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there's a will, there's a way. The new values that the government is trying to establish with regards to women's empowerment and child protection are values that the people have always aspired for and human rights defenders have sought.
But mountains are not made out of molehills and the road to gender equality and child protection has never been evident or manifested in past domestic government practices, despite the international endeavors by Kuwait when engaging with the international community and UN bodies, most specifically through the Universal Periodic Review, the non-contractual human rights protection mechanism.
Kuwait signed and ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) on Sept 2, 1994, expressing willingness to create a safe and just atmosphere where women can enjoy the same rights and obligations that men are enjoying in Kuwait. But 28 years later, we still find women struggling to obtain basic rights and be recognized by the laws as an equal being, even for the simplest rights that should be given without the need of advocacy, such as equal housing rights for women, citizenship for her non-Kuwaiti children and equality before the law with regards to educational rights.
According to the sixth periodic report submitted by Kuwait under article 18 of the convention in 2021 and issued to CEDAW, Kuwait stated in point 23: "With regards to abolition of article 29 of act no. 16 (1960), we note that national legislation links the right to physically discipline with limits on discipline. It may only be done for the purposes of educating and may not exceed those limits. In addition, under the Islamic sharia, there are limits to disciplining. It may not cause pain and must not leave any noticeable effects. Anything that goes beyond that is subject to provisions of act no. 16 (1960)".
While there is no way that an angry man who wants to physically discipline a person will not cause abuse or harm, disciplining can never be physical in any way and can never be related to any form of physical abuse.
Moreover, Kuwait signed the Convention on the Rights of the Child on June 7, 1990 and ratified it on Oct 21, 1991. But 31 years later, the child protection hotline does not provide efficient implementation mechanisms to tackle all abuse cases and assist those who are in need.
To dispel any doubts, the ministry of social affairs, women and children is not a new ministry, but was previously the ministry of social affairs. Finally, Rome was not built in a day, and I believe that change requires patience, dedication and action. I pray for the new Cabinet to achieve justice and succeed in accomplishing the desired goals.
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