Kuwait is becoming one of the hottest places on the planet, and children are paying the price. Every summer feels more dangerous than the last. Temperatures passing 50 degrees, nights that stay unbearably hot, and months of heat stretching from May to November are no longer rare events. Extreme heat in Kuwait can increase or even triple the chance of mortality, according to research. Even if this is concerning on its own, certain groups are considerably more vulnerable than others. Among the most vulnerable are Bidoon (stateless) children, a community already living on the margin, now pushed into bigger risk by the climate crisis.
Heat exposure is not equal. For children across Kuwait, playgrounds stay empty, outdoor activities vanish, and even walking to school becomes harmful. However, for Bidoon children, the risks are far greater. Many Bidoon families live in overcrowded neighbourhoods and poorly insulated homes in areas like Tayma, Sulaibiya, and Ahmadi, which trap heat long after sunset. As Kuwait’s urban heat islands hold onto warmth, these homes give children little relief. Thus, means sleepless nights, dehydration risk, heat stress, and long-term health impacts become part of daily life.
Schools that should protect children do not always offer better conditions in this case. Bidoon students attend a building with a weaker cooling system, fewer shaded spaces, and inadequate infrastructure. During heatwaves, these gaps can turn school from a safe place into another source of exposure.
Nevertheless, the crisis does not end in summer; winter brings its own hardship. Kuwait’s winter, from December to February, may seem mild compared to the summer, but for Bidoon children it is another season or risk. Nighttime temperatures can drop to 0 degrees or lower, with strong northwesterly winds and occasional frost making insulated housing dangerous. Bidoon families live in breezeblock or corrugated iron homes with poor wiring, no heating, and almost no insulation. These fragile structures offer little protection when winter temperatures fall to 5 degrees or lower. Bidoon children are therefore more vulnerable to respiratory infections, cold stress, sleep disturbances, and even hypothermia at home. Due to a lack of healthcare accessibility.
Winter also exposes long-standing inequalities. Due to either the high cost of schooling or the fact that only overcrowded, underfunded institutions will accept them, many Bidoon children are denied access to high-quality education. Girls are particularly vulnerable, often forced out of school and into street vending, leaving them exposed to harsh weather and unsafe conditions.
Summer heatwaves and winter cold are no longer isolated problems; they are part of worsening climate conditions. As reported by ADHRB, Bidoon children already have fewer rights, weaker housing, limited healthcare access, and restricted education options. The effect of climate change hit them far harder than other children in Kuwait.
This matter is not just an environmental crisis; it is a child rights crisis. Every child in Kuwait, stateless or citizen, has the right to health, safe housing, education, and protection from harm. Although climate change is now a threat to all four rights of Bidoon children.
