Truly Yours April 30, 2008
Posted by jewaira in Kuwait, Life, Women.trackback
At the opening of Saleh Al-Mulla’s campaign quarters a few nights ago, former member of parliament Abdulla Al-Naibari gave a heated speech that touched on several subjects, including women’s rights.
He said that although Kuwaiti women have gained their political rights to elect and be elected, there are still many women’s issues that need to see reforms. Kuwaiti women have been elected or selected to the highest positions (i.e. ambassadorial, ministerial, or educational), they can own and run the biggest businesses, and they can be totally independent economically. But when it comes to doing something as simple as renewing their passports, they need a male guardian.
It sounds ridiculous doesn’t it?
Recently, I went to the passport services department in my area, armed with the family passports and with the intention of renewing them on my own. As soon as the empolyee in the reception saw my folder full of Kuwaiti passports, she asked me who they were for and I said for my husband, children, and myself.
Is the father around? she asked.
In retrospect, I ponder what this means.
If I were divorced, I would not have his passport in my hands to renew now would I?
I did not stop to think but nodded quickly and innocently:
Yes, of course but he asked me to help him finish his paperwork.
She shook her head resolutely:
Absolutely not. There is no way you can renew the family passports. He must do it himself. A copy of his civil ID must be attached to every passport.
(Because we are all his)
Including mine? I asked.
Yes, including yours.
I called to inform my husband that my mission had failed and he was indignant.
How can that be? What do women with no male guardians do?
I don’t know. All I know is that you have to finish the job yourself. Nothing much else I can do here.
This is only one example of the many difficulties that face women in Kuwait and that hamper their independence.
That is unbelievable to me that as an adult female that you would still need permission to do something as simple as that? Makes no sense at all and definately needs to be changed.
That would take my breath away - literally. I would feel suffocated. And the thing about citizenship, too.
That’s messed up : /
Makes you wonder how ANYTHING can happen in this country if the women are kept in restraints.
I am very very very curious to know the story behind these legislations. Who made them? When? Why? How did they even think about gender inequality in passport renewal procedures aslan?
Madre ya3ne!
women still dont get that
btw a divorced women or one with no guardian gets special permission to get her own stuff done. she needs to jump through hoops and get a paper that says she can handle her own being ..
and that is just one issue
there are many many more!
Monday, July 24, 2006
Tunisan Code of Personal Status Law,
Code of Personal Status
In 1956, one of the most revolutionary family law codes in the Arab or Islamic world was proclaimed in the newly independent Tunisian state.
What historical factors explain why Tunisian women won comparatively more legal and social rights than women in Algeria or Morocco?
While the colonial regime in Tunisia was marked by extensive violence and a refusal to properly educate native girls, there did emerge a Tunisian reform movement focusing upon women’s rights by the early 20th century. The reformers called for modern education for all children, changes to religious [i.e., Islamic] laws and traditions judged prejudicial to women, unveiling, and, eventually, the vote.
Movements for modernizing reforms typically attracted the support of middle-class, urban men and women who were tied in one way or another to the nationalist movement. By the inter-war period, Tahar al-Haddad, a Tunisian Muslim reformer, proposed a new reading of women’s rights in Islamic law and campaigned to educate women as national mothers—an entirely new role for Tunisian women demonstrating the influence of nationalist thinking. Finally, the French colonial regime in Tunisia, while repressive, sought to avoid the errors and excesses committed in Algeria.
Tunisian men and women had been obliged to take up arms to fight the French colonial regime to achieve independence but the level of institutionalized violence and social disruption never reached the proportions suffered in Algeria. This allowed nationalist leaders, such as Habib Bourguiba, the first president of Tunisia [1956-1987], to institute far-reaching legal and other types of changes beneficial to women and thus to society as a whole. These were enshrined in the 1956 Code which governed such critical matters as marriage, divorce, inheritance, alimony, child custody and adoption. Polygamy was outlawed as was the husband’s right to repudiation. Since then, inspired by the spirit of the original family code, Tunisian women have seen their right to education and to equal pay for equal work legislated as well.
Source:
Charrad, Mounira. States and Women’s Rights: The Making of Postcolonial Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2001.;
Clancy-Smith, Julia. “Colonialism: 18th to Early 20th Century.” Methodologies, Paradigms and Sources of the 6-volume Encyclopedia of Women and Islamic Cultures, Vol. 1. Edited by Suad Joseph. Leiden: E. J. Brill, 2003.
You have to do a lot of work my dear one, still go on, take your time.
Your independence will be stronger than any rule.
Its really annoying that no real changes have been made for the past two years..
in parliament all they have been doing is blaming ministries for past problems instead of passing laws which help the citizens such as the one mentioned above, and one entitling women with Kuwaiti Citizenships for their children to have Kuwaiti Citizenships. They have so much power yet the issues of women aren’t being addressed.
It should be brought to light those who promised so much yet did nothing, it is really annoying to deal with half these idiots from the parliament did nothing to improve the current services we have.
First thing is increase the working hours of each government entity so we can go to the government branches after 1pm to at least 4 pm.