Kuwait

Former MP and First Constituency candidate, Yousef Al-Zalzalah says he will put on top of his priority demands of Kuwaiti women as part of his parliamentary work program when he wins a seat in the Parliament.

In a press statement, Al-Zalzalah said he will nominate himself for a post in the Parliamentary Women and Family Affairs Committee and make the committee’s priority to focus on the women’s social and civil rights law that was rejected by the former government.

“The Kuwaiti woman remains unfairly deprived of leadership positions in the country even though the Constitution has equated between men and women,” said fifth constituency candidate Saleh Mohawish.

Women political activists say they feel proud of Kuwaiti women entering judicial circles following a decision to appoint them in position of Public Prosecutors and judges.
They consider this a victory for women who until lately had been marginalized in a male dominated society, something which contradicted the reality when the Kuwaiti women had reached leadership levels after holding the office of ministers and being elected Members of Parliament in addition to other positions.

The Kuwaiti Parliament unanimously passed a law earlier this week to restrict women's rights by restricting the hours that women are allowed to work. Women will be banned from working between 8:00 pm and 7:00 am with an exception only for women working in the medical profession.
For more information, please visit the Feminist Majority's Website.

None of 27 female candidates who contested the previous general elections in June 2006 was successful, but a number did make an unexpectedly strong showing despite having little time to prepare for the polls.
To read the full article, please visit the Gulf in the Media's Website.

Members of the Kuwaiti Parliament 's Sharia Issues Commission have backed a request by the country's two female ministers to appear in Parliament without the Islamic veil, Kuwaiti daily Al-Seyassah reports. Commission members on Sunday agreed that Islamic law (Sharia) only requires women candidates and MPs to wear the veil, not female ministers, according to Al-Seyassah.
To read the full article, please visit the ADN Kronos Website.

Zikra Al-Rasheedi, a fourth constituency candidate inaugurated her campaign headquarters on Monday evening. She places top priority to the cause of women's rights. Al-Rasheedi dedicated most of her speech to the problems that plague Kuwait women like citizenship for children whose fathers are non-Kuwaitis or bedoon, in addition to improving the social situation and women's rights.
To read the full article, please visit the Kuwait Times Website.