UNITED NATIONS: Kuwait has urged nations of the world to join hands and
overcome snags obstructing efforts aimed at enhancing women status. The state
fully abides by the UN Convention on Discrimination against Women, said Ilaf
Mahmoud Rezouqi, a member of the Kuwaiti delegation taking part in the 66th
session of the United Nations General Assembly, in an address at a meeting of
the UN commission for social, cultural and humanitarian affairs.
Rezouqi, during the commission deliberations on women status promotion, praised
the granting of the Nobel prize to three women activists, two from Liberia and one from Yemen. "This constitutes an indication as to the role of
the women for boosting development," she said.
Shedding some light on Kuwait's experience in this regard, Rezouqi said Kuwait has been keen on implementing the principle of justice
and equality between the two genders. The Kuwaiti Constitution stipulates that
people are equal and must not be subject to discrimination in front of the law,
in terms of duties and rights. It also renounces discrimination on the basis of
gender, race, language or religion.
As to the Kuwaiti woman, she is a first-degree citizen, like men, and her
contributions date back to old times, and not only with the endorsement of
political rights, said Rezouqi in her detail address to the commission.
Elaborating further, she shed light on the hardships the Kuwaiti women had to
tolerate during the old times and their status in the 60s when they started
receiving education. Women societies have also played an effective role for
aiding the females be employed.
During the 1990-1991 Iraqi occupation of Kuwait, many women volunteered to serve at hospitals, smuggle food,
money and arms, through security checkpoints. With time, the status of the
Kuwaiti women significantly improved, and now women serve as ministers,
directors, enjoy political franchise and occupy various senior posts. She also
indicated at several laws that support various women rights. - KUNA