World Report 2011 - Human Rights Watch

MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICAKuwaitKuwait’s human rights record drew increased international scrutiny in 2010, asproposed reforms for stateless persons, women’s rights, and domestic workersremained stalled. Freedom of expression deteriorated as the government continuedcriminal prosecutions for libel and slander, and charged at least one individualwith state security crimes for expressing nonviolent political opinions.Discrimination against women continues in nationality, residency, and familylaws, and in their economic rights, though women gained the right to vote andrun for office in 2005.Kuwait continues to exclude the stateless Bidun people from full citizenship,despite their longstanding roots in Kuwaiti territory. The Bidun also face discriminationaccessing education, health care, and employment, as well as violations oftheir right to marry and establish a family because they are not allowed to registerbirths, marriages, or deaths.Kuwait significantly advanced workers’ rights in 2010 through a new private sectorlabor law. Minister of Labor Mohammad al-’Afasi announced in September2010 the government would abolish the sponsorship system in February 2011 andsupervise migrant labor recruitment through a government authority. However thenew law continued to exclude domestic workers, who make up approximatelyone-third of the private sector workforce and face recurring abuses. Labor ministryofficials informed Human Rights Watch that plans for sponsorship reformalso exclude domestic workers.In May 2010, at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Kuwaitpromised to sign the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and toestablish an independent human rights institution based on the Paris Principles.At this writing the government has not made definite progress towards eithermeasure.Women’s and Girls’ RightsKuwait’s nationality law denies Kuwaiti women married to non-Kuwaiti men theright to pass their nationality on to their children and spouses, a right enjoyed byKuwaiti men married to foreign spouses. The law also discriminates against551