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Kuwait Politics Videos

Ten to a room

Just found a bunch of videos that show the horrifying living conditions of some workers in Kuwait. The video above is of their sleeping quarters, they are ten to a room and it doesn’t look like they have AC. Here is a link to the rest of the videos. [Link]

58 replies on “Ten to a room”

I feel so sorry for them : / but I’ve seen worse !
I believe that no one deserves to live in such condition !

This is not something new. These poor labourers live on a packet of khobz and tea 3 times a day and they don’t even get to go back home to see their family bcos they can’t pay for a ticket. There were complaints in the newspaper about the fact that they are dirty and smelly, but you can’t expect any better if they are forced to live in unhygienic conditions. The govt. better get their act together on the visa issues with these labourers, cos they are putting Kuwait to shame with the strike. Have you been to Souk Sharq or any of the malls lately? you should visit the food court. It is filthy, cos theres no one to clean up.

on a positive note… whoever did that account recognizes youtube’s impact on ppl..since many here know this already and dont act on it, there’s a chance that others might stepping in to help…maybe..

Actually the companies who bring these workers to Kuwait can’t provide them with sufficient facilities because they are always trying to win tenders by quoting the lowest price and pocketing 50% on each worker which is up to Kd 100 . As I know of this field most of these guys are paid Kd 70 as salary and the companies spend additional KD 30 to provide them with accommodation and food.

umMmmm….i wish they wouldn’t bring them to Q8, most of them are Bangladesh and they are behind alot of problems in Q8! They should bring workers from other countries, I heard that the Bangladesh workers here are mostly from there prisons and i can see how thats true. They steal, rape , open these prostitution businesses, they even where caught stealing the covers of the sewages, the screws from the big lamp posts all around the highways and in the neighborhoods!

If there here for cleaning the roads well there not cleaning much, so just let them go back home.

Kuwaitis and other GCC citizens need to start cleaning their own streets and building their own cities….what was I thinking…there is a better chance of hell freezing over!

Hmmm…and i wonder if there is any correlation between not getting paid and resorting to crimes in manority of the cases if thats your last option! but then again i guess that could’nt be the case since looking down from my ivory tower i only see how there could be only one side to a story!

It’s the same story everywhere : you always find them to be living in such horrific conditions whether it is in Kuwait, Jeddah, Abu Dhabi or Riyadh. While their living conditions back home are only marginally different from how they live in Kuwait that’s still no excuse for a super rich nation, such as Kuwait to put them all up in shanty towns and slums on the city outskirts. Jleeb, Hassawi, Abbasiya and Kabad – the eyesores they might seem to the South Surra or Mishref set are still an integral part of Kuwait’s geography, and for that reason their development and integration cannot be ignored.

Mind you, the cleaners in Kuwait were a much cleaner lot before the invasion than now. Even the urban landscape of the 70s and early 80s used to be altogether more prettier and spick-and-span. Truth be told, the East Europeans would do a far better job of cleaning the streets of Kuwait than their Bangladeshi cousins.

and we should definetly get cleaners from somewhere else..after all their efficiency levels would be much higher to the existing ones who contniue to clean after people who are too tied up in making the place a challenging place to work in by creating more trash everyday! yea …totally second the opinion!

iLsuL6ana – you clearly have no idea. To say that an entire race do that. They are not mostly from prisons – that is simply your bigotted mind. Anyhow – i wonder what kinda saint you would be if you were so poor? You shouldn’t be so judgemental of others. Am totally disgusted by your views as i am sure many others are.

iLsuL6ana and you caught them red-handed stealing the sewage covers – what a great detective you are!! you’ve been investigating the rapes and have evidence it is all down to Bangladeshis? It is Bangeladeshis who are responsible for every crime in the land? So you want a different race of people here to take care the work you don’t wanna do – what makes you think you won’t be blaming the world’s troubles on them? For centuries people use others as scapegoats and look at history it will tell you what happens as a result. Mind you, you have probably not read a book! Ignorance is bliss – eh?

Observer And Britchick Sorrrry you dont like my point of view and im not sure why you feel so disgusted and offended from my point of view. It clearly shows you dont have any idea whats happening in Q8. Im not looking down at anyone..I am stating facts from Q8ti newspapers and stories told. When i say Bangladeshi its because by fact they cause the most crimes in Q8..not hindu not Philippines or nepalians. So when Q8ties started wondering why Banglaseshi’s where causing these problems it did turn out most of them came from prisions. So, these are the for disgusting you wih them.

Yes ! i have been enlightened of the known facts! hahah! thanks iLsuL6ana ! For the Good laugh that is!
Anyway i think its better i spend more time in trying to figure out how i can help rather than comment here and let it turn into an endless game of pointing firgures

P.s im only a Kuwaiti citizen living here since birth..so i guess i wouldnt know much …hahha !

Actually I believe this whole thing started with the forming of the CTC for government projects. The CTC would decide which company would get awarded a govt. project and the way it did that was by awarding it to the cheapest bidder. So the only way to get the contract was to hire cheap labor and it kept getting cheaper and cheaper. The cleaners only get 18 KD and some make do with 12 KD.

Britchick.. Being poor does not mean justifying crimes. From known statistics Bangladeshis are really trouble makers and the proof is Kuwait government banned anyone coming back to Kuwait. Why would any country do this if its not known and proven that they are really trouble makers. elsul6ana malch she’3l feh wla t7ren 3mrch.

iLsuL6ana, you are completely ignorant of all facts (you should go work for George W’s administration). Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan were throughout history one country called Hindustan. They are the same peoples and don’t have a higher genetic predisposition to crime than the rest of the Indian subcontinent. Same as saying that there is any difference between the GCC… same shit, different pile.

PS. I really hope you get testicular cancer ๐Ÿ™‚

Being poor definitely does not justify crimes, but it does push the sufferers to do anything they can do to survive. Put yourself in their shoes and see the situation. Its really impossible for a man who sells his home and everything he owns, takes loans from other people to pay an agent 600 – 700 KD to get a visa to come to kuwait and work for KD 18 when he was promised KD 40 before he left, not to resort to unlawful means to make money. What can he do with KD 18. He still has to pay his loans and send money home for his family to survive.

Why do always get the “We’re sorry but the video is no longer available” notice when i try to view these videos…do you guys have the same problem?

Believe me that although they might make a bit more here, their living condition back home is way better than this. At least they have enough space to stretch their legs after a day of tiring work. Here they have to live just like caged animals.

The least government could do is to utilize a portion of the vast uninhabited area of Kuwait and dwell a small city with affordable servant quarters so that at least each worker can afford a small room to live in.

But of course that is not going to happen and instead they’ll build several more shopping malls so that they can just shop their worries away.

Whether the average Bengali’s in Kuwait are or are not considered criminals, they deliver work and they have the right to be paid for that work, on time. And besides, no one deserves to live in such atrocious conditions.

1. Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones at other peoples houses

2. Yesterdy there was no oil, today there is oil and tomorrow there will be no oil.

3. You reap what you sow. What you do will come back to you

thats all i got to say for people who dont treat other living people/beings with respect

Q8diet- i quote you ‘From known statistics Bangladeshis are really trouble makers ‘ so you and iLsuL6ana inestigate all theses crimes and that is why you know this ‘fact’??

iLsuL6ana – oh right so you know they all come from prisons? So people from other races don’t commit crimes in your opinion? Must be good being the all knowing oracle! It is a shame you don’t write all your msgs in English as you have so many wise views to share.

Basically your attitude sucks!

il7amdila wel sheker 3ala ne3mat il 3aqal…Britchick My opinion is mine and yours is yours, if i want to share it, its up to me, and when i did share my opinion i didnt write anything about anyone else who commented. And if i would qoute someone else i would do it in a decent way, so we would learn something. So, i think you should learn how to argue your point in a decent way. I feel so sorry for you honey Your Attitude Totallly Sucks ๐Ÿ™‚ Wallah ta7alemaan et9eeren q8ty enaty oo wayhich.<< find someone to translate that for you ๐Ÿ™‚

iLsuL6ana don’t think you know what decent means. It usually means not being a bigot. Look that one up!

iLsuL6ana pS i suppose your opinions are not really worth the translation!!

Let us hope you will never have to live in poverty.

I have to agree, ilsul6ana ur a typical spoilt little girl, your opinion is purely based on pride you wont swallow and a head that hardly fits through the door.
I like anyone else dislike the strike thats going on, but honestly its about time its really time something should be done, some of the people that are brought to kuwait are put through conditions that they dont deserve. You wouldnt know this because you arent concerned about being proimised one thing and getting another whilst stuck in poverty in another country, All you care about is the latest stella shoes and cars according to ur blog.

I suggest you get off your high chair, take that silver spoon out of your mouth and open your eyes otherwise in many years down the road when someone asks you what your life meant to you, and what it meant to others you neednt think too hard.

Bangladeshis are known to have a violent streak…they can sometimes be murderous…anybody living in Kuwait who is in tune with what’s happening in Kuwait will know this. Unfortunately, there are many expats who live in Kuwait in their own little worlds separated from the native population, but at the same time have to the nerve to try and tell us Kuwaitis how to run our country. I say shutup, do whatever work you were brought here for, get your money, and leave!

On the other hand, the way that these foreign labourers are being treated conflicts with our Muslim religion. The Prophet Mohammed – peace and blessings be upon him – instructed Muslims to pay a labourer his/her dues before the sweat on his forehead dries. This instruction is very clear and doesn’t need much commentary. Those who are treating these labourers this way will feel the punishment of Allah sooner or later.

On a final note…Adam..just because ilsul6ana likes stella shoes and cars does not mean she cannot have an opinion. I suggest you learn how to debate an issue like a civilised human being rather than like an animal.

Khalid,

i think i put valid points across, and ill put some more across. First being that, telling me i debate like an animal show your lack of intelligence and shows your desperate flare to attention.

“Bangladeshis are known to have a violent streak๏ฟฝthey can sometimes be murderous”
How pathetically wrong can you be? And what are you basing your facts upon? You stereotype, and this can be like any other person saying that Kuwaitis are snotty-rich assholes that most come form broken homes, or that Saudi’s are extremist mindless twats. Dont over generalize or you yourself will fall victim to society.

“there are many expats who live in Kuwait in their own little worlds separated from the native population, but at the same time have to the nerve to try and tell us Kuwaitis how to run our country.”
How ignorant do you have to be? Do your really think that Kuwait is perfect? We probably need to listen to some people, because we sure as hell aren’t listening to ourselves. Let me remind you that through the many years Kuwait was established, assisted by and reseructed by your so called ‘expats’.

So next time, before you get your pudgy fingers out of the bag of Doritos and onto that keyboard, stop and think for a bit. You live in paradise, you have slaves cleaning up after you and a little place to call your own, and you can never really appreciate those luxuries enough. Again, I’ll tell you: I DO NOT like whats going on, but its going on for purpose and with reason, and thats because its our fault and you admit it. So stop throwing the blame around, swallow your pride and lets unite to form a better country.

Ok, ilsul6ana :

Here let me reply to your post on your blog because you couldn’t write it here:
First of all im not American, nor am i half American. I just thought i would reply in English like everyone else is doing.
Allow me to burst your bubble, all that you believe in is wrong. From what your read in the newspapers to the pretentious idea that Kuwait can just kick all the laborers out and be fine. Cant you see the repercussions already? Filthy malls, streets etc? Mitta yit7asan nafseyatkom?

The fact is, if we kick out a group of people we will find another to clean our streets because we wont do it ourselves. And then im not attacking you, im attacking your opinion because i want you to be a little more knowledgeable and articulate and not “ro7ow motaw”. Also if you don’t know, if everything was correct in the kuwaiti newspaper poor Jackie Chan would be dead and we would be looking at yom il qiyama at the end of the September…

Enta ga3ed tegra shino ga3ed takteb ya Adam? Me, Khalid and Q8diet are 100% sa7,

we tell you studies were taken, mo 3ajebkOm, we tell you the ministry themselves banned the bangledesh mo 3ajebkOm…5alas ge9aw 3ala a3markOm oo 9adgaw elly tabona for all i care..

Oo for your informatioN..ana law abbi a6awel il salfa ehni wakteb bakteeb, 3ashain adri enni sa7…So tefalsaf kil elly tabi oo saw nafseek shay..e5eth ra7teek ๐Ÿ™‚

Lol do you really think your stirring up a crowd and and getting support from your fellow fashion police buddies?

All you can say is la titfelself and ro7 motaw ? Just because you cant sit here and face the truth and pull random facts out of ur ass to justify ur case. You and your friends are wrong, there are no such studies so honestly come out of ur fake believe world. I have tried explaining my point with u as best i can, but honestly ur just to thick.

So yes i expect you to say ga3d atfalsef, and ro7 moot. Your what a hormonal 16/17 year old? Grow up

Britchick… “ignorance is a bliss, eh?”
reading our comments, i can only guess that the most likely reason u could quote that phrase is cuz its been said to you quite a few times.

oh and Adam, i think ur right – u should stick to writing in english cuz “Mitta yit7asan nafseyatkom?” is, funnily enough, not proper arabic. hehehe.

I do have to say that i my heart goes to those poor workers – no-one deserves to live like this, but its not the government’s fault. The government is providing them with a salary of KD120 per month, but the private companies that employ these workers are taking, sorry stealing KD100 from each worker, + another KD2 for some type of commission fee, leaving these poor workers with a total of KD18 per month. That’s where the problem is. So please, acknowledge yourselves with the facts in order to justify your opinion !!

FoRZa_iTaLia you miss the point. People here were objecting to the racist attutudes from certain individuals. Read again – maybe – just maybe you will get the picture.

you know this is really, really sad.

I agree with Adam to a point of view.

if you think about it logically, the Bangladesh people are cheap labors, ok i can understand that. but if i am living on an allowance of only 20 to 40 kd a month and if I don’t like the living standards how can i leave Kuwait if i can only live on 20 or 40 kd. Food, water, taxi, bus fare, phone, anything else.
secondly, i dont think its fair for you to not like someone if you were born poor and were raised up like this, and you had no point of education. So is it ok for me to make fun of people who are mentally ill, sick, on a wheel chair. or whatever.
thirdly, you are saying Bangladesh people are savages, causing a riot, well would i blame them if i don’t have enough money and work more than an average Kuwaiti citizen. Ok if you want to say its his job then at least fix the living conditions they give him.

BritChick, i totally get the picture. There ARE some racist people in kuwait, just like in any other country, who, even though are a minority, they are the ones that we tend to see.
But if also u ask any bengali / indian / sri lankan (etc..) worker what nationality are the people who donate to u a 1/4KD or KD1/2 on the street, u’ll find out its mainly the kuwaiti’s who do so. so there r some good & some bad kuwaiti’s, but i think the decent ones are, by far, the majority. thats a little off the point though
& when ur mocking people here about their “detective work” my answer to is that there are professionals who work 4 the government who caught these people red-handed stealing sewers covers, etc.
I DO believe that the humans rights foundation should intervene because the quality of life some of these workers are provided, is so atrocious, that it leads them to do all this illegal stuff; so can u see the circle forming here? I think the damage starts mainly with those private companies stealing those poor workers’ wages, & also the government for its lack of regulation over those companies.
I disagree with whomever said we should let them all go back home, cuz lets face it, we need them, which is just another reason why we should treat them fairly & respect them the way that they deserve ..!

Wow ! this discussion is hot… I am an expat and as a law abiding citizen you have abide by the law of the country where you reside. As far as Kuwaiti’s are concerned I think they are moderate people at least 75 %. This type of labor problems is usually created by high profile expats themselves Kuwaiti name only come as sponsor and all the operations are done by expats, so in this count also we cannot blame Kuwaitis fully. But All should remember 1 thing that before finding the oil, Kuwait was also one of the poor countries in the world.

Everyone who is a real Kuwaiti knows what bangladeshis have done to our country. Almost every Kuwaiti house have hired an indian, philipino, sri lankan, and a bangladeshi. Therefore, we know how bangaleshis are trouble!!!! I hate it how non kuwaitis come to Kuwait and complain!!! Dont stay if you hate it here!!! Just leave!!!!! If you hate it here then we dont want you here!!!!!!
1. the bangaldeshis can leave the country. the company or whoever hired them sends them back if they do not want to stay.
2. Dont accept a job if you are not satisfied.
3. Many Indian tea boys who work in companys have a salary of KD30. but we dont see them causing a riot.
4. they dont clean the streets. they say salam to passing cars so they can give them money!!

wallah your so funny adam..and talking about my blog is just so lame of you and shows shlon m3endek man6eeq eb kalamek..since it doesnt have anything to do with this issue,
Hatha wayhi etha enta 9eej Q8….

Bss egraaa Chood tefham shay
Oo wallah esloobek fathee3..eb9ara7a..ehwa elly akadLi ennek mO q8ti!
e3yaal il q8 ..etheelon mo7taramen beslob-hom,

Oo ay q8ty ra7 e3ref il mashakel elly 9ayra eb deratna..

Oo Again lel maraa il alaf 7ag il narrow minded ppl ana magelt killihom ana gelt il aqlabeya! oo ya3ni e7na mashefna 5air min il aqlabeya..ya3ni they bann them all a7san.

Oo Adri wayed ga3ed andemej..oo mafrooth bss asket oo 6af bss 9eej ta3leqat etnarfez oo Mithel bangi shino ya3ni Cancer? ya3alaa fee ehwa wela feni!

https://www.alwatan.com.kw/default.aspx?pageid=26&mgdid=438270

https://www.alwatan.com.kw/default.aspx?pageid=35&mgdid=438447

Erm … they do have one window A/C at the far left of the scenery .. I know I am off point but just wanted to point that out xD.

why don’t kUWAIT try deporting or stop recruting people from Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia etc. Lets see what will happen to Kuwait. From the so called lowly maids/kadama jobs, street cleaners, Managers & Engineers of OIL COMPANYS, Kuwait depends on these people. Kuwait produces 1.7million barrels of oil per day, why can’t they pay the kadamas and street sweepers a decent salary if these people make STATE OF KUWAIT LOOK LIKE A COUNTRY. tsk tsk tsk!!!! HEY EEMA, i hope you can find a kuwaiti person who could be your kadamas, street sweeper and/or REAL INTELLIGENT ENGINEERS to make kuwait life easy.

Ive been reading this since the begining, and God this drama is totally uncalled for…

Adam shtabi? ๐Ÿ˜› What are you trying to reach here? You’re fighting for nothing ๐Ÿ˜› Kaifha el bnaya hatha rayha, sh7arek? Unless you’re a homless bengali, shut up, az3ajtna… You’re not getting anywhere with ur dumbass type-ups.

Yeah, just thought sum one should stand up and shut you up ๐Ÿ™‚

And Britchick, you should do the same. I like your opinion.. But you’ve gone past “opinion” , you are simple attacking. Scanning posts for anything to comment negatively on.

Sheeesh you ppl sure are sad :S

i am sorry, looks like i went a little overboard, lol

what pisses me off is how kuwaiti’s generalize bangladeshi’s

how many kuwaiti people now even have the physical capacity to work in the sun at 50 centigrade while surviving on kd 10 a month(they send the other kd 10 they earn home)

yeah i am honest enough to admit many bangladeshi’s do resort to crime;
but i can prove that bangladeshi’s do not have the highest crime rate
in kuwait.
As for bangladeshi’s engaging in crimes, remember it takes two to tango, who supply the materials and buildings to them????

just google kuwaitis abusing domestic maids, go to the phillipine embassy and ask the maids who seek shelter there why they ran away from the kuwaiti homes.

i have seen with my own eyes a kuwaiti lady hitting a maid in public, humiliating her, even dogs are treated better

sadly, no one cares, most kuwaitis are blunt

they think bangladesh is useless country, lol, ok lets look at few facts,bangladesh has created a new breed of rice that can survive under water for 2 weeks, meaning we are helping the world control global hunger.
bangladeshi’s also invented the concept of microcredit, it is an economic model where poor people are given credit access and the creator dr yunus won the nobel peace prize for it because helping poor
people contributes to global peace, you can google him if you dont believe me.His organization is called grameen bank.

now lets look at kuwaiti achievements………good life due to oil……………………………………………………………………….

thats it, they sell oil, hardly an achievement is it.

mark and nat i didnt intend to use your blog to attack anyone, i just felt that bangladeshi’s have been maligned too much and no bangladeshi on the net has responded.

as for my previous arab comment, i am sorry, i got a little angry.

ilsul6ana the kuwaiti ministry banned the bangladeshi workers for some time because some minister just wanted to punish the bangladeshis, but kuwait later withdrew the ban on bangladeshis
after realizing kuwaitis wont clean the street and other people dont have the energy to do the work bangladeshis do, we might look brown and dirty,lol, but we are the toughest people in this planet, if we can survive on biscuits and tea and work 16 hours a day in such conditions, we can definitely outlast the kuwaitis and their precious oil

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