AFP
Apr 9, 2009
BEIRUT (AFP) — Lebanese women married to foreigners demanded in Beirut on Thursday the right to pass on their nationality to their children, threatening to boycott June elections if they do not get their way.
"You will not have our votes, and next time there will be more of us across Lebanon," the women shouted at a demonstration organised by a branch of the League of Lebanese Women's Rights.
The organisers estimate there are 18,000 such women in the country affected by a law that bars them from passing citizenship to their children.
The measure is widely viewed as an attempt to prevent refugees in Lebanon from getting citizenship.
Thousands of Palestinians fled to Lebanon when Israel was created in 1948, and the country hosts 410,000 of them and their descendants, most of whom live in refugee camps and are denied many basic rights.
Bariha Haraji, a 39-year-old mother of two married to a Palestinian, says she suffers because of the law.
"My husband was born in Lebanon. My children were born in Lebanon. They are Lebanese. They have nothing to do with Palestine, and still they are denied Lebanese citizenship," Haraji told AFP.
Siham Jabbour, 43, says the "government is punishing me because I married a non-Lebanese."
Also a mother of two, whose husband is Georgian, she tells of the hours she spends in offices to renew her children's residency papers.
"I pay my taxes. I work to support my family, and no one gives a damn what we go through every day," she said.
Lebanon heads to the polls on June 7 for a parliamentary election that many say will define the country's future, at least for the next four years.
Showing posts with label nationality law. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nationality law. Show all posts
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Monday, April 6, 2009
Yemen: Parliament ratifies amended Yemeni citizenship law
Written By: Abdul-Aziz Oudah
Article Date: Apr 4, 2009 - 7:03:58 AM
The parliament ratified in it session held on Tuesday a legal article on Yemeni citizenship, the original article item No. 3 of the law No. 6 issued in 1990 over Yemeni citizenship has now been amended to stipulates that any person born to a Yemeni father or mother has the right to hold Yemeni citizenship.
According to the law, any person born in Yemen to a woman has the right to carry Yemeni citizenship and the child’s relation to his/her father does not need to be proved. Indeed anyone born in Yemen to unknown parents is also considered Yemeni and has the right to acquire citizenship.
The law gives the right to any emigrant holding Yemeni citizenship upon departure and continuing to maintain citizenship, to gain the citizenship if he/she so requires even if he/she has a citizenship from another country.
Anyone that has citizenship via their mother and reaches the age of maturity is given the right to choose whether to maintain the Yemeni citizenship or to join that of his/her father.
The parliament’s session, headed by Speaker Yahya Arra’i ratified the law on the bases of the Constitutional and Law Committee’s report. The session was attended by a number of concerned government officials.
Article Date: Apr 4, 2009 - 7:03:58 AM
The parliament ratified in it session held on Tuesday a legal article on Yemeni citizenship, the original article item No. 3 of the law No. 6 issued in 1990 over Yemeni citizenship has now been amended to stipulates that any person born to a Yemeni father or mother has the right to hold Yemeni citizenship.
According to the law, any person born in Yemen to a woman has the right to carry Yemeni citizenship and the child’s relation to his/her father does not need to be proved. Indeed anyone born in Yemen to unknown parents is also considered Yemeni and has the right to acquire citizenship.
The law gives the right to any emigrant holding Yemeni citizenship upon departure and continuing to maintain citizenship, to gain the citizenship if he/she so requires even if he/she has a citizenship from another country.
Anyone that has citizenship via their mother and reaches the age of maturity is given the right to choose whether to maintain the Yemeni citizenship or to join that of his/her father.
The parliament’s session, headed by Speaker Yahya Arra’i ratified the law on the bases of the Constitutional and Law Committee’s report. The session was attended by a number of concerned government officials.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Kuwait: MP proposes naturalizing children of Kuwaiti women
KUWAIT: MP Saleh Ashour on Monday submitted to the National Assembly a draft law that calls for granting children born to Kuwaiti mothers and non-Kuwaiti fathers the Kuwaiti citizenship, in response to calls of gender equality by a relatively large number of woman and human rights activists.
In his bill, Ashour said that children of Kuwaiti women should be granted the right to choose between their mothers'' and fathers'' nationality.
He stressed that Kuwaiti women should be treated equally with men, as the Kuwaiti law automatically grants children born to Kuwaiti fathers citizenship.
The draft law suggests that once a child of a Kuwaiti woman reaches the legal age he/she should be given the right to choose his father''s nationality if they wish so.
In an explanatory memo, which was attached to the bill, Ashour said that Kuwaiti women who are married to nonـKuwaitis and give birth to a child face many problems since their children are considered foreigners as per the nationality of their fathers.
"Such a suffering emerges once these children reach the school age or in the even they require health care or if they were looking for a job.
"Marrying a foreigner is allowed in the Islamic Sharia and Kuwaiti women should not be punished because of such a marriage," the MP added.
The bill amends the Second Article of the Kuwaiti Citizenship Law and cancels a paragraph in the Fifth Article of the same law.
---Al Watan, Herald Tribune
In his bill, Ashour said that children of Kuwaiti women should be granted the right to choose between their mothers'' and fathers'' nationality.
He stressed that Kuwaiti women should be treated equally with men, as the Kuwaiti law automatically grants children born to Kuwaiti fathers citizenship.
The draft law suggests that once a child of a Kuwaiti woman reaches the legal age he/she should be given the right to choose his father''s nationality if they wish so.
In an explanatory memo, which was attached to the bill, Ashour said that Kuwaiti women who are married to nonـKuwaitis and give birth to a child face many problems since their children are considered foreigners as per the nationality of their fathers.
"Such a suffering emerges once these children reach the school age or in the even they require health care or if they were looking for a job.
"Marrying a foreigner is allowed in the Islamic Sharia and Kuwaiti women should not be punished because of such a marriage," the MP added.
The bill amends the Second Article of the Kuwaiti Citizenship Law and cancels a paragraph in the Fifth Article of the same law.
---Al Watan, Herald Tribune
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Bahrain: Move to amend nationality law rejected
A Bahrain parliamentary committee yesterday rejected a proposal to amend the kingdom’s nationality law to give Bahraini women the right to to grant their nationality to their foreign husbands.
The proposal was rejected by parliament’s Foreign Affairs, Defence and National Security Committee with a view to protect women from being exploited by people who might marry them just for the sake of Bahraini passports.
The nationality law that was ratified in the 1960s is opposed by many women activists who alleged that it was discriminatory against women. It gives the right to men to grant their nationality to their children born to foreign wives and foreign wives after five years of marriage, but deprived Bahraini women from doing so.
Many women’s societies joined a campaign calling for the amendments to the law.
“If the amendment is approved it is possible that many foreign men will marry Bahrainis and divorce them soon after getting their passport and that cannot be accepted to protect women from being victims of greedy men,” head of the panel Adel Al Muawda said.
He said the amendment could harm also the children as they would be forced to suffer the negative implications of having divorced parents.
Women Activist and Politician Dr Muneera Fakhro, however, disagreed with Al Muawda and said that if foreign wives could get Bahraini passport, then why it could not be given to foreign men.
-- Khaleej Times
The proposal was rejected by parliament’s Foreign Affairs, Defence and National Security Committee with a view to protect women from being exploited by people who might marry them just for the sake of Bahraini passports.
The nationality law that was ratified in the 1960s is opposed by many women activists who alleged that it was discriminatory against women. It gives the right to men to grant their nationality to their children born to foreign wives and foreign wives after five years of marriage, but deprived Bahraini women from doing so.
Many women’s societies joined a campaign calling for the amendments to the law.
“If the amendment is approved it is possible that many foreign men will marry Bahrainis and divorce them soon after getting their passport and that cannot be accepted to protect women from being victims of greedy men,” head of the panel Adel Al Muawda said.
He said the amendment could harm also the children as they would be forced to suffer the negative implications of having divorced parents.
Women Activist and Politician Dr Muneera Fakhro, however, disagreed with Al Muawda and said that if foreign wives could get Bahraini passport, then why it could not be given to foreign men.
-- Khaleej Times
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)