Kuwait great advocate for gender equality: Minister

KUWAIT: Kuwait has always been a great advocate for gender equality, Minister of Social Affairs and Labor and Minister of State for Planning and Development Hind Al-Subaih stressed yesterday. She pointed out that women take up 43.4 percent of the workforce market, in comparison to only 24.7 in Arab countries.

Subaih made this remark in a press conference to launch ‘16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women’ awareness campaign in cooperation with United Nation Development Program (UNPD) office in Kuwait. The campaign coincides with “International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women” celebration on November 25. The Kuwaiti legal system protects women against violence and preserves their rights in all realms of life, the minister pointed out.

She added the Gulf country set an example to follow on supporting women, noting that this year women will be empowered even further by supporting their small and medium-sized enterprises to enable women to be part of the country’s economic development.

Women should be encouraged to have more social participation, Subaih added, especially since they were granted their rights to get involved in the political process a year ago. She reiterated the importance of eliminating all forms of violence against women, noting that the UNPD office in Kuwait is ready to work on achieving this goal.