Domestic helpers have expressed reluctance to come and work in Kuwait as they feel unsafe in this country, said a specialist in domestic labor affairs, Bassam Al-Shammari.
He pointed out that the phenomenon of domestic helpers seeking assistance from their respective embassies in Kuwait has become a regular feature. Al-Shammari revealed that the compound of one of the embassies, which is considered the biggest exporter of domestic workers to Kuwait, is filled to the brim with female workers. Some of these workers have been reported as ‘absconders’ by their employers, while some were involved in disputes and disagreement with their sponsors that they were not able to solve amicably.
Al-Shammari attributed the reason behind the exacerbation of this phenomenon to the decline of the role entrusted to the Manpower Protection Sector in the authority, which is responsible for ensuring the speedy containment of disputes that may erupt between female workers and their employers. He revealed that increasing number of disputes between domestic helpers and sponsors, prompted some embassies to issue internal circulars requiring the non-ratification of contracts for any local recruitment company or office with more than five domestic workers encountering problems with their sponsors.
Al-Shammari called on all relevant authorities, led by the Department of Regulating the Recruitment of Domestic Workers, to correct previous mistakes, and to prevent the domestic workers from having to run to their embassies, especially since this is one of the reasons why some countries refuse to send domestic workers. The continuation of this phenomenon shows the government’s inability to find radical solutions to the crisis, said Al-Shammari.