Kuwait Times

Published Date: October 21, 2009
By Rawan Khalid, Staff Writer

KUWAIT: Kuwaitis from different walks of life welcomed a historic decision ruled by the Constitutional Court yesterday, the country's highest tribunal panel, to grant Kuwaiti women the right to obtain a passport without obtaining the prior consent of their parents, husbands or guardians. The court's decision refutes the Article in the existing Personal Status Law that bans women from getting a passport without the approval of their guardians.

The court's decision was interpreted by a section of people interviewed by the Kuwait Times as a historic victory for Kuwaiti women and women's rights activists. They have been seeking to amend a number of Articles in the law, as many challenged the constitutionality of such articles. Some Kuwaitis surveyed believe that the court sentence serves the interest of Kuwaiti women by putting them on an equal footing with their fellow men.

The court should have ruled on this issue a long time ago as women have already obtained the right to vote and run for office in Parliament. Women constitute half of the society and they should have a say in shaping the country's internal and external policy," 32-year-old Kuwaiti Khalid Ahmed told the Kuwait Times.
He added that it would be unfair for women to assume that they cannot handle the responsibility of getting a passport or to travel abroad on their own and independently from their parents. "So basically I think its natural development that should have taken place before," Khalid lamented.

Mona A., a 22- year-old Kuwaiti woman said, "I think it will be a great thing for all the Kuwaiti women to have the freedom to travel from one place to another, and that issue will equalize women and men in Kuwait." Meanwhile, Fatma Ali, a Kuwaiti woman said the Kuwaiti society should be more open-minded and learn the lessons of other civilizations in the world. "We should not adopt a closed mentality... we must explore the other side of the world," she asserted.

I think this issue will help the Kuwaiti women rely on themselves. What will Kuwaiti women do if she is an orphan. She doesn't have any custodians. What If she is a widow? And she wants to travel on vacation with her children? Should she wait until she got the passport? I am happy with this issue so that Kuwaiti women have the right like the other women all over the world to move from country to country," she expressed.

Speaking on the issue, Huda Mohammad, a Kuwaiti employer at a private firm said that it is obvious that recently there were women in our Parliament. This means that Kuwait is in a developing stage. "Kuwaiti female voters didn't vote for women to reach Parliament just to have fun, but to fight on their behalf for their freedom and to get their rights," she pointed out. She agreed on the fact that women should be able to obtain to passports without permission from their guardians.