Official: Kuwait’s political leadership pays attention to women’s issues

Kuwait's political leadership attaches attention to women and backs their issues as well as enhances their role, said a Kuwaiti official Thursday. Maryam Al-Azmi, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs, made the statement during a session held to discuss Kuwait's sixth periodical report on implementing the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, currently held at the United Nations Office in Geneva. The State of Kuwait was among first countries in terms of approving many laws and legislations, and paid special attention to protecting women and supporting their role in society, she said, pointing to the establishment of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs. She elaborated that the organizational structure of the council is coordinating with the relevant ministries to get an integrated plan in family development, provide care and basic services, and work to unify the directions of governmental and voluntary social care for the family, in addition to proposing necessary means to activate the cognitive role of family in preserving environment and supporting adults' education. The council is keen on implementing laws such as children protection law, protection from domestic violence law, she said, referring to the establishment of centers for protection from domestic violence and child protection. She highlighted taking some steps and adopting several legislations to ensure the rights of women suffering from domestic violence. Al-Azmi said the council is working to enhance collaboration with the social development office by organizing various courses and benefiting from the office's expertise in providing psychological and social support of domestic violence cases and following up on treatment even after the end of their shelter. The council is keen on empowering women as it marks International Women's Day and Kuwaiti Women's Day, she indicated, referring to honoring some successful women in various fields on these occasions. The council is seeking to build international and regional partnerships in empowering women, this was shown by cooperation with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) regarding the project of Index Simulator for Policymakers in the Arab Region (ISPAR) to raise Kuwait index relating to women. Source: Kuwait News Agency