Who's Listening?

Kuwait Trade Union Federation

Kuwait Trade Union Federation

The Kuwait Trade Union Federation was founded in 1968. It is affiliated with nine public sector unions and six oil sector unions. To many migrant workers, KTUF is their sole hope of being heard and making changes to what is an abysmal work environment for them. KTUF directly works with the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor, they represent the migrant workers of Kuwait and advocate the abolishment of the Kafala system and call for standard human rights.

Expatriate workers office

In 1993 the "expatriate workers office" was established under the umbrella of KTUF with the guidance of general secretary Abdulrahman AlGhanim. It is a medium for migrant workers complaints and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor. Ask AlGhanim where is the solution and he will tell you MOSAL, ironically ask him what is the obstacle and his answer wont change. MOSAL hold the ultimate power to improve the living standards of migrant workers, that is in fact the basis of their establishment. KTUF are powerless compared to MOSAL, all they can do is look at the complaints and try to work them out. The purpose of MOSAL is to bring justice to migrant workers whose rights have been violated but not find solutions. That is left to a union that is limited in its resources, both human and financially. Migrant workers would be lucky to know about MOSAL let alone KTUF, and those who do have access to them would be lucky if they are ever heard.

I will try to explain unions in Kuwait, the process of filing a complaint through KTUF and their likely outcomes in the video link below.

KTUF

Child Abuse

Child abuse is rife in Kuwait yet society continues to keep a blind eye on this pressing issue. It's almost as if it's taboo to talk about the relationship between parent and child regardless of any sort of abuse that child maybe going through. Not only that, but the fact that the representative body of this country are not adequately regulating nor preventing this continuous epidemic occurring in some of Kuwait's households.

Disciplinary beatings is not criminalized in Kuwait, and it is not clearly defined by Kuwaiti law. But Animal abuse is punishable by up to 1000 KD or three years in prison. This is not to say that animals in Kuwait should not concern us, but there are detailed regulations dedicated to this issue. Yet we are still trying to figure out what distinguishes disciplinary beatings and abuse for our children. It has been reported in the past that doctors in hospitals report possible domestic violence concerning some of their patients, only for investigators to intervene and conceal these cases in fear of harming a family's unity. The problem is the mentality of many Kuwaiti's who are blinded by culture and are failing to see the bigger problem; children abused! But family unity comes first right?

Abuse can come in many forms and it is not limited to physical abuse. Sexual and psychological abuse are other forms of abuses that children face time and time again while it goes unnoticed. It is our duty to identify these issues and gather as much information as we can about child abuse. Please contribute to this cause by taking part in this survey.

Kuwait: Modern Day Slavery?

Today kuwait is one of the richest countries in the world, and it hasn't been as long as some might like to think since the days of mud houses and pearl diving. Thereafter came the oil followed by privileges, followed by power, then followed by greed. An over simplified timeline we have here that doesn't show the entirety of our past, but thats one way of looking at it. Certainly is the way to look at it when taking into account the sponsorship (Kafil) system we have in Kuwait.

Sponsorship (Kafil) system

So for a non-Kuwaiti to come and work in Kuwait, he/she needs a Kafil or sponsor. Kuwaiti regulations require the sponsor to be the employer, granting him authority over the migrant worker, which may be abused. We have four systems that regulate the relationship between employer and employee:

• Private Sector Labor Law
• Civil Service Law (govt. sector)
• Ministry of Interior Decisions (migrant domestic workers)
• Aliens Residence Law (involved in all sectors)

Here's what stood out to me first "Ministry of Interior Decisions". What on earth is MOI decisions? So we have the private and government sectors both regulated, and then a vaguely titled system that has the authority to decide on the fortunes or misfortunes of domestic workers, someone explain. Perhaps this is the root of the problem and why most cases of abuse in Kuwait involve domestic workers. Who's protecting them?!

Well, theres the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor. For all their lackluster efforts, lets not kid ourselves here, we are speaking of a system that is in total disarray from A-Z. The truth is the system was never created to protect the workers in the first place, it was created by the sponsors for the sponsors. In almost all cases the sponsor will more than likely be the one getting what he/she wants at the end of the day. The sponsor has the right to terminate the worker's residence permit at any time. A sponsor is able to report his worker of escaping without having to prove it, which results in the workers imprisonment or deportation. Many employers withhold travel documents regardless of its illegality. This power given to sponsors may lead to some of them forcing their employees into forced labor. Human trafficking anyone?

Protests against modern day slavery

How do we tackle this problem 

Kuwait Civil Alliance are one of the active members of our society who focus on tackling many issues in Kuwait. They are a coalition comprised of six civil society organizations based in Kuwait working on various issues related to human rights. The sponsorship system is one of the many issues they are focusing on. These are their recommendations:

1. Amending legislation to abolish the sponsorship system currently applied.
2. Amending legislation to balance the unequal power dynamics between sponsor and migrant worker.
3. Amending legislation to enable migrant workers of having the liberty of changing their employment and being protected from imprisonment or deportation in case they refuse to continue working. 

What do you guys think?

For any migrant worker being abused email Kuwait Trade Union Federation for help.