Kuwait is known for its wealth, hovering around the top five wealthiest countries. Kuwait’s geographic location and access to oil reserves have boasted Kuwait to be one of the highest per capita GDPs globally, at roughly $43,000. However, not all residents within Kuwait enjoy the same privileges as its citizens. As a developing country with a fast-paced, growing market, many people residing in Kuwait have been less fortunate.

Citizens in Kuwait are allowed many freedoms, but not all those who live in Kuwait are citizens. A group of people known as “Bidoon,” short for Bidoon Jinsiya, meaning in Arabic “without nationality.” In Kuwait, this means those of Bidoon descent are stateless and illegal residents of the government. About 110,000 stateless people are living in Kuwait. Many of those who are Bidoon come from generations of Nomad families who were there before Kuwait declared independence in 1961. Some Bidoon didn’t understand the concept of registering for citizenship in 1961.

In the 1980s, a change happened in legislative terms where Bidoon were considered ‘illegal residents’ and lost further rights such as free public health care, education and housing. Others labeled Bidoon are those of families who served in the Gulf War and are from neighboring countries such as Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Syria. The government rejects Bidoon who have tried to gain citizenship.

The Hardship of Being Bidoon

Bidoon individuals face significant hardships due to their stateless status. They lack political rights, access to land, business registration, employment, public health care and public education. Bidoon people experience many hardships as they are technically illegal and have temporary identification cards. These cards are vital as they are necessary for employment. Many Bidoon face the challenge of acquiring a job, resulting in many Bidoon individuals living in poverty compared to Kuwait citizens. From being illegal persons in Kuwait, they have been discriminated against, harassed and exploited. Bidoon people face job discrimination because they are not deemed legal residents; job security and salary are significantly lower.

Education Policy Currently in Kuwait for Bidoons

Those of Bidoon descent face many obstacles, such as access to education being a significant prevailing problem. Education is a pillar of Kuwait and its citizens, but in the 1980s, Bidoon children could not attend public schools. Now, Bidoon children struggle to find a private school that most families cannot afford, and these private schools provide a lower quality of education.

Parents must pay up to 30% of the Private school tuition; the state financial assistance covers the rest for Bidoons. Those privileged Bidoons can afford this, but many children end up not going to school and skipping years to save money. Boy children will go more to school than girls as boys’ education is a higher priority and because Bidoon families cannot afford to send all of their children to school.

Journey of Policy Reform

The lack of education is enormous as it impacts their lives daily. Access to quality education would uplift many Bidoon and their children from impoverished lifestyles. The private schools are known to be inferior places of learning — much of the policy reform movement is from the human rights efforts. Having the denial of citizenship creates a loop where they cannot gain proper education because of no citizenship, which inhibits their life further. Policy reform for the Bidoon people would include desegregation of education and allowing Bidoon children to gain an equal public education.

In 2019, the speaker of the Kuwait National Assembly announced a proposed law amendment for Bidoons to gain proper education, medical care and ID papers. Yet, three months after the proposal, the jurisdiction committee denied the new amendment, which would have made non-Kuwaiti citizens eligible for more rights.

Advocating for a new amendment is to help the people and Bidoon children gain a quality education and better their lives from the risk of impoverishment. Prosecution is a reality for protesters who advocate for Bidoon’s rights, as many have been fined or jailed. To end the fight for the Bidoon people, the National Assembly must enforce and uphold the amendment for naturalization rights.

Looking Ahead

Many still need citizenship due to the history of the independence of Kuwait and the movement of other peoples from other countries to Kuwait. Even if generations of these people lived in Kuwait, they must be considered legal citizens with proper documentation. This status of statehood has disproportionately affected their lives and has restricted their access to resources. Bidoon children do not have naturalization rights in practice. The education disparity for Bidoon people is vast as they have no access to public schools, looking towards private schools that require tuition and have worse quality. Advocating will help end this disparity as policy reform for an amendment or the naturalization amendment will help save the Bidoon people from impoverishment.

– Ariana Wauer
Photo: Flickr