Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Prisoners of the Past: Kuwaiti Bidun and the Burden of Statelessness

This is a reprint from American Girl's blog.  Very well written and I support her oppinion whole heartedly.

Prisoners of the Past: Kuwaiti Bidun and the Burden of Statelessness

It’s no secret I’m a supporter of the Bedouns and their case in Kuwait. It’s been ongoing for decades and though many promises have been made, no solutions have been implemented.

Though I’m not a Bedoun and never was, I still feel so much of their pain. I watch my friends live difficult lives only wishing for a ‘chance’. I see so many children not attending school, and so many adults spending their days looking for any kind of work in hopes of providing for their family.

There are some in Kuwait who prefer to deny the Bedoun situation is as bad as it is, and some like to say it doesn’t exist at all — stating they are allowed to work, get an education, travel, etc. Clearly the information they have is limited… or non-existent. I challenge those doubters to spend a day in Taima (Jahra) or Sulaibiya.

Fortunately the Bedouns aren’t forgotten. And as time goes on more and more attention is being brought to their case. On a personal note, I spend a great deal of time communicating with Human Rights organizations, writing articles for American newspapers (about the Bedouns), and interviewing Bedouns for my articles. And I know, without a doubt, I am certainly not the only person who puts forth effort on their behalf. There are many Americans who go far above and beyond what I do in hopes of sharing the voice of the Bedouns and many other Bloggers who have the same level of concern I do (Desert Girl being the first who comes to mind).

People sometimes ask why I care, or why I bother myself… why I care is a very long story… and ‘bothering myself’? It’s not a bother at all. If anything it’s an honor to share the stories of the Bedouns and do my very best to bring attention to their case. These are people who have endured more than most of us and live a life few of us could imagine. I have the utmost respect for all of them.

Two days ago the Human Rights Watch released their most recent report regarding the Bedoun; “Prisoners of the Past: Kuwaiti Bidun and the Burden of Statelessness”. The entire report can be downloaded  HERE  

2 comments:

American Girl said...

Thank you so much for the repost, DG. I know you care just as much as I do and I've always truly respected you for that (amongst other things).

Expat and the City said...

I feel very sad for the Bidun people. I hope that 2011 will be the year that they are granted the basic human rights that most of us take for granted.