The Director General of the Public Authority for Manpower, Mubarak Al-Jafur, said that Kuwait is allocating a shelter for expatriate men, similar to the existing center for women, which provides legal protection, as well as health and psychological care for the center’s rescues.
With reference to the United Nations’ observance of International Human Rights Day, Al-Jafur added that all executive decisions issued by the authority provide protection for workers in accordance with international standards and agreements, especially with regard to their financial rights or their right to transfer from one employer to another.
According to an Arab daily, official statistics show that in 2022, the manpower authority was able to investigate 36,598 labor complaints pertaining to absconding reports, arranging the relationship, resolving disputes between the worker and the employer, and extracting copies of documents that would prove the labor relationship, and others related to registering complaints of labor disputes, work permit disputes and payment of financial dues. It was also able to return the financial rights of 24,097 dinars to domestic workers who did not receive their salaries, in addition to registering 780 complaints against employers, during the first ten months of this year.
Moreover, the head of the National Office for Human Rights, Jassim Al-Mubaraki, referred to “Kuwait’s keenness to grant rights and provide protection,” while stressing the country’s interest in including and giving priority to human rights issues and amending laws related to rights and freedoms within the government’s work program.
Al-Mubaraki said that the state is keen to activate the role of the human rights office in defending freedoms and granting rights, within the framework of the reference of the constitution and relevant international regulations, and highlighting the importance of coordination with government agencies, civil society and international organizations, to meet the challenges and obstacles facing the promotion and protection of human rights.
The official said that the country’s support for human rights include finding solutions to support labor rights, establishing a shelter for female workers who seek protection, allocating a shelter for affected male workers, supporting needy families inside and outside the country, protecting women and families from violence, preventing human trafficking, and ensuring a decent life for citizens and residents.