US envoy visits shelter for housekeepers as part of "World Day Against Human Trafficking" – Kuwait Times

KUWAIT: The US envoy yesterday visited a shelter for abused and fugitive housekeepers at Jleeb Al-Shouyoukh to highlight their situation. The US Ambassador to Kuwait, Lawrence R Silverman, met with Abdullah Mutawa, Deputy Director of the Public Authority for Manpower and Jaber Ali Al-Ali, Director of International Relations from PAM to the WFP shelter to celebrate World Anti-Trafficking Day. People, July 30th.

"There are approximately 20 million victims of human trafficking, and countries around the world are trying to stop trafficking, and it is our duty to stop trafficking because we have all the means in the States States and Kuwait or in other countries to make the maximum efforts to stop the trafficking ".

"This means pursuing the individuals or suspects involved in trafficking and providing services to trafficked persons and returning them to their respective countries and families for justice", he added. "Anyone who is deployed, even as a domestic helper, has rights, they should follow the law and if there are people who violate the laws, they must be prosecuted." This will not only help correct the problem, but will also send a broader message that Kuwait has laws and that they should be respected.This also applies to employers who retain their worker's passport, after working hours and the appropriate treatment of We must see progress in the treatment of workers and even victims of trafficking, they are assisted and assisted by the Kuwaiti authorities, but much remains to be done, not only in Kuwait but also in Kuwait. Other countries, "concluded Silverman. The shelter serves as a temporary residence for hundreds of trafficked workers, including domestic helpers and other people who have been brought to Kuwait illegally or suffered ill-treatment and abuse by their children. employers. At present, 166 women are staying at the shelter, waiting for their papers and records to be cleared so that they can turn to their home country. In June 2018, shelter residents included women from Sri Lankan-20, Nepal-39, India-8, Ghana-4, Sierra Leone-3, Cameroon-3, Nigeria-1, Philippines-16, Madagascar -12, Gambia-2, Côte-d'Ivoire-37, Mali-1, Benin-8, Burundi-3, Guyana-8 and Burkina Faso-1.

Embassies of labor exporting countries coordinate with WFP to process all transfers

Passports and weekly leave
Questioned by Kuwait Times about recent comments from a social media personality concerning the treatment of abused women. Domestic helpers, the US ambassador said "I do not comment on personalities, but it was good that the issue be announced for people to understand."

Sondos Al-Qattan, a Kuwaiti makeup artist and Instagrammer millions of followers sparked an uproar when she made comments that objected to domestic helpers keeping a passport or a day off weekly – two rights protected by Kuwaiti labor legislation.

There are an estimated 620,000 domestic workers in Kuwait, the vast majority of whom are women living with their sponsors. Many of them often face a series of abuse and mistreatment, with no weekly salary, deferred salaries, verbal and physical abuse and even worse.

In January, the Philippines stopped sending workers to the Gulf State. a freezer in Hawally. His employers – the two Arab expats – had fled the country but the news triggered a crisis in Kuwait-Manila. Later, the two countries agreed to end the tension by formally signing a protocol agreement.

By Ben Garcia