GENEVA (18 June 2026) – The Special Rapporteur on
violence against women and girls, Reem Alsalem, today
expressed serious concern over the continued large-scale
withdrawal and revocation of Kuwaiti nationality initiated
in March 2025.
“Nationality withdrawals, have a
devastating and disproportionate consequences on women and
children,” Alsalem said. “To date, over 70,000
individuals have already been affected by the new measures,
including non-Kuwaiti women who have been naturalised
through marriage”.
The policy was reportedly
introduced as a measure to “correct legal errors” in the
naturalisation process, targeting those who obtained
nationality on “fraudulent ground” and those who had
dual nationality, which is not allowed under Kuwait
nationality law. Others had their Kuwaiti nationality
revoked if it was deemed to be in the higher interest of the
State and in accordance with 1959 Nationality Law, the
expert noted.
In practice, the law appears to have
been applied retroactively to individuals that had obtained
nationality lawfully, the Special Rapporteur
said.
Although a national grievances committee was
established by the Government of the State of Kuwait in 2025
to investigate grievances that met specific criteria, it had
not resulted in an effective review of complaints and
reversal of most decisions.
The expert said she was
particularly alarmed that the policy has continued to expand
since her
visit in September 2025. In 2026, nationality
withdrawals continued to affect thousands of people,
including women, who had lawfully acquired nationality. At
the same time, recent amendments to the Kuwaiti Nationality
Law, as per Decree-Law No. 52 of 2026 broadened the grounds
for withdrawal and revocation of nationality, reinforced the
consequences for family members and dependants, and
classified nationality-related decisions as acts of
sovereignty that are not subject to judicial
review.
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“Acquiring Kuwaiti nationality was not
merely a legal formality, it meant a secure and predictable
legal status, full membership in Kuwaiti society, and access
to the full enjoyment of fundamental rights and services,”
Alsalem said.
“For many women and their children,
the loss of Kuwaiti nationality has had devastating
consequences, affecting every aspect of their lives,” she
said, adding that it has stripped them of access to
fundamental rights and services that they previously enjoyed
on an equal basis with other Kuwaiti nationals, while
exposing them to heightened risks of violence,
marginalisation, and economic and social
disempowerment.
“Hundreds of women have become more
financially dependent on spouses or relatives and less able
to escape abusive situations.”
“Many women and
their family members lost access to subsidised housing,
pensions, social insurance, banking services, equal
education and health care opportunities equal to Kuwaiti
nationals,” the expert said. “They also experienced
restrictions on travel and freedom of movement, stress on
maintaining their family unity, difficulties maintaining
businesses and employment, and uncertainty regarding their
legal residency status, resulting in the loss of legal and
financial security, equality, and integration in the fabric
of society.”
The Special Rapporteur noted that the
Government of the State of Kuwait had adopted certain
measures to ease suffering, such as allowing women married
to Kuwaiti nationals who had been stripped of their Kuwaiti
nationality, the ability to travel out of the country using
their Kuwaiti passports over the summer. “They also
offered a one-year grace period to regularise legal and
documentation status with the embassies of the countries of
their former nationality,” she said, stressing that these
special measures were limited to those who could prove they
had initiated the process with their respective embassies
within the first three months. In addition, individuals,
including women, whose Kuwaiti nationality had been
withdrawn, were allowed to recover certain social insurance
contributions and pension-related payments that they had
previously made.
“The shock and disbelief those
affected feel is amplified by the suffering of their
children, who lost rights overnight, are experiencing
serious disruptions to their lives and feel stigmatised and
rejected by the country they love,” the expert said.
“They reported disruptions to their children’s education
and fears of separation and deportation. ”
She urged
authorities to suspend further withdrawals and revocations
of nationality, put in place a comprehensive, independent
and effective review process of all affected cases, and
restore nationality to those who have been arbitrarily and
retroactively deprived of it.
“Kuwait is bound by
its international human rights obligations, including the
principles of equality and non-discrimination and the
prohibition of arbitrary deprivation of nationality,”
Alsalem said.
She also urged the State of Kuwait to
ensure that all future nationality-related decisions are
subject to effective judicial oversight.
*The
experts:
Reem Alsalem is the
Special
Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, its causes
and
consequences
