Manama: Women empowerment in Kuwait has been given a major boost after the justice ministry accepted applications from women for the position of prosecutors.
Until Sunday, when only men held the privilege of becoming prosecutors and judges, now the new step will also see a woman as a judge.
Half of the women applicants are young law graduates, according to reports, said the Gulf News.
Terming the move as ‘a historic breakthrough’, an applicant said that in the past, after studying law, women had to move to seek other employment instead of being lawyers, which will be changed for the positive in the future.
However, the move has seen strong opposition from several official and civil sides, who claim that it may be religiously motivated. Dismissing the oppositions as baseless, another applicant said that the position requires specific criteria and only those who meet them will be selected.
Although the constitution gives Kuwait women political, social and economic rights, they face an uphill struggle to break through conservative moulds.
Women were able to enter parliament only in 2009 after winning four of the 50 seats in the parliamentary elections. Dhikra Al Rashidi, one of the three women who won seats in the December 1 elections, is minister of social affairs and labour, and Rola Dashti is minister of development and parliament affairs.
(ANI)
First Published: Tuesday, January 15, 2013, 13:35