Human rights in Kuwait are a topic of significant concern. Most notably, Kuwait's handling of the stateless Bedoon crisis has come under substantial criticism from international human rights organisations and the United Nations. Kuwait has the largest number of stateless people in the entire region. Kuwait also faces significant criticism for the human rights violations against foreign nationals, women, and LGBT people. Although Kuwaiti law (including the Constitution of Kuwait) theoretically pledges to protect all human rights; the enforcement mechanisms designed to help protect human rights are very limited in Kuwait. Treaties Kuwait is a party to several international human rights treaties, including International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery, the Slave Trade, and Institutions and Practices Similar to Slavery Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others United Nations Convention Against Torture Convention on the Rights of the Child Convention concerning the Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention concerning Forced or Compulsory Labour Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organize Convention Abolition of Forced Labour Convention Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention Convention against Discrimination in Education Bedoon History Kuwait has the largest number of stateless people in the entire region. Most stateless Bedoon of Kuwait belong to the northern tribes, especially the Al-Muntafiq tribal confederation. A minority of stateless Bedoon in Kuwait belong to the 'Ajam community. Under the terms of the Kuwait Nationality Law 15/1959, all the Bedoon in Kuwait are eligible for Kuwaiti nationality by naturalization. In practice, it is widely believed that Sunnis of Persian descent or tribal Saudis can readily achieve Kuwaiti naturalization whilst Bedoon of Iraqi tribal ancestry cannot. As a result, many Bedoon in Kuwait feel pressured to hide their background. From 1965 until 1985, the Bedoon were treated as Kuwaiti citizens and guaranteed citizenship: they had free access to education, health care and all the other privileges of citizenship. The stateless Bedoon constituted 80-90% of the Kuwaiti Army in the 1970s and 1980s until the Gulf War. In 1985 at the height of the Iran–Iraq War, the Bedoon were reclassified as "illegal residents" and