Bedoun
Encyclopedia
Bedoun are stateless
persons, from the Arabic bidūn jinsiyya . The term is used mostly in Kuwait
, where the large bedoun population has been a continuing problem, and Bahrain
. Although most of the bedoun are Bedouin
, the two terms have different meanings.
or war
, or those who have settled in Kuwait since 1920 but who have not been recognized by the state. In the 1920s there were no border control between neighboring countries, other people from other countries resided in Kuwait and want a Kuwaiti citizenship. They are not afforded the rights of a full citizen of the country and cannot vote. The children of bidun fathers are themselves considered bidun.
Many of the bedoun in Kuwait, although they may have Bedoin roots, have been urbanized for several generations. A large portion of the Kuwait bedoun were born there, but are not deemed to be authorized citizenship under Kuwaiti law. Some of these are bedoun simply because their male ancestor failed to file for citizenship in 1960 during the relatively brief time-window as Kuwait achieved independence. Given that bedoun are a significant part of the population of Kuwait, the issues of their civil, legal and social rights cause constant stress.
Before 1990, the majority of bidun were Bedouin settlers from the northern Arabian Peninsula
. Following the invasion by Iraqi forces into Kuwait, a third of the 300,000 bidun living in Kuwait before the invasion either fled to Iraq or produce proofs showing their citizenships (mostly Saudi or Syrian). Many Bidun succumbed to the Government's pressure and produce mostly faked passports from other nations to allow them to get a job or simply reside in the county. In the last few years, many Kuwaiti citizens and international organisations criticized Kuwait for its handling of the Bidun issue. Most of the Bidun people are not allowed to work or obtain a drivers license, nor are they allowed to travel as they lack any travel documents. Despite the Government's claims of trying to solve this issue, it has mostly ignored all calls to put an end to the suffering of these people. It granted citizenships to less than 2000 bidun families and failed to ease the restrictions on basic human rights imposed on more than 90,000 persons.
In 2011, Kuwaiti courts ruled for the first time that bedoun are allowed to be issued certificates of birth, marriage and death. Prior to that time bedoun were impeded in seeking education and employment by the lack of such documentation. In 1980s, the Kuwaiti government did issue some administrative documents to bedoun, but the recipients had to identify themselves as illegal residents who claimed to have Kuwaiti relatives.
On February 18th 2011, emboldened by popular uprisings across the Arab world
, hundreds of stateless residents in the province of Al-Jahra took to the streets to demand their rights. They clashed with security forces. Human Rights Watch reported that 120 demonstrators were arrested and approximately 30 others requiring medical treatment.
Statelessness
Statelessness is a legal concept describing the lack of any nationality. It is the absence of a recognized link between an individual and any state....
persons, from the Arabic bidūn jinsiyya . The term is used mostly in Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
, where the large bedoun population has been a continuing problem, and Bahrain
Bahrain
' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...
. Although most of the bedoun are Bedouin
Bedouin
The Bedouin are a part of a predominantly desert-dwelling Arab ethnic group traditionally divided into tribes or clans, known in Arabic as ..-Etymology:...
, the two terms have different meanings.
In Kuwait
Biduns may be people who did not fill in proper citizenship paperwork (perhaps due to illiteracy, xenophobia or ignorance) prior to 1920, have illegally entered these nations to avoid povertyPoverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
or war
War
War is a state of organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and usually high mortality. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political...
, or those who have settled in Kuwait since 1920 but who have not been recognized by the state. In the 1920s there were no border control between neighboring countries, other people from other countries resided in Kuwait and want a Kuwaiti citizenship. They are not afforded the rights of a full citizen of the country and cannot vote. The children of bidun fathers are themselves considered bidun.
Many of the bedoun in Kuwait, although they may have Bedoin roots, have been urbanized for several generations. A large portion of the Kuwait bedoun were born there, but are not deemed to be authorized citizenship under Kuwaiti law. Some of these are bedoun simply because their male ancestor failed to file for citizenship in 1960 during the relatively brief time-window as Kuwait achieved independence. Given that bedoun are a significant part of the population of Kuwait, the issues of their civil, legal and social rights cause constant stress.
Before 1990, the majority of bidun were Bedouin settlers from the northern Arabian Peninsula
Arabian Peninsula
The Arabian Peninsula is a land mass situated north-east of Africa. Also known as Arabia or the Arabian subcontinent, it is the world's largest peninsula and covers 3,237,500 km2...
. Following the invasion by Iraqi forces into Kuwait, a third of the 300,000 bidun living in Kuwait before the invasion either fled to Iraq or produce proofs showing their citizenships (mostly Saudi or Syrian). Many Bidun succumbed to the Government's pressure and produce mostly faked passports from other nations to allow them to get a job or simply reside in the county. In the last few years, many Kuwaiti citizens and international organisations criticized Kuwait for its handling of the Bidun issue. Most of the Bidun people are not allowed to work or obtain a drivers license, nor are they allowed to travel as they lack any travel documents. Despite the Government's claims of trying to solve this issue, it has mostly ignored all calls to put an end to the suffering of these people. It granted citizenships to less than 2000 bidun families and failed to ease the restrictions on basic human rights imposed on more than 90,000 persons.
In 2011, Kuwaiti courts ruled for the first time that bedoun are allowed to be issued certificates of birth, marriage and death. Prior to that time bedoun were impeded in seeking education and employment by the lack of such documentation. In 1980s, the Kuwaiti government did issue some administrative documents to bedoun, but the recipients had to identify themselves as illegal residents who claimed to have Kuwaiti relatives.
Number of bidoon
Although the exact number of bedoun residents was unknown, the Ministry of Planning estimated there were more than 100,000 bedoun in the country at the end of 2006. The government continues to discriminate against the bedoun in areas such as education, employment, medical care, and freedom of movement. Bedoun children may not attend public schools. Although the government accepted bedoun in an increasing number of government positions, it barred bedoun from enlisting in the armed forces. Bedoun generally did not qualify for the subsidized health care that citizens received, and the government also made it difficult for them to obtain official documents necessary for employment or travel, such as birth certificates, civil identification cards, driving licenses, and marriage certificates.On February 18th 2011, emboldened by popular uprisings across the Arab world
2010–2011 Middle East and North Africa protests
The Arab Spring , otherwise known as the Arab Awakening, is a revolutionary wave of demonstrations and protests occurring in the Arab world that began on Saturday, 18 December 2010...
, hundreds of stateless residents in the province of Al-Jahra took to the streets to demand their rights. They clashed with security forces. Human Rights Watch reported that 120 demonstrators were arrested and approximately 30 others requiring medical treatment.
External links
- 1995 HRW Report
- 2000 HRW Report
- Photos from Refugees International
- Refugees International recommendations for bidun reforms
- Article by Kuwaiti Bidoon Human Rights Organization
- Bidoon in U.S. Human Rights Report
- UNHCR on bidoon DNA testing
- Article in UAE's The National
- Comoros story from AFP
- An account from Hasan, a Kuwaiti bidoon
- Report by Refugees International
- Arabic and English bidoon chatroom
- http://repent11.gnn.tv/blogs/23062/The_Curse_Of_The_No_Kuwaiti_Passport
- http://www.refugeesinternational.org/content/article/detail/10143/?mission=10080
- http://www.economist.com/world/international/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10219923
- Human Rights Watch