Minister of social affairs and labor. Hind Al-Sabeeh

KUWAIT: Minister of Social Affairs and Labor and Minister of State for Development and Planning Hind Al-Subaih said the total social aid paid by the ministry jumped from KD 119 million to KD 260 million in past five years, and that the average aid paid per person varied between KD 559 and 800. Subaih added that the total number of Kuwaiti women married to non- Kuwaitis receiving social aid is 1,255, who received KD 9,000,579, as per Oct statistics. Subaih denied reports which speculated that she made a decision to suspend aid to Kuwaiti women married to non- Kuwaitis except those who had not updated their information.

“According to October statistics, we have 672 Kuwaiti women married to Saudis, 401 married to stateless men, 46 married to Iraqis, 40 married to Syrians, 26 married to Iranians, 13 married to Egyptians, nine married to Yemenis, eight married to Canadians, seven married to Jordanians, four married to Omanis, three married to Lebanese, two married to Liberians, two married to Qataris, two married to Pakistanis, two married to Afghans and individual cases married to an Eritrean, a Chadian, an Emirati, a German, an Australian, a Moroccan, an Indian and a Dane,” she explained, noting that aid for only 94 women was suspended, and that children of these women are not entitled to any aid because they are not Kuwaiti citizens.

By Meshaal Al-Enezi