Abolishing the sponsorship (kafeel) system would help rectify the distorted image of Kuwait on the international stage, and put an end to the trade in visas, said Ambassador Jassem Al-Mubaraki who heads the National Bureau of Human Rights (NBHR).
Drawing a distinction between visa trade and human trafficking, the ambassador stressed that there is no human trade in the conventional sense in Kuwait. Explaining the difference, he noted, “Visa trade also does not serve Kuwait’s interest nor its development, but has distorted the country’s image abroad because globally visa trade is considered as a form of human trafficking. According to international standards, any work relationship in which the two elements of coercion and exploitation are combined falls under human trafficking.”
Ambassador Al-Mubaraki, a former diplomat with Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry, was speaking on the sidelines of the founding session held by the bureau in coordination with the Arab Network of National Human Rights institutions. He revealed that “the Bureau is in the process of joining the Arab Network of National Human Rights Institutions and the Permanent Committee for Human Rights in the Arab League states.”
Regarding the recent Universal Periodic Review conducted by the United Nations Human Rights Council on Kuwait, the ambassador said, “The NBHR did not participate in preparing the response submitted by the government to the report by the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR), as we were not invited to do so, despite it being an obligation outlined in the law that led to the establishment of NBHR.” The government response is being submitted to the 70th session of CESCR that was held between 27 September and 15 October in Geneva.
“Through previous reports by the CESCR had focused on topics such as employment, the death penalty and the issue of homosexuals, we had responded to those issues at that time, by noting that “we in Kuwait cannot accept the imposition of other cultures on us,” said the ambassador in conclusion.
