British Council Kuwait Hosts Lecture to Promote Efforts to Abolish Section 153

Ben Garcia

Kuwait: The British Council’s Kuwait hosted a lecture entitled “Raising our Voices” on Wednesday, giving the Kuwaiti government Article 153 of the Kuwait Criminal Code, which is alleged to justify the honor killings of mothers, daughters, sisters and wives. I asked for it to be abolished. Attendees agreed that Article 153 of the Criminal Code denies one of the most important human rights, the inherent right of women to be considered the right to life.

In the article, “A person who” surprised “a wife in adultery, or” surprised “a daughter, mother, or sister in front of a man, immediately kills her, kills him, or kills them together. It is stated that he will be sentenced to imprisonment. A period not exceeding 3 years, and a fine of 225 KD or less or one of these two penalties. “

The event was attended by Kuwaiti Civil Society, led by Sundus Hussein, a founding member of Abolish 153, Mae Al-Hajjaj, the president of Soroptomist Kuwait, Almaha Almari, a board member of the Women’s Cultural Society, and a founding member of Mudhawis. Leanah Al-Awadhi who acted as a moderator.

Prior to the start of the program, British Council Director Michael Gordon welcomed speakers and guests, including the British Ambassador to Kuwait Belinda Lewis. “The British Council addresses the principles of equality, diversity and inclusion under the law. Equality is defined by gender, ethnicity, disability, religion, socio-economic group, sexual orientation or identity. It means that there is no equal treatment and discrimination based on belonging to a particular possible group, “Gordon said.

Ambassador Lewis remembered how lucky he was to be able to choose what he liked in his life, but over time he not only wanted to be lucky, but he was especially representative. Therefore, I realized that I wanted to be equal to my friends. And the face of her country. “I saw the conditions that accompany a female fatwa who can join the army in Kuwait. It’s a step forward – here’s freedom for women, but the father agrees with it and hijab. There are still factors that govern their lives, such as being able to join the army only when worn. Although the road is long, we build and learn more ideas from each other, equality, diversity and inclusion. We need to keep this conversation going, “she said.

Some achievements

Sundus Hussein has announced several achievements of the Abolish 153 from its founding in 2015 to the present. “We basically want to abolish the law that allows men to be female judges. Initially many, but the concept of honor killings is taboo, the creation of five. There were only members, but we are determined to abolish the law from Kuwait’s criminal law and are doing lobbying activities, “she said.

“We asked many Kuwaitians if they knew about Article 153, but few knew. This law is very discriminatory against women. We are in 2005. I ran for parliament in the year and talked about empowering women, but how can I empower women if there is a law against them? Article 153 is unconstitutional and is unconstitutional. It violates international treaties approved by Kuwait, such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the Convention on Civil and Political Rights. ” Said Hussein.

According to Hussein, this, in addition to ensuring justice, protects families as the foundation of society and promotes the value of equality between men and women in law and public affairs, No. 9, 29 of the Kuwait Constitution. , Violates Article 34. trial. Defendants are not guilty until proved guilty in a court trial providing the guarantees necessary for the State to exercise its right of defense.

“Based on a survey conducted in Kuwait in 2019, one in three women is exposed to violence,” Hussein said, adding that 63 percent of Kuwaiters do not support the law. rice field. But 86% of Kuwaitians don’t even know that the law exists. “We have become active in lobbying to abolish Article 153. We have conducted many community trainings, lectures and workshops. We are social police, defenders. We trained first responders. We believe that if we train and educate many people, they can help us, “she said.

Mae Al-Hajjaj has presented the work of Soroptimist International. She said she has 80,000 members around the world. Soroptimist Kuwait was launched in 2015. “We focus on five key areas related to women’s issues: economic empowerment, health, education, the environment, and the eradication of violence and discrimination against women,” she said. “We are working with Abolish 153. They are one of our main supporters. We hope our world is a better place for women and girls. I. Instead of killing men, we go out to give justice to poor women in a voiceless society, “she said.