A large part of the number of foreign nationals that enter Kuwait are foreign domestic helpers. That being said, the government has attempted various measures to ensure that the entry of this population into the country remains safe and protected.
However, as the number keeps increasing it becomes a bit more challenging for authorities to track remote and isolated cases of human trafficking, unless a scheme is discovered behind such operations.
New Case of Human Trafficking Involving Filipino Domestic Helpers with Forged Documents Thwarted
Details of a new scheme of human trafficking, manipulation, and registration of domestic labour files has been announced to ensure the protection of unskilled workers and prevent the exploitation of female workers, as shared in a report by Al-Qabas.
Based on the report, the Home Employment Department associated to the Ministry of Interior has reported of receiving more than ten complaints last week from citizens who discovered the registration of domestic workers under their names.
The scheme was discovered when the victims filed the request to bring domestic workers. After they have paid the required fees and have been given the date of the arrival of the workers, the sponsor did not expect that the Domestic Employment Office would contact them to inform them that their request would be refused due to a mistake in the seals or a lack documents to support their identity, when in fact, the domestic helpers have already arrived in the country and have been exploited by offering them to work for other employers.
The victims whose names were registered for the employment of domestic workers were surprised to find out that after the legal period to stamp the residence permit has lapsed, they were required to pay fines for each day that has lapsed, and could not complete the procedures at the Ministry of Interior unless they pay what is required of them.
The citizens that filed a complaint regarding this case presented documents showing the registration of female workers from the Philippines in their file without their knowledge, which had also resulted in fines.
Meanwhile, authorities instructed the involved citizens file the case of the workers as absconding so that they can pursue them.
While this looks very suspicious from various angles, especially on the part of the domestic helper, it would be best to seek assistance from the Consulate of your country to handle this matter legally.