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Kuwait grants women right to get passports

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-10-22 02:42

KUWAIT CITY: Kuwait has granted the country 's women the right to obtain passports without the consent of their husbands or guardians, in a move applauded by a female lawmaker as "a victory for the constitution."

The Constitutional Court on Tuesday issued a ruling, abolishing an article in the 1962 passports law that asked women to get the approval of their husbands or guardians before applying for passports, local daily Kuwait Times reported Wednesday.

The ruling said the article breaches a number of regulations in the constitution that guarantee personal freedom.

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Female lawmaker Aseel Al-Awadhi said the ruling has eliminated injustice against women and was a victory for the constitution in the Gulf Arab emirate.

Tuesday's ruling follows the emirate's move in 2005 to grant women the right to vote and compete in elections.

In May this year, the oil-rich country welcomed for the first time in its history four elected women lawmakers to the parliament.