Progress Amid Resistance

226 WOMEN’S RIGHTS IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICAminimizing abuse and discrimination on a wider societal level, the issueof women’s rights is more complex due to the country’s patriarchal cultureand conservative interpretation of Islam.This prompts the question of what women’s rights NGOs should doto preserve the gains to date and advance citizenship rights in the future.There is no single solution to this challenge. One possible strategy is toengage in an open dialogue with the Islamist groups and their supporters,with the goal of reaching a consensus on what constitutes women’scivil rights. Women’s groups may also need to influence the representationof women in the media to highlight the social realities of women’s lives,as well as reenergize their campaign message with new ideas, such as thenotion of social justice, to appeal to a larger segment of society. Finally,they should reach out to other local NGOs both to galvanize support forfemale political candidates and to encourage greater coordination amongsuch candidates during national and local elections.NONDISCRIMINATION AND ACCESS TO JUSTICEOver the past five years, Kuwait has made limited progress in bringingnational laws in line with international standards for nondiscrimination.Until recently, the country lacked an institution devoted specifically tothe enforcement of human rights, instead relying on several independentcommittees within different governmental bodies. In 2005, the Ministryof Justice set up a Human Rights Committee to review and address humanrights violations. Little information is available, however, on the committee’swork or its effectiveness.Although Kuwait’s constitution recognizes the principle of equalityamong its citizens regardless of “race, origin, language, or religion,”it contains no specific protections against gender-based discrimination,and national laws continue to discriminate against women. In a few glaringinstances, such as the Social Security Law (No. 22 of 1987) and theHousing Assistance Law (No. 47 of 1993), Kuwait’s laws and policies stilltreat women as dependents of men rather than individuals with equalrights and responsibilities.Female Kuwaiti citizens remain unable to confer their nationality ontheir children or foreign-born spouses, while Kuwaiti men are permittedto exercise this right. A Kuwaiti woman married to a foreign national cantransfer her nationality to her children only if the father is unknown or has