Kuwait has called upon the Philippines ambassador to lift a ban on domestic workers, Al Khaleej Online reported today.

“We have lost about four Filipino women in the last few months. It’s always in Kuwait”, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said last Friday, claiming that the four domestic workers had been driven to suicide by abusive employers.

Duterte has ordered that foreign employment contracts stop being granted to Kuwait due to a number of deaths among Filipinos working in the country.

“I do not want a quarrel with Kuwait”, Duterte continued, “I respect their leaders, but they have to do something about this”.

The Philippine’s Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) last year was forced to evacuate 35 Filipino maids when Kuwaiti employers failed to pay their salaries and subjected them to ill treatment and abuse.

The decision to ban Filipino expats “does not match the nature of the distinguished relations between the two countries and does not serve common interests”, Khalid Al-Jarallah, Kuwait’s deputy foreign minister said. He stressed that Kuwait has “become a desirable destination for workers who live in safety and stability”.

Full story: middleeastmonitor.com

Middle East Monitor