2015
January -March, 2015
Abolish 153 had completed the Support for Training, Advocacy and Networking for Development program (STAND) is a regional initiative aimed at building the capacity of local civil society through training, funding, and networking opportunities. It was funded by the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI).
March 8th, 2015
Launch of the visual campaign, with the help of 2 local photographers, Nasser Al Ghanim and Nasser Al Humaidi.
May 15th, 2015
Gala for introducing the Abolish article 153 campaign. Ms.Fatin Abu Chakra from KAFA Beirut, was invited to tell us about the experience that they had gone through whilst removing the Honour killing law.
May 16th, 2015
First fundraising art exhibition that was held at the Contemporary Art Platform.
November 4th, 2015
Symposium on Women and Social Change” symposium featured two other female civil society organizations, Weoritu and Soroptimists International Club Kuwait, and Rana Al Husseini.
November 6th, 2015
Meeting with MP Rakan Al Nisf and MP Faisal Alshaya regarding legislation changes for article 153, at the Parliamentary building.
November 7-9th, 2015
Music event at AlHamra mall to commemorate UN international day to end violence against women. The musicians and students were from the Kuwait Teachers college.
November 13-16th, 2015
NGO training for the STAND program in Istanbul, Turkey.
November 29th-3rd December 2015
Event at the Boxhill College for Women, featuring the ‘ Be Strong’ campaign regarding the issues of violence against women in our society and knowledge about article 153.
December 6th, 2015
Meeting with MP Yousef Al Zalzaleh regarding legislation changes for female safety and empowerment at the Parliamentary building
December 15th, 2015
Meeting with MP Khalil Al Saleh regarding legislation changes for female safety and empowerment at the Parliamentary building.
December 29th, 2015
The Abolish team meet with Speaker of the House Mr. Marzouq Al Ghanim regarding how this law affects families in Kuwait
December 29th, 2015
The Abolish members meet with the Minister of Justice Yaqoub Al Sanei and MP Khalil Al Saleh to discuss legal advice around abolishing article 153.
2016
January 9th, 2016
MP Saleh Ashour asked a question on the constitutional of the article 153 to the Minister of Justice.
January 24th, 2106
A lunch invitation at the residence of the US ambassador Douglas Sullivan and wife Catherine to discuss matters regarding the campaign.
February 17th, 2016
meeting at the Kuwait Human Rights society confirming that 153 is against CEDAW, legislation and Sharia law.
March 5th, 2016
Abolish 153 participated in the UN Women’s March ending violence against women in NYC
November 6th, 2015
Organized a film night containing several films that talk about violence against women around the world. This was viewed in Al-Shaheed park with 150 attendees.
April 13th, 2016
Abolish 153 takes part in a civil society networking event hosted by en.v.
April 13th, 2016
UN women representatives at UN house to discuss advocacy, empowerment and the way forward.
April 16th, 2016
Intensive Training course on Gender Based Violence: Advocates, systems and impact. This course was offered to several NGOs and CSOs, at the accura showroom.
April 17th-18th, 2016
Intensive training course on First response, shelter structure, and application development for Abolish 153 members only.
April 28th-May 5th, 2016
Annual fundraising art show which kicked off in Dubai to create coalitions with NGOs in Dubai. Organized by JAMM Art Gallery Dubai.
May 16th-19th, 2016
Annual fundraising art show continues to Kuwait at the FA Gallery.
June 13th, 2016
The Abolish 153 team flies to Bahrain to visit the Women’s crisis care international office in Manama as part of the campaigns regional coalition in fighting violent legislation and capacity building.
September 21st, 2016
Meeting with Kuwait Speaker’s parliamentary affairs and legal team to discuss media, youth, curriculum changes and the fight to end violent legislation.
September 24th, 2016
Abolish 153 and Kuwait Human Rights Society held a joint press conference to announce the findings of the national survey on attitudes to violence against women in Kuwait, presented by Dr. Justin Gengler, Programs director at SESRI, Qatar University.
November 2nd, 2016
Team Abolish 153 attends a workshop on the management and development policies for setting up shelters. Hosted by the wcss.
December 12th, 2016
Team abolish 153 meets with the new US ambassador Lawrence Silverman and his wife Vicky at their residence to discuss the status of the campaign.
December 20th, 2016
Abolish 153 wins the EU Chaillot award for Human Rights in the GCC region.
2017
February 4th, 2017
Conducted a workshop on Gender Based Violence: prevention training in English at the Promenade cultural center, Hawalli.
February 6th-10th, 2017
Conducted a Violence prevention drama workshop and production for the youth.
February 13th, 2017
Met with district 2 representative Rakan Al Nisf in Kuwait’s national parliament to discuss constitutional and parliamentary processes
February 13th, 2017
Abolish 153 had met with MP Safa Alhashem regarding stratergys for the awareness campaign regarding domestic violence and article 153 in the tribal areas of Kuwait. At her parliamentary office.
February 13th, 2017
Abolish 153 had met with the Kuwait’s parliamentary women’s and family committee chair MP Saleh Ashour, MP Safa Alhashem and committee consultant Dr. Rabih Alchaer.
February 18th, 2017
Conducted a workshop on Gender Based Violence: prevention training in Arabic at the Promenade Cultural Center.
February 19th, 2017
Abolish 153 was invited to the American University of Kuwait to give a lecture regarding article 153 by the Project manager and the project officer.
March 8th, 2017
Abolish 153 hosted an evening of poetry and cultural conversations for International Women’s Day, at Al Shaheed park.
March 22nd, 2017
Abolish 153 conducted a lecture about Dispelling sterotypes: women’s rights in the Gulf states, as part of the LSE Kuwait program, at LSE London, UK.
April 6th, 2017
Team Abolish 153 meet with MP Ahmed Al Fadhel, and share campaign objectives.
May 1st, 2017
Met with District 2 MP Omar Al Tabtabaei to introduce our sister NGO Eithar, and the importance of abolishing article 153.
April 15th, 2017
The Abolish 153 team was given a closed workshop on how to improve the team’s policies and procedures for helping abuse victims and survivors.
May 8th, 2017
The presentation of the EU Chaillot Prize for Human Rights for the GCC. The ceremony was attended by all the EU Managing director in the GCC, EU ambassadors, US ambassador, held at Dar Hamad.
May 16th, 2017
Annual Abolish 153 fundraising art exhibition that was held at The Hub gallery.
May 20th, 2017
Hosted a workshop on effective campaigning, implementing political leadership, and grassroots building to increase politically active women. Hosted in Al Shaheed park.
June 20th, 2017
Had a visit from Adel Al Qallaf to discuss Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and future civil society workshops.
District 2 representative Omar Al Tabtabaei had officially adapted the 153 campaign and managed to convince 4 other MPs to sign an official parliamentarian request to abolish article 153 thereby giving urgent status. The National Assembly would reconvene in October.
July 1st, 2017
September 4-5th, 2017
Organized a workshop for the attendees representing Kuwait at the upcoming CEDAW session with Adel Al Qallaf at the American University of Kuwait.
September 14th, 2017
Visited by EU representative Lucia Manrique Escudero, Counsellor for Political Affairs who represents the EU Delegation in the GCC. Lucia presented us with the Chaillot Prize award trophy and spoke to us about future collaborations with other NGOs recognized by the EU.
September 23rd, 2017
Abolish 153 has organized the smartphone application Safecity’s launch, and conducted a discussion on GBV at the Promenade Cultural Center.
September 23rd and 25th, 2017
Organized an English language workshop titled “Inside Outside Advocacy: Political Leadership and Grassroots Advocacy”.
September 24th and 26th, 2017
Organized Arabic language workshop Inside Outside Advocacy. Political leadership and grassroots advocacy.
October 9th, 2017
Abolish 153 meets with the Confederation of Danish Industry representatives which are operating on behalf of EU Trade commission delegation.
October 16th, 2017
Abolish 153 interview for KTV2 interview on the CEDAW convention, the Abolish 153 campaign, @soroptimistkuwait and how civil society in Kuwait can work with both the government and legislators to push for more gender equality.
October 31st, 2017
Abolish 153’s cofounders Sundus Hussein and Amira Behbehani attended CEDAW’s 68th session at the United Nations Headquarters in Geneva, and delivered an oral statement to the Committee.
November 1st, 2017
Abolish 153 is proud to partner with the University of Maryland as Kuwait’s NGO to promote the Women as Partners in Progress (WPP) project.
November 13th, 2017
Abolish 153 participated in the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.
November 14, 2017
Annual Symposium on Violence Against Women titled “Advocacy and Politics – Where Do They Meet?” Featuring MP Omar Al tabtabaei, Dr. Ghanim Al Najjar, Baia Pataraia, Dr. Maha Al Muneef and Sundus Hussein.
December 4-6th, 2017
GBV and self defense training with Lina Khalifeh from “She Fighter” at the Kuwait Sports Club.
December 7-9th, 2017
Abolish 153 participated in Regional Conference: Model Law on Violence against Women & Girls in the Arab Countries, Beirut
December 13th, 2017
Abolish Article 153 participated in Khaleejesque’s Kilmtain platform with a talk titled “Gender Equality through Creative Pursuits” at the Al Sadu House.
December 13-14th, 2017
Abolish 153 represented by cofounder Amira Behbehani joins the coalition of women MPs in a strategy meeting to repeal discriminatory laws towards women & girls in the MENA region. Amman, Jordan.
December 19, 2017
Abolish 153 attends and contributes to the IMAGES (The International Men & Gender Equality Survey) survey on gender based violence organized by UN Women, and the Women’s Research and Studies Center at Kuwait University and the Supreme Council of Development and Planning at UN House.
December 19, 2017
Abolish 153 founder Dr. AlAnoud Al Sharekh releases a study on disciplinary violence with the London School of Economics and Political Sciences.
December 20, 2017
The team launched a call for local artists for an online visual campaign in February Gender Based Violence Prevention and Activism in collaboration with MEPI (The US. Middle East Partnership Initiative).
2018
January 7th, 2018
Met with Ms. Nawal Al Otaibi, trainer and head of Women’s Society in Saudi Arabia to discuss the importance of establishing facilities that allow victims of violence to reintegrate back into society.
January 14th, 2018
The team organized a jewellery design course in collaboration with “Thhaba Jewellery”.
January 21st, 2018
The Abolish 153 team meet with District 2 representative MP Omar Al Tabtabaei who has been instrumental in working on legislation to end violence against women in Kuwait.
January 28th, 2018
Abolish 153 met with the head of the Women and Family Affairs Committee at Kuwait’s National Assembly, MP Safa’ Al Hashem, to discuss pushing domestic violence and sexual harassment legislation in Kuwait.
February 5th, 2018
Abolish 153 launched a call for artists to participate in the 4th annual art exhibition.
February 7th, 2018
Abolish 153 team met up with Rabih Al Chaer in Beirut, a prominent legal consultant and NGO figure who previously held a consultative position at Kuwait’s National Assembly.
March 2nd, 2018
Several members of the Abolish 153 team met with Algerian MP Amirah Al-Salem, from the National Rally of Democracy in Algeria at a dinner hosted by then ex MP Safa’ Al Hashem where they discussed the fight to end violence against women and legislation that protects women against violence in both countries.
March 7th, 2018
Sheikha Al Nafisi, Abolish 153 co-founder, speakers to students at Clark University about Gender-Based Violence in non-Western communities.
March 8th, 2018
Held panel discussion at the Bulgarian Embassy to talk about the organization’s journey, the new suggested domestic violence law and the lobbying process behind it.
March 19th, 2018
Abolish 153 spoke at the International Women’s Day convention and Hackathon organized by Women Techmakers (WTM) and Arabic Women in Computing (ArabWIC).
March 19th, 2018
Co-founder Sheikha Al Nafisi spoke to Al Qabas newspaper about Article 153, how it is discriminatory and how it should be abolished.
March 21st, 2018
The Abolish 153 team met with the Women’s Committee- Kuwait’s Lawyer Association and Eithar to discuss areas of collaboration to collectively fight for the protection of women from violence.
March 24th-26th, 2018 and March 31-April 2nd, 2018
Invited local teachers and professors to join Arabic training on how to cope with students facing domestic violence and identifying signs of abuse in collaboration with Project5miles.
March 25th, 2018
Abolish 153 co-founder Sundus Hussein, Dr. Alanoud Al Sharekh and project manager Shorouq Burhamah participated in the Manara workshop which aims to mobilize civil society organizations and emerging women leaders with the shared goal of enhancing gender equality.
March 27th, 2018
Dr. Al Anoud Al Sharekh discussed Gender and Violence at the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Hamad Bin Khalifa University with the Women’s Society and Development MA students in Doha.
March 28th, 2018
Co-founder Dr. Alanoud Al Sharekh highlighted Abolish 153’s journey, achievements and goals at Pechakucha at Dar Al Athar Al Islamiyya (DIA).
March 29th, 2018
Co-founder Sundus Hussein spoke about the need for domestic violence prevention at the Manara NGO Training.
April 3rd, 2018
Co-founders Amira Behbehani and Sundus Hussein discussed violence against women on 88.4 FM.
April 5th, 2018
Co-founder Amira Behbehani and Project Officer Farah El Souri discussed violence against women and the urgency in creating protection laws and abolishing discriminatory ones on KTV1.
April 11th, 2018
Abolish 153 co-founder Sheikha Al Nafisi and Eithar project manager Nour Al Mukhled conducted an interactive talk with the students of edutechq8.
April 16th, 2018
Abolish 153 co-founder Sundus Hussein and Project Manager Shorouq Burhamah on “Hala Kuwait” on KTV 2 talked about violence against women and lobbying for a change.
April 18th, 2018
The team organized the Abolish 153 annual art show at The Hub gallery where local and international talent was showcased and funds raised to support victims of domestic violence.
April 19th, 2018
Training on Gender-Based violence and lobbying tactics at the Promenade Cultural Center.
April 30th, 2018
Met with the Women, Family, and Child Committee at the Kuwait National Assembly building where the team discussed the next steps in the process of pushing for a law that protects women from all forms of violence.
May 7th, 2018
Co-founder Sheikha Al Nafisi featured in Harper’s Bazaar Arabia where she discussed her journey and how she came to be a human’s and women’s rights activist.
May 8th, 2018
Kuwait’s Lawyer Association and the Abolish team organize a workshop to educate attendees on the various types of violence against women.
May 8-9th, 2018
Aman Shelter invited the Abolish 153 team to a regional conference in UAE where co-founder Amira Behbehani spoke about establishing a law that protects women against domestic violence.
May 10th, 2018
The team attended a knowledge seminar at the University of Maryland to discuss gender issues in Kuwait and shed light on some statistics that drive the Abolish 153 team to continue fighting women’s rights.
June 7th, 2018
The team conducted a talk on Gender based violence and how to prevent it in collaboration with SBSA Club at the American University of Kuwait.
July 30th, 2018
Abolish 153 Co-founder Sundus Hussein was featured on Passions Arabia as the ultimate feminist role model.
September 18th, 2018
Panel discussion with Women’s Committee- Kuwait Lawyers Association at the Promenade Cultural Center. The discussion was on legislation that promote gender equality. Panelists included lawyer Athra’ Al Refai, Ahmed Al Mutawa, Abdullah Al Khonaini and Faisal Al Fuhaid.
October 8th, 2018
Sundus Hussein and Nour Al Mukhled met with Injaz CEO Laila Al Mutairi and senior program executive Fatma Al Matouq to discuss cooperation potential for female empowerment initiatives.
October 11th, 2018
The Abolish 153 team were interviewed by Atyab Al Shatti, a lawyer who is in charge of human rights reports in Al Qabas newspaper and who is the Deputy Secretary General for Kuwait’s Human Rights Society.
October 17th, 2018
The Abolish 153 team took part in the “Joint international Day of the Girl” event with Dr. Fatma Al Salem from Kuwait University Social Sciences College to discuss our joint study on attitudes towards violence against women in Kuwait.
October 22nd, 2018
Launched an in-house training to deal with trauma in gender-based violence survivors for team Abolish 153 by Dr. Lori Davis. This was sponsored by the ASAP Initiative.
The Abolish 153 team met with representatives from the European Union and LOYAC to discuss further avenues of collaboration.
October 25th, 2018
Opening ceremony for the Women in Leadership Conference which ran over the next 3 days at the Social Sciences College of Kuwait University.
October 26th, 2018
Dr. Alanoud Al Sharekh presented on Abolish 153 at the Invest in the Future Forum in Sharjah alongside Nicola Hewitt from the UN, Dr. Tanu Uteng from Norway, and Reem Aslan from Jordan.
WPP participant and lawyer Athra’ Al Refai writes for Al Qabas newspaper discussing the importance of embracing women’s leadership with real political will like fellow GCC countries.
October 29th, 2018
WPP participant Dr. Amar Behbehani was elected to be president of Soroptimists Kuwait.
November 13th, 2018
Abolish 153 was shortlisted for the Global Thinkers Forum 2018 Excellence in Positive Change Award.
November 17th, 2018
Sheikha Al Nafisi and Nour Al Mukhled represented Abolish and Eithar at the UNESCO meeting to discuss a future collaboration on a women’s empowerment project.
November 19th, 2018
First commissioned survey with Dr. Justin Gengler in 2016 published as an academic paper with SAGE publishing and Journal of interpersonal violence.
November 26th, 2018
On the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls, Abolish 153 held a talk at AUK to discuss the latest national survey findings done with Dr. Gengler.
November 27th, 2018
Dr. Lubna Al-Kazi, the director of the women’s research studies center at Kuwait University, held a seminar today on ending violence against women in Kuwait with lawyer Athra’ Al-Refai, Nour Al Mukhled from Eithar, and Sundus Hussein from Abolish 153. They are all participants in the Women as Partners in Progress workshop with the Khalil Gibran Chair for Values and Peace.
December 1st, 2018
The “Be Strong” sports cultural and developmental program included a women’s self-defense training program in conjunction with the UN campaign to End Violence Against Women and Girls around the world. This was supported by Abolish 153.
The report on the national survey on violence against women in Kuwait was presented to district 2 MP Omar Al Tabtabaei by Dr. Alanoud Al Sharekh.
December 12th, 2018
WWP Project Manager Nour Al Mukhled represented women in civil society at TED x Kuwait City
December 19th, 2018
The team met with the Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Knessl alongside other civil society members to discuss ways of collaboration and support.
WPP Project Manager Nour Al Mukhled spoke about domestic violence from the Campaign’s perspective on the “Abaih” podcast.
2019
January 17th, 2019
Co-founder Sheikha Al Nafisi shot a video for Sharaka (KIPCO) about the campaign and the cases of violence survivors.
January 23rd, 2019
Abolish 153 was chosen as a leading organization for women’s rights in the Arab World on the “Pioneers and Leaders” platform.
January 23rd, 2019
Keery Meery, a theater performance highlighting women’s vulnerability in communities, premiered in the amphitheatre in Al Shaheed Park.
January 24th, 2019
Sundus Hussein was interviewed by Bedour Al Mutairi, a Kuwaiti journalist working with BBC Arabia, to discuss the campaign’s latest updates.
February 3rd, 2019
Leadership workshop started as a part of the Women as Partners in Progress Program in collaboration with with the Kalil Gibran Chair for Values and Peace.
February 9th, 2019
Sundus Hussein represented Abolish 153 at the Manara Forum at the Promenade Cultural Center. The Manara coalition hosted a series of discussions that explored the key challenges and opportunities to promote effective change for women in Kuwait.
March 10th, 2019
Dr. Alanoud Al Sharekh and Nour Al Mukhled participated in Zain’s We X International Women’s Day at Zinc.
March 14th, 2019
Sundus Hussein represented Abolish 153 and Eithar’s campaigns at a discussion on women in Kuwait hosted by the World Bank.
March 17th, 2019
The Abolish 153 Team took part in the Women’s Rights in Kuwait co-hosted by Inspirational Hangout at the Soap Box in Promenade Cultural Center.
March 27th, 2019
Sheikha Al Nafisi and Sundus Hussein met with Hana’ Al Hajeri Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour to discuss cooperation on the issue of ending violence against women.
April 10th, 2019
The team organized a Hackathon for Social Good to solve problems facing society inviting participants to find digital communication solutions for domestic violence survivors.
March 30th, 2019
Sheikha Al Nafisi participated in the first training course held on the mechanism of establishing of establishing comprehensive services center for cases of domestic violence in Riyadh.
April 27th 2019
Annual Art Exhibition to fund Abolish 153 at Dar Al Athar Al Islamiya (DAI) in collaboration with Hub Gallery. All the funds raised went to supportive survivors of domestic violence
April 29th, 2019
The team attended a two-day UN Women workshop on the status of women’s safety in Kuwait and brainstormed on the necessary legislative steps to protect women from violence.
May 7th, 2019
The Abolish 153 team met with Ameena Blake and Vicky from Eden which helps Muslim women who are victims of domestic violence to exchange expertise.
August 25th, 2019
The Abolish 153 team joined the Women as Partners in Progress conference in Jordan.
October 11th, 2019
Beethoven and Franck fundraiser concert played by Manuel Druminsky and Harriet Bushman in aid of Abolish 153.
October 20th, 2019
The team met with Rothna Begum from Human Rights to share experience on working with abuse victims.
October 23rd, 2019
Abolish 153 supported Ada Technologies’ first annual Ada Lovelace in the MENA region which was attended by the national fund for small and medium enterprises.
November 25th, 2019
Abolish 153 and Eithar took part in the Passions Arabia event showcasing up and coming local designers. Proceeds went to supporting NGOs.
November 27th, 2019
The Abolish team visited Boxhill College’s “Disrupt Violence” art exhibition.
November 28th, 2019
Sheikha Al Nafisi and Sundus Hussein were awarded the Arab Woman of the Year award on behalf of the Abolish 153 campaign.
Abolish 153 and Eithar project manager Nour Al Mukhled and founder of PH7 Zeina Muqqadim talk about their fundraising collaboration on KTV2.
December 8th, 2019
Project Manager Nour Al-Mukhled took part in the conference on the role of the law and the judiciary in addressing the phenomenon of violence where she talked about the role of Eithar in fighting GBV.
December 15th, 2019
Panel discussion moderated by Dr. Alanoud Al Sharekh at Niu on existing laws concerning medical guardianship
2020
January 2nd, 2020
Abolish collaborated with Abad to launch the Sajilni campaign to help women register and vote in the upcoming elections.
January 7th, 2020
Panel discussion at the Hub moderated by Dr. Alanoud Al-Sharekh inviting Khalifah Al-Ghanim, Nour Al-Mukhled, and Aziz Al-Nasrallah to discuss why every vote counts for the 2020 elections.
January 23rd, 2020
Representing Abolish 153 and Eithar Dr. Alanoud Al-Sharekh visited the National Family Safety Program and call center in Riyadh.
January 24th, 2020
The Eithar volunteer team met with Her Excellency the Minister of Social Affairs Dr. Ghadeer Al-Aseeri to discuss the status of the upcoming domestic violence and abuse shelter.
March 6th, 2020
The Abolish 153 team organized a series of videos for social media highlighting various local community leaders discussing the importance of women’s leadership to celebrate International Women’s Day.
April 20th, 2020
Abolish 153 got support from Ikea, Best Al-Yousifi, Royal pharmacies among others to aid victims of domestic violence.
April 30th, 2020
Abolish 153 collected donations to support displaced victims of domestic violence in cooperation with Either and Soroptimist.
May 9th, 2020
Sundus Hussain participated in the MKS Cares panel to discuss ways to deal with isolation related to Covid-19. Dr. Alanoud Al-Sharekh participated on the 11th of May to discuss self-expression.
May 22nd, 2020
Sundus Hussein joined Manara Kuwait for a virtual talk to discuss the oppressive Law 153 and why it should be abolished.
August 1st, 2020
Abolish 153, Eithar and Soroptimist donated toys to children who come from families exposed to violence and abuse.
August 11th, 2020
Nour Al-Mukhled was interviewed by Gulf News to discuss health rights for women in Kuwait.
August 6th, 2020
Eithar visited National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim to discuss support for the upcoming domestic violence law.
August 19th, 2020
after years of hard work, Abolish 153, Eithar, and Soroptimist were happy to see that the long awaited domestic violence law was finally passed.
September 12th, 2020
Abolish 153’s Co-Founder Amira Behbehani joined Dr. Mariam Al-Awadhi on a virtual talk to discuss the murder of Fatima Al-Ajmi.
September 13th, 2020
Dr. Alanoud Al-Sharekh joined lawyer and district 1 candidate Athraa’ Al-Refai in a virtual talk to discuss the newly appointed domestic violence law.
September 22nd, 2020
Sundus Hussain joined the Lawyers Association virtual talk to discuss family protection laws and legislation.
September 25th, 2020
Lyfe Cycle and Volvo organized a fundraising event where the proceeds went to Abolish 153 to support victims of domestic violence.
October 5th, 2020
Eithar’s Nour Al-Mukhled as well as members of the Abolish 153 team joined Dis:Orient’s women’s activism virtual talk with several panelists from Sudan and Morocco.
October 5th, 2020
KTV2 interviewed Sundus Hussain to discuss the domestic violence law passed by Parliament.
October 6th, 2020
Dr. Alanoud Al-Sharekh joined the Civil Society 20 virtual talk on the realities of female empowerment.
December 31st, 2020
The team along with Khalifa Al-Ghanim meet with 1st District MP Dr Hasan Jawhar at the Kuwait National Assembly building to discuss ending violence against women and abolishing article 153.
2021
January 11th, 2021
Co-founders Sundus Hussain and Sheikha Al-Nafisi along with law student Jumanah Al-Ahmed meet with 3rd District MP Dr Hisham Al-Saleh to discuss abolishing article 153.
January 22nd, 2021
Member Nour Al-Mukhled writes an article titled “Murder Masked with Honour” for the Arab Digest, calling for the need to protect women especially in the face of rising kin-based femicides.
February 6th, 2021
The Economist covers the efforts of the Campaign in Kuwait, quoting member Nour Al-Mukhled.
January 22nd, 2021
Al-Qabas News covers harassment against women in Kuwait in a Feb 10 2021 issue, featuring a contribution from cofounder Sundus Hussain.
February 15th, 2021
In collaboration with the Mariam Al-Awadhi mental health clinic, an Instagram live discussion was held between Dr. Mariam Al-Awadhi and cofounder Amira Behbehani to discuss harassment.
March 1st, 2021
Cofounder Sundus Hussein and Athra’ Al Refai invited to a discussion at Kuwait University’s College of Law to discuss protection from sex-based violence in Kuwait.
March 8th, 2021
Cofounder Sundus Hussein contributes to a conference titled “Women and Family Empowerment” at the National Assembly building on the occasion of International Women’s Day.
March 14th, 2021
Bloomberg covers Kuwait’s anti-harassment movement and the leniency toward harassment in both legislation and social attitudes. Member Nour Al-Mukhled provided a comment regarding Abolish 153’s work.
March 17th, 2021
The Kuwaiti Fire Force visits the Women’s Cultural Social Society to discuss signing a memorandum of understanding which entails empowering working women in the force through workshops, and sharing social media platforms to spread awareness and preventative messaging
March 18th, 2021
The team meets with director and filmmaker Anwar Fayrouz to discuss a future collaboration on a visual project.
April 7th, 2021
The team thanks all participants who had joined the first training session to develop skills on handling domestic abuse survivors on the hotline.
April 6th, 2021
The team highlights trainer Nawal Al Otaibi’s efforts in running the first training session for hotline operators.
April 8th, 2021
The team thanks trainer Moudhi Al Mudhayan, the director of the Saudi Call Center 1919 for offering insight throughout the hotline operation training session. Cofounder Sundus Hussein and member Nour Al Mukhled visit head of the women and family affairs committee Dr. Osama Shaheen at the National Assembly building to follow up on discussions to end article 153.
April 23rd, 2021
Abolish 153 shows solidarity with those participating in the ongoing online campaign, with the hashtag #stopkillingwomen. The Abolish team thanks Kuwait National Assembly MPs Dr. Osama Al Shaheen and Dr. Hisham Al-Saleh for their cooperation and contributions in passing a third bill to abolish article 153. Member Nour Al Mukhled co-writes for Newslines Magazine in an article titled ”Silence no more”: Women’s Rights in Kuwait Face an Uphill Battle”, featuring a contribution by Sundus Hussein, a fellow cofounder.
April 28th, 2021
Dr. Alanoud Al Sharekh joined lawyer and district 1 candidate Athra’ Al Refai in a virtual talk to discuss the newly appointed domestic violence law.
April 28th, 2021
Sundus Hussein joined the Lawyers Association virtual talk to discuss family protection laws and legislation.
May 9th, 2021
Campaign representatives meet with Kuwait National Assembly speaker Marzouq Al Ghanim and Deputy Speaker Ahmad Al Shuhoumi to discuss the latest developments in safeguarding women from violence and support for the recently proposed bills to abolish article 153.
May 4th, 2021
Announcement of a collaborative discussion with Ayadi Health to discuss the role abuse plays on mental health and vice versa on Instagram Live.
May 18th, 2021
Abolish 153 releases a video to celebrate Kuwaiti Women’s Day and inspire coexistence directed by cofounder Sheikha Al Nafisi in collaboration with Masaha studios.
May 19th, 2021
Cofounder Sundus Hussain participates in a private Zoom session with American University of Kuwait.
May 24th, 2021
Members of the Eithar volunteer team meet with Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Dr. Mashaan Al Otaibi and 2nd District representative Dr. Hamad Al Mattar to follow up on implementation of executive regulations in Family Protection Law.
June 10th, 2021
Abolish 153 thanks Wolf Nutrition for featuring Abolish campaign members in their “’Warrior of the Month” series.
June 12th, 2021
Team thanks lawyer and CEO of the Development and Guidance company for Consulting and Training for providing Eithar volunteers with legal tools and educating them on best practices as part of their front line training.
July 2nd, 2021
Team thanks Dr. Amal Al Malki and her team at the Hamad bin Khalifa University for hosting members in order to exchange experiences surrounding fighting domestic abuse.
September 3rd, 2021
Team supports 5th District MP Dr. Salah Al Mutairi’s statements around abolishing article 153 and announces prioritizing kin-based femicides in their next Kuwait National Assembly meeting.
September 29th, 2021
Member Nour Al Mukhled and the Eithar volunteer group participated in a workshop on women’s issues at the Kuwait National Assembly building. Throughout the workshop, a discussion and review of laws that discriminate against women was presented.
October 7th, 2021
US Deputy Assistant Secretary Dan Benaim meets with leading forces in the Kuwaiti civil society sector, among them co-founder Sundus Hussein to hear about the most pressing issues in Kuwaiti society.
October 12th, 2021
Member Nour Al Mukhled publishes a follow up article to Arab Digest titled “Kuwait’s Wave of Femicides”, discussing the intersections among the delayed application of domestic abuse law, legislative justifications for femicides, and mentalities behind honor killings.
October 14th, 2021
Cofounders Sundus Hussein and Sheikha Al Nafisi meet with Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor Deputy Ministers AbdulAziz Al Shuaib and Hana’ Al Hajeri to discuss providing shelters for families, setting up dedicated helplines, as well as provision of other necessary resources.
October 30th, 2021
Cofounder Sundus Hussein announces an upcoming project – an application to support and help survivors of domestic violence and abuse at a community discussion hosted by Inspirational Hangout.
November 7th, 2021
Team holds a discussion via Zoom with the Bahraini women’s rights NGO Al-Nahda to exchange experiences and future avenues of cooperation.
November 2nd, 2021
Al-Shahed TV program “Esiti’naaf” hosted by Rasha Salem features a conversation with cofounder Sundus Hussain, where she discusses the upcoming application to support domestic abuse survivors.
November 27th, 2021
Team shows support for the global 16 Days of Activism to stop violence against women through a series of posts on their social media platforms.
December 2nd, 2021
Team meets with British Ambassador Belinda Lewis, UK Charge d’Affaires Sunny Ahmad, Head of the Political Section Matt Nottingham, and Analyst Adam bin Salem to discuss the latest developments in abolishing article 153 as well as future cooperation on the occasion of the UN 16 Days of Activism. Cofounder Sheikha Al Nafisi meets with Abdallah Al Awadhi and Dr Annas Al Umaiam and their photography class students at Kuwait University to shed light on the upcoming app supporting domestic violence survivors.
December 5th, 2021
Announcement of free training and self defense classes in collaboration with the US Army initiative.
December 6th, 2021
Team meets with Canadian Ambassador Aliya Mawan and her team along with the British Charge d’Affaires Sunny Ahmad and Dr. Chrystelle Schaegis the Cooperation Attache of France to discuss developments and future collaborations.
December 9th, 2021
Member and project manager Nour Al Mukhled meets with Dutch Ambassador Lorne Westhoff and his team to discuss women’s issues in Kuwait and the upcoming mobile application in development.
December 10th, 2021
The team’s final activity for 16 Days of Activism – an event at Boxhill College Kuwait where volunteer Fatema Al-Hajeri discussed the campaign’s work and the upcoming mobile application for domestic abuse survivors.
December 13th, 2021
The British Ambassador Belinda Lewis hosts a reception for members of the diplomatic community where team members were invited to speak about the upcoming safety mobile application.
2022
January 1st, 2022
Volunteer Fay Al Je’an publishes an article titled “Abolish 153: The long road to ending honor killings in Kuwait’ with NewEurope.
January 8th, 2022
Members meet with Belgian Ambassador Marc Trentesau to discuss the Campaign’s progress and future avenues of cooperation.
January 10th, 2022
Abolish 153 ran a Zoom training session to its first cohort of volunteers on running a gender based violence workshop, and thanked their volunteers for their continued dedication.
January 26th, 2022
Cofounder Sundus Hussein contributes to an event titled “ Raising Our Voices” at Jumeirah Beach Hotel in collaboration with the British Council alongside Mai Al Hajaj of Soroptimist Kuwait and Sharifa Al Khamis from the Women’s Cultural Social Society.
February 5th, 2022
Abolish 153 thanks Ben Garcia of Kuwait Times for covering the British Council event and efforts to stop honor killings.
February 7th, 2022
Announcement of a stand for constitutional rights at Erada Square. The team thanks their volunteers Nour Al Sulaiman and Sulaiman Al Nu’man for leading domestic violence workshops at the Gulf University for Science and Technology hosted by Dr. Rania Al Nakib.
February 8th, 2022
US Acting Assistant Secretary Yael Lempert meets with Kuwaiti women amongst them Abolish 153 cofounder Sundus Hussain.
March 7th, 2022
Team celebrates International Women’s Day in collaboration with Fawzia Sultan Health Network in a joint workshop run by Dr. Ayesha Kamal.
March 8th, 2022
Team highlights the art show series in collaboration with the Contemporary Art Platform Kuwait, thanking all those who had volunteered and participated in the art shows. Announcement of the initial roll out of the Thoubha app and invites feedback.
March 25th 2022
Cofounder Sheikha Al Nafisi meets with Dubai-based journalist Nicolas Keraudren working with France Internationale. Sheikha spoke about the current status of bills abolishing article 153, safehouses located for survivors by the campaign, and how government support is much needed in this campaign.
May 11th, 2022
Art exhibition held at Dar Al Funoon Gallery in collaboration with Eithar and Social Table throughout Ramadan.
April 11th, 2022
Collaboration with Leap Loves Green to provide donated pads to women in need.
May 18th, 2022
Collaboration with Rahhalah to run a trip for Montenegro and Serbia.
May 12th, 2022
Collaboration with Get Playbook within their Pay-It-Forward scholarship program to democratize access learning resources and professional networks to women and children. Cofounder Sundus Hussain meets with Dr. Saliha Kozan and Dr. Ayesha Kamal of the Sultan Fawzia Health Network to ensure avenues of mental health wellness for abuse survivors.
May 21st, 2022
Cofounders Sundus Hussain and Dr. Al Anoud Al Sharekh contribute to a dialog session on women’s political empowerment and obstacles to their parliamentary involvement with Dr. Hana Nuemann, head of the delegation of relations with countries of the Arabian Peninsula in the European Parliament.
June 12th, 2022
Kuwait University Architecture student Dalal Al Obaidan based her final project on sustainable shelter for abuse survivors with guidance from cofounder Sheikha Al Nafisi.
June 15th, 2022
Cofounders Sundus Hussein and Sheikha Al Nafisi represented the campaign at UN House while Dr. Amar Behbehani and Dr. Lubna Al Kazi took part in a UNDP study looking into behaviors of abuse survivors in Kuwait.
June 14th, 2022
Announcement of Thoubha on both the App store and the Google Play Store.
June 22nd, 2022
Dr. Yuree Noh interviews Campaign members about their work during her stay in Kuwait.
June 30th, 2022
Team members join other NGO representatives at the French Ambassador’s residence to discuss ending gender based violence.
September 12th, 2022
Cofounder Sundus Hussein contributes to a UNDP pilot project to develop behavioral presentation tactics addressing domestic violence against women and girls.
September 26th, 2022
Cofounder Sundus Hussein discusses prioritizing ending domestic violence in upcoming elections with the human rights officer at the US embassy and the Canadian Ambassador along with members of Manara Kuwait.
October 11th, 2022
Cofounder Sheikha Al Nafisi meets with Her Highness Sayyida Basma, founder of Whispers of Serenity Clinic in Oman. They exchanged different methods of assisting survivors of abuse.
October 21st, 2022
Team thanks Dr. Lori Davis for leading a four day workshop on trauma and PTSD for team members, volunteers, and supporters.
November 9th, 2022
Team screens a documentary by Reem Al Othman at the Women’s Cultural Social Society Center.
November 16th, 2022
Abolish 153 thanks trainer Nawal Al Otaibi for running training workshops via Zoom for the newest cohort of volunteers running the hotline.
November 27th, 2022
In collaboration with Huda Faraj and in occasion of 16 Days of Activism, a free trauma sensitive yoga practice was hosted by Yogiation.
November 28th, 2022
Cofounder Sundus Hussain speaks to SNN following the screening of a documentary covering domestic violence and femicide.
December 2nd, 2022
Cofounder Amira Behbehani dedicates 10% of revenue at her online shop to supporting women-based campaigns in honor of 16 Days of Activism.
December 4th, 2022
The team exchanges experiences with Reem Manaa of Ahel Organization in Jordan.
December 5th, 2022
Seham Nusiebeh and Abolish 153 cofounder Sundus Hussain at the Env. and ILO event discuss how the Abolish 153 campaign helps protect women across Kuwait through political allies.
December 6th, 2022
Team meets with MP Dr. Jenan Boushihri to discuss the status of article 153 and activation of domestic abuse law.
December 7th, 2022
Cofounder Dr. Al Anoud Al Sharekh presented campaign efforts in lobbying for enacting protective measures for women over the last 7 years at the Milken Institute MENA summit.
December 7th, 2022
Cofounder Sundus Hussein meets with Mr. Andrew Freeman to discuss Abolish 153 and Eithar’s work with domestic abuse survivors in Kuwait at the US Congressional Event.
December 8th, 2022
Cofounder Sundus Hussein spoke at the UN organized webinar under the Issue Based Coalition for Gender Justice and Equality (subset of EVAW/GBV) with the Arab Feminist Network alongside NGO representatives from Iraq, Lebanon, and others.
December 9th, 2022
Team meets with Canadian Ambassador Aliya Mawan and her team along with the British Charge d’Affaires Sunny Ahmad and Dr. Chrystelle Schaegis the Cooperation Attache of France to discuss developments and future collaborations.
December 12th, 2022
Cofounders Sheikha Al Nafisi and Sundus Hussein facilitated with 5 other facilitators at the Canadian Embassy for the Young Ambassador Initiative.
2023
January 1st, 2023
The team announces an art exhibition with contributions from supporters and followers, where proceeds go to women in need.
January 7th, 2023
Dr. Hasnaa Mokhtar and her students from Rutgers University visit Kuwait and view a screening of Reem Al Othman’s documentary covering violence against women with the Team.
January 15th, 2023
Abolish 153 meets with 2nd District MP Alia Al Khaled and her office manager Haya Al Maqroun to discuss updates on the Family Protection Law and recent efforts on the campaign’s work.
January 16th, 2023
Team meets with Australian Ambassador Melissa Kelly and Deputy Head of Mission and Consul Natassia Kaufmann to exchange experiences regarding ending violence against women and future avenues of cooperation.
January 31st, 2023
Northeastern University student Anoud Al Marzouq interviews cofounder Sundus Hussein for her final project covering honor killings and domestic violence in Kuwait.
February 1st, 2023
Announcement of a new series titled “Entabhaw” (Beware) on their social media in an attempt to highlight and map instances of harassment across the country.
February 7th, 2023
Volvo sponsors the talk “Together We Can” where the Abolish 153 team spoke of current efforts to end domestic violence in Kuwait.
February 8th, 2023
Al Yarmouk Cultural Center screens Reem Al Othman’s documentary covering Eithar’s efforts to end violence against women and honor killings.
March 5th, 2023
Cofounder Sundus Hussein spoke at the conference organized by International Women Group Kuwait about mentorship and the newly launched app informing and helping survivors of abuse, Thoubha.
March 23rd, 2023
On occasion of International Women’s Day the team was invited to the American Embassy to screen “The Road to Ending Violence” by Reem Al Othman.
June 1, 2023
Cofounder Dr. AlAnoud Al Sharekh and member Nour Al Mukhled contributed a chapter titled “Social Taboos and Legal Constraints: The Status of Domestic Violence in Kuwait” in the first edition of International Responses to Gendered-Based Domestic Violence (Advances in Police Theory and Practice), edited by Dongling Zhang and Diana Scharff Peterson.
June 11, 2023
Cofounders Sheikha Al Nafisi and Sundus Hussein meet with U.S. Chief Division Mrs. Ariel Vaagen, Nicole Bermudez, Deina Fawaz and Kevin Kocher to dicuss the status of the 2020 Family Protection law as developments with helping survivors of abuse as well as future avenues of collaboration.
October 11, 2023
The annual Abolish Art exhibition was hosted at the Boushehri Gallery for a week, displaying work of over 12 local and regional artists.
November 9, 2023
The Abolish 153 team meets with the political section team of the UK Embassy in Kuwait and Deputy Head of Mission Sunny Ahmed to discuss avenues of collaboration toward ending violence against women.
November 23, 2023
Cofounders Dr. Al Anoud Al Sharekh and Sundus Hussein meet with the Spanish Ambassador in Kuwait, Miguel Moro Aguilar, Deputy Chief of Mission Carmen Bravo Paredes, and Administrative Officer Wafa Sweidan to exchange expertise and speak about the Campaign’s work.
November 26, 2023
Cofounder Sheikha Al Nafisi meets with the UNHCR Representative Amal Al Baydh, Protection Office/Protection Associate Abeer Janakat, and Nisreen Al Rubai’an.
November 28, 2023
In occasion of 16 Days of Activism, a collaboration was made with Yogiation’s Huda Faraj, a free guided mediation session incorporating movement and breath for women was held.
December 6, 2023
In occasion of 16 Days of Activism, Abolish 153 collaborated with the Fawzia Sultan Health Network, BirthKuwait, and Kashtban, a free “Mother’s Diwaniyya” was hosted by Amna and Marwa Al Rahmani respectively, titled “Tatreez and Tea” at the Promenade Cultural Center.
In occasion of 16 Days of Activism, cofounder Amira Behbehani led a free painting workshop in collaboration with Kuwait Pop Up Studio.
December 6, 2023
The Team meets with Head of the Women and Family Affairs Committee, MP Dr. Jinan Bushehri to discuss the application of the Family Protection Law.
December 9, 2023
In occasion of 16 Days of Activism, sister organization Eithar and Abolish 153 collaborate with Ooredoo to host a talk featuring Safecity’s ElsaMarie D’Silva, attorney Bedour Al Rashaid, and cofounder Sundus Hussein to discuss tech applications in protecting women against harassment and violence.
2024
January 18th, 2024
The team hosts a women’s circle to discuss ethics and values surrounding the treatment of domestic workers in collaboration with en.v and the International Labor Organization.
February 3rd, 2024
Co-founder Sundus Hussein spoke at the Women’s Wellness Event hosted by the Fawzia Sultan Healthcare Network. Sundus covered the importance of providing survivors with services within the national healthcare plan to ensure their well-being.
February 5th, 2024
Co-founders Sundus Hussein and Amira Behbehani represented the Campaign upon invitation by only woman MP, Dr. Jinan Bushehri at a Women and Family Affairs Committee meeting in the National Assembly building. In attendance were other NGO members concerned with protecting women from violence.
February 15th, 2024
Co-founders Sheikha Al Nafisi, Amira Behbehani, and Sundus Hussein meet with researchers Dr. Vanessa Farr and Hanan Kaoud, Senior Research Fellow at the Helena Kennedy Center for International Justice at Sheffield Hallam University and GBV specialist from Palestine respectively.
Co-founders Sundus Hussein and Dr. Alanoud Al Sharekh meets with the SafeCity app team: India Sonali Alves, Parinita Tyagi, Aishwarya Swali and Elsa Marie D’Silva to discuss anti-harassment laws and further collaboration.
March 8th, 2024
In honour of International Women’s Day, Abolish 153 teamed up with SafeCity to incorporate the crowdsourcing SafeCity platform on the Thoubha app to allow anonymous reporting, promoting a safer culture with reporting harassment.
April 21st, 2024
Abolish 153 announces its upcoming annual art exhibition at the Boushehri Gallery on May 19th.
June 12th, 2024
Abolish 153 founding member Amira Behbehani participates in a consultative workshop at ESCWA (United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia) for the Women’s Committee in Amman, Jordan along with other representatives of civil society organizations from fellow Arab countries in preparation for Beijing +30.