This is the fifth in a series of blog posts exploring employment problems in the Arab Gulf states.
Part two: The iniquities of kafala
Part four: Working outside the rules
Part six: Jobs, politics and ethnocracy
THE ARAB Gulf states have long been dependent on...
Blog archive: Kuwait
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23rd February 2014
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19th February 2014For sale of return: A recruitment agent stands with a group of Ethiopian domestic workers as they wait for potential clients at an agency office in the Hawalli district of Kuwait. Women who leave employers and return to recruitment agencies – either as a result of their employer’s decision or...
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17th February 2014This is the second in a series of blog posts exploring employment problems in the Arab Gulf states. Part one: How it began Part two: The iniquities of kafala Part three: Female domestic workers Part four: Working outside the rules Part five: Jobs for citizens? Part six:...
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16th February 2014Employment systems in the Arab Gulf states are increasingly coming under an international spotlight. Following the decision to hold the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, concerns have been raised about the conditions of migrant construction workers preparing for the tournament – an issue that was...
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16th February 2013The acquittal of five Kuwaitis accused of "offending the emir" on Twitter has raised hopes for a more sensible approach to freedom of expression online. Human Rights Watch has called on the Kuwaiti authorities to "take a cue" from the court's decision and end the criminalisation of "...
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2nd December 2012Here are key points (via AFP) from yesterday's parliamentary election in Kuwait. The parliament has 50 seats for elected members, plus six for unelected cabinet ministers. Sunni Islamists down to four seats, from 23 previously. Shia candidates won 15 seats – the largest number ever...
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5th November 2012Despite a government ban on public gatherings of more than 20 people, thousands of Kuwaiti protesters succeeded in blocking the capital's outer ring road briefly before riot police confronted them with stun grenades and teargas yesterday. AFP reports:...
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2nd November 2012Mussallam al-Barrak, a prominent opposition figure in Kuwait, has been released on bail of 10,000 dinars ($35,500) after thousands of protesters marched on the prison where he was being held and police responded with teargas and smoke bombs. Barrack was arrested last Monday on...
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19th November 2011Sixty-two people are now reported to have been arrested in Kuwait following a demonstration on Wednesday in which protesters invaded the parliament building. The emir has called for "stricter measures to confront this chaotic behaviour" and the interior ministry says it will take...
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26th November 2010There's a very strange story going around that Kuwait has banned the use of digital SLR cameras (the sort with interchangeable lenses) in public places, except when used by accredited journalists. Now, I know that Arab governments have a propensity for banning the most unlikely things...
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20th October 2010Following the attack on a privately-owned TV station in Kuwait on Sunday, Reuters reports that two members of the royal family have been called for questioning by the public prosecutor. The station, Scope TV, has accused Sheikh Faisal al-Malik al-Sabah, who is Kuwait's...
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18th October 2010An angry mob stormed a privately-owned television station in Kuwait on Sunday. The group, said to number at least 150, smashed windows and overturned furniture at Scope TV. About 10 people were reportedly injured. The Kuwait Times says the station accused the attackers of...
