Kuwait - Migrant workers exploited (2010)

The government’s policy of reducing its reliance on migrant workers has not been implemented. These workers are still exploited, even though the government has sought to improve their legal protection. During November alone, there were 13 cases of alleged suicide or suicide attempts in Kuwait by domestic workers. In June, a delegation from Indonesia’s trade unions in Indonesia condemned the Indonesian Embassy in Kuwait for not taking action against employers who had reportedly raped and tortured some 350 Indonesian female migrant workers. In October, the Indonesian Labour Ministry suspended deployment of Indonesian domestic workers to Kuwait until the cases of 600 abused domestic workers were resolved. Then in November 2009, it announced it was to repatriate some 1,750 Indonesian workers in the region including those in Kuwait. Kuwait was earlier criticised for rejecting a proposal of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to establish a centre to provide assistance to human trafficking victims. However, the Kuwait Trade Union Federation (KTUF) is undertaking new programmes addressing the issue.

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