KUWAIT CITY, Dec 17: Head of Domestic Sector at the General Residency Affairs Department Muhammad Al-Ajmi disclosed the total number of registered domestic workers in the country is currently 669,000, pointing to one domestic worker per two citizens.
He disclosed this at a symposium on “The role of Kuwait in fighting human trafficking” and added the sector received 2,068 complaints of which 363 were filed by laborers, 1,642 by employers, and 81 by domestic offices.
He pointed out that the sector managed to resolve most of the complaints filed by all three categories, and recovered KD 461,910,000 from the domestic offices for employers, while salaries worth KD 192,177,500 have since been paid to deserving domestic workers.
He noted issues that are difficult to resolve are normally referred to the relevant court, and 355 files are currently in the hand of the competent court. He reiterated the directorate is keen on communicating with the embassies in order to solve problems in this regard. He explained a team from the directorate follows up the issues of domestic workers and communicates with them on social media to ensure their rights are protected, and in case they call to report crimes or violations, the issue is investigated carefully before legal action is taken against the employer or domestic office.
Al-Ajmi stressed that Kuwait is among the first countries to confront human trafficking by enforcing relevant laws, including law no. 91/2013 that stipulates tough penalties against those involved in such crimes.
He reiterated domestic workers come to Kuwait on contracts that guarantee their right to receive salaries amid suitable working hours and paid overtime etc. He indicated Kuwaiti laws prohibit hiring domestic workers who are below 21 years old or above 60 years old. via Arabtimes
