Kuwait’s Minister of Social Affairs and Family and Childhood Affairs, Dr. Amthal Al-Huwailah, announced the issuance of a ministerial decision aimed at regulating the judicial enforcement powers of staff within the protection centers department at the Supreme Council for Family Affairs. The move is part of implementing Decree-Law No. 11 of 2026, which focuses on protection from family violence.
The decision, announced on Wednesday, seeks to empower qualified national personnel to monitor and respond promptly to cases of family violence while operating within a legislative framework that upholds justice, confidentiality, and integrity. According to Dr. Al-Huwailah, the regulation establishes specific conditions for granting judicial enforcement authority to employees. These include Kuwaiti citizenship, a clean criminal record, a bachelor’s degree in psychological counseling, social counseling, or law, and completion of a specialized training program in cooperation with the Kuwait Institute for Judicial and Legal Studies.
Before assuming their duties, staff members must also take a legal oath before the president of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs. The decision authorizes designated employees to safeguard victims by closely monitoring violence cases, inspecting legally accessible premises, documenting findings in official reports, requesting necessary documents, securing evidence, and promptly referring cases to relevant authorities.
The minister emphasized that the regulation prohibits staff from abusing their powers for personal gain, interfering in family affairs beyond the scope of their work, making unauthorized media statements, or disclosing images that could identify victims. Employees must also withdraw from cases where conflicts of interest arise and report such suspicions immediately to their supervisors, ensuring impartiality and objectivity.
Confidentiality is a cornerstone of the new regulation, requiring strict protection of all data, correspondence, and documentation related to family violence cases. This obligation persists even after employees leave their positions. The responsible department will compile an annual statistical report to evaluate the effectiveness of the protection system and identify operational challenges, while ensuring that no victim-identifying information is included.
Dr. Al-Huwailah described the decision as a significant advancement in formalizing social and legislative efforts in Kuwait, creating a safer legal environment to protect the dignity of families and vulnerable groups including children, women, the elderly, and persons with disabilities.