Kuwait: Anticipated Developments for Bidoon Activists

On 17 July 2023, Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) launched an international campaign advocating for the rights of the ”Bidoon”. Aiming to secure access to essential services in education, healthcare, employment, and freedom of assembly, ADHRB called for the end of the discriminatory practices of Kuwait’s government. In addition, shortly after[…]

Unveiling Exploitation of Migrant Workers in Kuwait

The sponsorship system, also known as the ‘kafala’ system, has been around since the 1950s. It was initially created to control migration into Arab countries. The Kafala system usually defines the relationship between foreign workers and their local sponsors, making them their employers. Under this system, states typically give these employers enough funding permits to[…]

It is time to achieve justice for the “Bidoon” in Kuwait: An international campaign to demand an end to the violations against them

Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) has launched today an international campaign to pressure Kuwait to respect the rights of the “Bidoon” community and put an end to the violations they face in terms of access to basic services in education, healthcare, and employment, as well as freedom of expression and assembly.[…]

Dispatch on Migrant and Domestic Workers in Kuwait

Introduction Tensions between Kuwait and the Philippines have steadily increased in recent years, specifically concerning the circumstances of the 268,000 Filipino migrant and domestic workers (MDWs) in Kuwait. In 2022, remittances from Kuwait to the Philippines amounted to approximately $597 million. Yet the mistreatment, in this case, withholding payments, of Filipino MDWs in Kuwait does[…]

Challenges of being Bidoon in Kuwait

Background Kuwait gained independence in 1961, ceasing to be a British protectorate anymore. Upon this development, one-third of the population was given nationality on the basis of being ‘founding fathers’ while another third were naturalized as citizens. The remaining people were designated as bidoon jinsiya which when translated from Arabic means ‘without nationality’. According to[…]