Manama: Kuwaiti women married to non-Kuwaitis have been given the right to sponsor their children and their husbands.
The decision, announced by the Interior Minister, marks a huge step forward for Kuwaiti women who have been pushing for years for such rights with the aim of increasing family stability.
Under the former legal arrangements, the sons and daughters of Kuwaiti mothers and foreign fathers had to be sponsored by companies or institutions when they reached 18 years.
Husbands who left their employers were also forced to seek the sponsorship of companies or establishments in order to continue living in Kuwait. Wives could sponsor their husbands under the old system once they reached the age of 60.
The new law applies to the sons and daughters of Kuwaiti women and is not linked to any conditions. However, Kuwaiti women cannot sponsor their husbands if they divorce.
Activists hope that the move will herald more measures to help women gain greater rights, including the possibility for Kuwaiti women married to foreigners to transfer their nationality to their children.
"A first step would be to enable Kuwaiti divorcees and widows to pass on their nationality to their children who have no other option," one activist said.
