Kuwait: Information on the rights of Muslim women who have been abused by their husbands
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 January 1997 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | KWT25929.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Kuwait: Information on the rights of Muslim women who have been abused by their husbands, 1 January 1997, KWT25929.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ab2f6c.html [accessed 30 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Dealing with the issue of abused women, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1989 refers to the Kuwait government's policy of encouraging respectful treatment of women and adds that Article 160 of the Kuwaiti criminal law of 1960 provides for prison terms for individuals who inflict bodily harm to other people (1990, 1464).
The 1990 to 1995 editions of Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, available at Regional Documentation Centres, provide information on spousal abuse in Kuwait and on the response by police and the courts to complaints received from abused women.
The attached 17 November 1996 Deutsche Presse-Agentur report refers to an organization that helps distressed couples; it also refers to a prevailing view among Kuwaiti women that prevents them from disclosing spousal abuse.
The attached 17 June 1995 AFP report and 12 June 1995 New York Times article provide information on spousal abuse and indicate that the Kuwaiti government was planning to set-up a hotline for abused girls and battered women.
The attached 30 December 1993 Moneyclips article elaborates on social factors that prevent some Kuwaiti abused women from defending their rights against their abusive husbands.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
Agence France Presse (AFP). 17 June 1995. Amani al-Sawi. "Kuwait to Set Up Gulf's First Hotline for Abused Women." (NEXIS)
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1989. 1990. United States Department of State. Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Office.
Deutsche Presse-Agentur. 17 November 1996. BC Cycle. Aisha Fares. "Arranged Marriages 'a Major Cause of Divorce among Kuwaitis'." (NEXIS)
Moneyclips. 30 December 1993. "Kuwaitis 'Broach' Beating of Women." (NEXIS)
The New York Times. 12 June 1995. Final Edition. "Kuwait Plans Hot Line for Abused Women." (NEXIS)
Attachments
Agence France Presse (AFP). 17 June 1995. Amani al-Sawi. "Kuwait to Set Up Gulf's First Hotline for Abused Women." (NEXIS)
Deutsche Presse-Agentur. 17 November 1996. BC Cycle. Aisha Fares. "Arranged Marriages 'a Major Cause of Divorce among Kuwaitis'." (NEXIS)
Moneyclips. 30 December 1993. "Kuwaitis 'Broach' Beating of Women." (NEXIS)
The New York Times. 12 June 1995. Final Edition. "Kuwait Plans Hot Line for Abused Women." (NEXIS)
Additional Sources Consulted
Amnesty International country file (Kuwait). 1990-96.
Asiaweek [Hong Kong]. 1993-96.
Expanding Boundaries: Women's History: Essays on Women in the Third World. 1992.
Fact Sheet on: Gender Violence. 1992.
Human Rights of Women: National and International Perspectives. 1994.
Human Rights Are Women's Rights. 1995.
Keesing's Record of World Events [Cambridge]. 1988-96.
The Middle East [London]. 1993-96.
Middle East International [London]. 1993-96.
Ours by Right: Women's Rights as Human Rights. 1993.
Price of Honor: Muslim Women Lift the Veil of Silence on the Islamic World. 1994.
Sisterhood Is Global. 1994.
Women and the Family in the Middle East: New Voices of Change. 1991.
Women and Gender in Islam. 1992.
The Work of CEDAW: Reports of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW): 1982-85. 1985.
On-line search of news articles.
