Friday, March 05, 2010

Kuwait's mote


A report on the Kuwait News Agency's website caught my eye,
BRUSSELS, March 5 (KUNA) -- The human rights organisation Amnesty International said here Friday that in the European Union (EU), tens of thousands of women and girls of all ages and social groups suffer multiple forms of violence. "They suffer from sexual abuse and violence, trafficking, and are subject to harmful traditional practices," said Amnesty in a statement to mark the International women's day which falls on Monday, March 8.
Which is interesting, given what Freedom House say about the state of womens rights in Kuwait,
While domestic violence is a concern in Kuwait, the lack of comprehensive data and research on this issue makes it difficult to assess the severity of the problem. No known NGO or government office efficiently works to collect such statistics. The scarcity of analyzed data on domestic violence in Kuwait is partly due to the social belief that this issue is a family affair. Victims of abuse are often reluctant to file complaints with the police due to fear and shame, and little effort has gone into providing assistance or protection to the victims. There are no laws against domestic violence, and there are no shelters, support centers, or free legal services to aid female victims.

Rape and sexual assault outside marriage tend to receive more attention from the police and the press than incidents of domestic violence. There have been reports of the physical abuse of female detainees under police custody, but no monitoring mechanism is in place to record such violations on a regular basis. By law, anyone found guilty of sexual violence and/or rape may receive a jail sentence or the death penalty, depending on the severity of the case.
Which suggests that their crowing about problem is a little premature. And I wonder who or what Amnesty are talking about when they talk about, "harmful traditional practices".

What practices?

Whose traditions?

1 comment:

DistantMan said...

I happen to know people living in Kuwait. Incidentally they are all abused by the father of their household. The fathers brother does the same. And the people I know claim that the problem is extremely common in their area of Kuwait. I don't know about 'practices and traditions' but I do know that the male population of Kuwait have an attitude problem (personal experience).
The problem seems, from my perspective, so rife that it's sickening. I do worry about Kuwait's society. And, I will soon be living there for a year, so I am right to worry. Lucky for me though, I am male, and I have decent values, and respect for women. So I won't add to the problem...
When I was last in Kuwait I almost snapped at a bunch of teenagers for leering at my wife. Never before have I had so much abuse from teenagers, and after living in Chav-infested estates, I was suprised.
-DistantMan

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