Human rights in Kuwait
Encyclopedia
Human rights in Kuwait are mixed. Kuwait uses the death penalty for crimes like murder
and drug trafficking.
. The inclusion was due to the Kuwait government's repeated failure to tackle the problem. Migrant workers were often subject to poor housing, severe beatings, confiscation of passports, and extremely long hours with little or no wages. Migrant workers were also placed under the sponsor system which puts them under the mercy of their employers restricting their movement which has been widely described as "modern day slavery".
Women's Rights
In June 2007 the National Assembly of Kuwait
unanimously passed a law to restrict the hours that women are allowed to work. The law bars women from working between 8:00 pm and 7:00 am with an exception for women working in the medical profession. Women are also prohibited from jobs that "contravene with public morals" such as prostitution.
world survey of the freedom of the press. According to the 2004 full report, Kuwait ranks among the most free countries in the Middle East for the press, but there is still widespread self-censorship
of local press, and certain subjects are understood to be social taboo.
educator
and former vice-principal of the private Al-Bayan Bilingual Middle School
in the Gulf State Kuwait
, was detained. It stemmed from an incident in which Phillips gave an in-school suspension to three boys for fighting. The father of one of the boys, Fawaz al Marzoug, felt that his son had been improperly treated, moved his children to another school, and threatened Phillips with reprisals. This case in particular had caused widespread concern among US overseas educators.
On June 13, 2007, Phillips was at the Kuwait International Airport
intending to leave the country. She was stopped at immigration
where she was informed that there was a case against her, pending further investigation and that a travel ban had been placed on her 15 months after the incident. Phillips has said, "The parent said that he would make this personal and this seems to be what he is intent upon doing."
The case of Katherine Phillips made headlines in the local and international press after the teacher posted on the Internet
a letter, asking for help. The incident also sparked comment in many blogs, particularly ones dealing with the issues of westerners residing in the middle east, and ones dealing with overseas educators.
The U.S. embassy in Kuwait confirmed in a statement a travel ban had been imposed on her, adding its consular section was in contact with the authorities to help Phillips leave Kuwait
as soon as possible.
On Tuesday, 3 July 2007, due to the efforts of Al Bayan Bilingual School management, Kuwaiti legal counsel and the Kuwait Human Rights Society the situation regarding Phillips was resolved, and she was allowed to leave the country.
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
and drug trafficking.
Treaties
Kuwait is a party to several international human rights treaties, including- International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural RightsInternational Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural RightsThe International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights is a multilateral treaty adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 16, 1966, and in force from January 3, 1976...
- International Covenant on Civil and Political RightsInternational Covenant on Civil and Political RightsThe International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights is a multilateral treaty adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 16, 1966, and in force from March 23, 1976...
- Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial DiscriminationConvention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial DiscriminationThe International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination is a United Nations convention. A second-generation human rights instrument, the Convention commits its members to the elimination of racial discrimination and the promotion of understanding among all races...
- Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against WomenConvention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against WomenThe Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women is an international convention adopted in 1979 by the United Nations General Assembly....
- 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 TortureUnited Nations Convention Against TortureThe United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment is an international human rights instrument, under the review of the United Nations, that aims to prevent torture around the world....
- Convention on the Rights of the ChildConvention on the Rights of the ChildThe United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child is a human rights treaty setting out the civil, political, economic, social, health and cultural rights of children...
- 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 Organise Convention
- Abolition of Forced Labour Convention
- Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention
- Convention against Discrimination in EducationConvention against Discrimination in EducationConvention against Discrimination in Education is a convention adopted by UNESCO in 1960 aiming to combat segregation and discrimination in the field of education. It has entered into force in 1962. There is an additional Protocol Instituting a Conciliation and Good offices Commission, adopted in...
Human Trafficking
In June 2007, Kuwait became among the worst offenders in human trafficking according to a report issued by the United States Department of StateUnited States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
. The inclusion was due to the Kuwait government's repeated failure to tackle the problem. Migrant workers were often subject to poor housing, severe beatings, confiscation of passports, and extremely long hours with little or no wages. Migrant workers were also placed under the sponsor system which puts them under the mercy of their employers restricting their movement which has been widely described as "modern day slavery".
Alcohol
Alcohol is not available in the public market in Kuwait, although it is widely available on the black market. Drinking alcohol in public in Kuwait is illegal.Publicly eating during Ramadan
Eating and drinking in public during daytime in the month ramadan is banned, hence can lead to getting fined by the police and provocatively showing off eating in public can lead to arrest.Women's RightsWomen's rights in KuwaitWomen in Kuwait are considered to be among the most emancipated women in the Gulf region. Women in Kuwait can travel, drive, and work without their fathers' or husbands' consent and they even hold some senior government positions...
In June 2007 the National Assembly of KuwaitNational Assembly of Kuwait
The National Assembly of Kuwait, known as the Majlis Al-Umma , is the legislature of Kuwait. The current speaker of the Assembly is Jassem Al-Kharafi. The Emir unconstitutionally dissolved the National Assembly in 1986 and restored it after the Gulf War in 1992...
unanimously passed a law to restrict the hours that women are allowed to work. The law bars women from working between 8:00 pm and 7:00 am with an exception for women working in the medical profession. Women are also prohibited from jobs that "contravene with public morals" such as prostitution.
Press
In the mid and late 2000's Kuwait ranked 85th in the Reporters Without BordersReporters Without Borders
Reporters Without Borders is a France-based international non-governmental organization that advocates freedom of the press. It was founded in 1985, by Robert Ménard, Rony Brauman and the journalist Jean-Claude Guillebaud. Jean-François Julliard has served as Secretary General since 2008...
world survey of the freedom of the press. According to the 2004 full report, Kuwait ranks among the most free countries in the Middle East for the press, but there is still widespread self-censorship
Self-censorship
Self-censorship is the act of censoring or classifying one's own work , out of fear of, or deference to, the sensibilities of others, without overt pressure from any specific party or institution of authority...
of local press, and certain subjects are understood to be social taboo.
Katherine Phillips detention incident
One noted human rights situation was the incident in which Katherine Phillips, an AmericanUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
educator
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
and former vice-principal of the private Al-Bayan Bilingual Middle School
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
in the Gulf State Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
, was detained. It stemmed from an incident in which Phillips gave an in-school suspension to three boys for fighting. The father of one of the boys, Fawaz al Marzoug, felt that his son had been improperly treated, moved his children to another school, and threatened Phillips with reprisals. This case in particular had caused widespread concern among US overseas educators.
On June 13, 2007, Phillips was at the Kuwait International Airport
Kuwait International Airport
Kuwait International Airport is located in Farwaniyah, Kuwait, south of Kuwait City. It serves as hub for Jazeera Airways and Kuwait Airways. A portion of the airport complex is designated as Al Mubarak Air Base, which contains the headquarters of the Kuwait Air Force, as well as the Kuwait Air...
intending to leave the country. She was stopped at immigration
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
where she was informed that there was a case against her, pending further investigation and that a travel ban had been placed on her 15 months after the incident. Phillips has said, "The parent said that he would make this personal and this seems to be what he is intent upon doing."
The case of Katherine Phillips made headlines in the local and international press after the teacher posted on the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
a letter, asking for help. The incident also sparked comment in many blogs, particularly ones dealing with the issues of westerners residing in the middle east, and ones dealing with overseas educators.
The U.S. embassy in Kuwait confirmed in a statement a travel ban had been imposed on her, adding its consular section was in contact with the authorities to help Phillips leave Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
as soon as possible.
On Tuesday, 3 July 2007, due to the efforts of Al Bayan Bilingual School management, Kuwaiti legal counsel and the Kuwait Human Rights Society the situation regarding Phillips was resolved, and she was allowed to leave the country.
External links
- Censorship in Kuwait - IFEXInternational Freedom of Expression ExchangeThe International Freedom of Expression eXchange , founded in 1992, is a global network of around 90 non-governmental organisations that promotes and defends the right to freedom of expression....
- Kuwait Health - Promoting health reform