The head of Domestic Workers Recruitment Office Union Khaled Al Dakhnan, earlier highlighted that the offices engaged in the recruitment of domestic workers were in dire straits due to the suspension of recruitment of domestic workers being for nearly nine months. Pointing to another issue that is impacting the market, he revealed that the monthly salary of a domestic worker on the unregulated black market has reached KD 400.
Explaining that “most of these workers fled from their sponsors and have absconding cases registered against them,” he noted, “despite this practice being illegal, citizens are forced to resort to illegal domestic workers,” Al Rai daily reported.
He once again called on the authorities to immediately restart the issuing of domestic worker recruitment visas in adherence to all health requirements and precautionary measures.
Al Dakhnan said, “Bahrain and Saudi Arabia have resumed receiving domestic workers from the Philippines, and Qatar will follow their example next week. The longer recruitment is suspended, it will harm Kuwaiti citizens.”
He added that “We have addressed all the official authorities but so far we have not received response, although Kuwaitis are in dire need for visas to resume for domestic workers, because 40 percent of the current employment contracts have expired and many want to return to their homeland, but Kuwaitis have no alternative.”
Noting that domestic workers will be recruited by other countries first, he stated that even if visas will be allowed again, “we will face problems in issuing visas as most of the domestic workers have gone to other countries as they started recruitment before us”.
Al-Dakhnan also mentioned earlier that many recruitment offices were being forced to shut down, as some had accumulated huge debts and others were unable to pay rents on their offices or the salary of their employees. He also urged the government to support recruitment agencies until the problem ends.
The ban on passengers from 34 countries, the stringent crack-down on illegal domestic worker recruitment offices, the return of many household helpers to their home country during the coronavirus pandemic, and a huge pent-up demand for maids in Kuwaiti households, have combined to create a thriving black-market for the supply of domestic helpers.
‘Maid brokers’ have quickly moved in to fill the existing demand-supply gap in the market by offering illegal domestic workers at exorbitant prices.
Since the start of the pandemic and subsequent lockdown and curfews, the Residency Affairs Department, in coordination with the Public Authority for Manpower (PAM), has arrested several people involved in this black-market. Most of the domestic workers apprehended in the process were found to be in violation of the residency and labor law. Many of the workers have absconding cases registered against them by their sponsors.
The source said that before the coronavirus pandemic, inspection teams used to arrest women working in salons, cafes, or restaurants who were on domestic workers’ residency permits, but due to the suspension of businesses as a measure against the coronavirus crisis, most of them have now begun working in homes or companies to earn money.
The Assistant Undersecretary of the Public Authority for Manpower, Dr. Mubarak Al Azmi said that PAM working in coordination with the Ministry of Interior was trying to prevent the publishing of illegal advertisements offering maid services.
According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), there are 660,00 domestic workers in Kuwait. Under the labor law in Kuwait, domestic workers are unable to work in the private sector. Many view the plight of domestic workers in Kuwait as conditions of ‘modern day slavery’ where they often work long hours, are paid low wages and have little to no time off.