in the region. There is no need for affirmative action in Kuwait. Freedom House is planning to focus on awareness for female voters.