Philippines supports safeguards for Kuwaiti workers
Philippines supports safeguards for Kuwaiti workers
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Manila: On Thursday, the Philippine government defended the safeguards it has put in place for migrant workers in Kuwait amid a diplomatic impasse over a ban on new hires' entry.

Over 200,000 Filipinos, mostly women, are employed in Kuwait, which last week stopped issuing new visas to anyone who did not already have a residence permit, including tourists, students, and businesspeople.

Eduardo de Vega, an undersecretary in the Department of Foreign Affairs, suggested earlier this week that the ban may have been in response to Kuwait delaying the deployment of domestic helpers from the Philippines after the murder of a Filipina maid in January.

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This week, a government delegation was in Kuwait to clarify the situation and address any bilateral labour disputes, but no progress was made during the discussions.

 

They are adamant that we are breaking their law. As a result, nothing has changed. Future conversations will be necessary, De Vega told reporters in Manila.

"A long-term solution is what we seek...  A long-term solution of this nature won't be reached in a single conversation.

In order to persuade another country to hire Filipino workers, he continued, it would be "dishonourable" to disregard Philippine laws that require embassy-run shelters for migrant workers.

"The Filipino people have more dignity than that," De Vega remarked.

The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs and Department of Migrant Workers released a joint statement in which they stated that the delegation from the Philippines had "expressed its full respect for Kuwaiti laws and profound appreciation for the hospitality of its government and people."

The delegation explained that all actions taken by the Philippine Embassy and the Philippine government are solely to ensure the safety and welfare of our own nationals on matters relating to services provided to our migrant workers, the statement said.  


"Under international law and conventions, consular offices have a well-established duty to provide protection to a country's citizens abroad."

According to Department of Migrant Workers data, there were more than 24,000 instances of abuse and violation of Filipino workers in Kuwait last year, a sharp increase from the 6,500 cases in 2016.

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The burning remains of Jullebee Ranara, 35, were found on a Kuwaiti desert in late January. This was not the first such incident, which prompted the Philippine government to investigate the circumstance.

Following the murder of a Filipina maid, whose body was discovered in a freezer at an abandoned flat, the Philippines banned the deployment of temporary workers to Kuwait in 2018.

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Another such ban was put in place in January 2020 following the execution-style torture of a Filipino domestic helper by her Kuwaiti employer. After the employer was found guilty of murder and given the death penalty, the ban was lifted.

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