Abolish Article 153 Campaign

Beginning in 2015, the 5 founders of the Abolish 153 campaign began lobbying for the abolition of article 153. This law states that any man who surprises his mother, sister, daughter or wife in an unsavory sexual (zinna) act with a man and kills her or him or both will be treated as committing a misdemeanor punishable by a maximum of 3 years jail time and/or a fine of rupees (KD 14). While advocating with local and international actors, the Abolish 153 team realized there was another issue that required their expertise: domestic violence and abuse. The team then began lobbying for government provisioned shelters for survivors of abuse. However as the lobbying continued so did violence behind closed doors, leading to the development of a system consisting of a hotline and temporary shelters to inform, educate, and protect survivors. Across the years and to the present, the exchange of expertise among fellow women's groups regionally has been a priority, to both bolster regional efforts and improve work done here in Kuwait.