There is a noticeable increase in the number of women joining the police training academy as Kuwaiti women are constantly encouraged to participate in all areas of society, according to women Lieutenants at the Support Authority Institute of the Saad Al-Abdullah Academy for Security Sciences.

Historically, only men were allowed to participate in the police force since the establishment of the State of Kuwait.

The first batch of female cadets in Kuwait graduated in March 25, 2009 in an elaborate ceremony attended by His Highness the Amir and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, among other senior statesmen.

Saudi Arabia is planning to bring in a new law to allow women lawyers to argue cases in court for the first time. Justice Minister Mohammed al-Eissa said the law was part of King Abdullah’s plan to develop the legal system.

The law - to be issued “in the coming days” - would allow women to appear in court on family-related cases, including divorce and child custody. At the moment, they can only work behind the scenes in government and court offices.

The new legislation will also allow Saudi women to complete certain procedures without the presence of a witness.

“In accordance with the new law, women will be able to complete their preliminary procedures with notaries by just presenting their IDs,” said Ministry of Justice official Osama al-Mirdas, according to Arab News.

Sources:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/8526862.stm

Abu Dhabi - Times change. And ideas, customs and beliefs do change accordingly. A few years ago, no one would believe that a woman from the conservative society of the UAE would go to watch a football match, let alone play it.

Yet the UAE women’s national football team is now taking part in the West Asian Zone Championship that it is hosting. Teams from Jordan, Palestine, Bahrain, Iran and Kuwait are participating.

The transformation from merely allowing women to watch football matches to actually play did not happen easily. It was the outcome of dedication by the pioneers and an enlightened generation of educated men and women.

Hafsa Al Ulama, Chairwoman of the Women’s Football Committee at the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, was one of the first to fight for the UAE women’s right to practise sports in general and football in particular.

“The start was difficult as expected. We had started playing football at girls’ schools and some of us really loved the game. In 2004, a group of us met at the Abu Dhabi Sports Club and thought of forming a team of seven as we had problems finding more girls to play.” “But our belief in ourselves and our dedication helped us overcome the challenges we faced.”

More than three million Iraqi men have been killed in the Iraq War since 2003, leaving behind nearly 740,000 widows and an inestimable number of children. When suddenly left without a husband, newly widowed women have few resources and very little idea of what to do next.

The same social customs that kept many of them from being educated as young women now prevent them from working as adults, despite the fact that many are in acute economic need.

IWO helps widowed women form a cohesive voice and provides aid to needy women wherever possible, assisting them to become economically independent. As a result, many widows have gained an education, and have been given a voice. Through microloans, they became businesswomen, and many now can support themselves and their children.

Rajaa Khuzai, President of IWO argues that “IWO is empowering and educating widows. Then they too will contribute to repairing Iraq. Iraqi widows cannot be left as silent victims of war; they must be afforded a strong, collective voice, and when they are, they will become instrumental to our country’s recovery.”

Sources:
http://www.imow.org/economica/stories/viewStory?storyId=3659