Kuwait

Victim Assistance

Last updated: 05 May 2017

The State of Kuwait provided assistance to victims of mines/ERW, including free medical care and physiotherapy, education, and financial support, as well as access to social and residency services, transportation services, and prosthesis workshops for survivors.[1] The two mine survivors from Ethiopia in 2016 were taken to intensive care by ambulance because weather conditions prevented a medivac.[2]

Approximately 68% of residents in Kuwait are non-citizens, many of whom are migrant workers from the Indian subcontinent. Societal discrimination against non-citizens is prevalent and occurs in most areas of daily life, including employment, education, housing, and healthcare. In June 2013, the government began segregating public hospital staff as well as treatment times between citizens and non-citizens, reserving mornings for the treatment of citizens exclusively, except in case of non-citizen emergencies.[3]

Kuwait has legislation prohibiting discrimination against persons with disabilities, including those resulting from mines/ERW, in a variety of sectors including education, employment, transportation, healthcare, and access to government services. These provisions were generally enforced, but non-citizens with disabilities did not receive equal access to financial or social assistance.[4]

Kuwait ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) on 22 August 2013.



[1] Amir Moran “Kuwait calls for limiting hazards of remnants of war,” Emirates News Agency, 12 November 2015.

[2] Hanan Al-Saadoun, “Two Ethiopian shepherds injured in landmine explosion,” Kuwait Times, 28 February 2016.

[3] United States Department of State, “2016 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Kuwait,” Washington, DC, 3 March 2017.

[4] Ibid.