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Women from Sierra Leone ‘sold like slaves’ in Kuwait

domesticworker

“Choose the one you want,” says one agent with a smile. “I will give you a hundred days’ guarantee. If you don’t like her you can send her back.”

The Guardian published an article two days ago on the treatment of domestic workers in Kuwait, specifically ones from Sierra Leone. They compared it to slavery with every right to do so. One interesting fact the article highlighted is that nearly 90% of Kuwaiti households employ at least one foreign maid. That’s just an insane figure. Check out the full article on The Guardian [Here]

Also Fajer the Lawyer previously posted on Domestic Workers Rights [Here] in case you missed it.

Thanks Laila

68 replies on “Women from Sierra Leone ‘sold like slaves’ in Kuwait”

Well you see, when slavery existed in America, slaves sometimes had the owners initials branded on their body. In Nazi Germany, Jews had to wear the a yellow star.

Now it’s the Arab world.

most asian expats have known about the slave market for years but have always had resistence from patriots. Not just any patriots btw, the english speaking, sophisticates from great families who say that most kuwaitis treat their maids like family

Those sophisticates you speak of are few and far between. They are the very small exception, and not the rule.

Yeaaaah, yes. Youre probably one of the ones who do the mistreatment. Hey, I have an idea, stop being lazy and do your own chores. How about that?

wow – complete guesses about people you dont know online. It’s hard to feel offended about something so asinine. Any sort of intellectual – you are not.

Both points are arguable. You too need to show facts that supoort your statements or shut up and stop acting like kids.

Whatever they mentioned, I bet those maids are living at least 200% better life than where they came from.

its pathetic that most of your posts are envying Kuwaitis specifically on the wealth they have.

as a Jordanian, I appreciate Kuwait for the care provided to my family as I was born here and lived here most of my life. I am sure if my dad lived somewhere else and I was born somewhere else then I will not have the standard rights as the ones I am having here.

Living here is like this: If you follow the rules and respected the society values, then you are safe and you will enjoy this country more than its people. if you are trying to be smarter than the society values, then you’ll be in trouble.

Your uninformed thinking is one of the reasons these immoral and hypocritical people justify their mistreatment of their maids in the first place.

mark, apologies, i know this comment might get a little insulting towards the end but honestly, i couldn’t help myself. hopefully, you’ll let it through.

maher, you started with “whatever they mentioned”. i don’t get it. did you even read the article? or did you just decide to spew all that garbage without bothering to read it?

how tf are most of his posts envying kuwaitis for their wealth!? wtf are you even talking about? do you even READ this blog!? fuck, do you even read ANYTHING or do you just gallavant around the internet and comment on a public forum when you know nothing?

i appreciate kuwait for all that it is. this country has looked after my family and i and we are grateful. there is no place on this earth, that i’ve been to, that feels like home quite like kuwait does. that being said, i don’t necessarily agree with everything that goes on here.

having your passport taken away, not getting paid for work, not having a day off… does that really sound legal to you? do you think getting burned by hot oil by your sponsor is legal? wtf do you mean “if you follow the rules”? these workers don’t even have time to themselves to break rules in first fucking place! the only ones abusing the law are the sponsors.

the article ends with “i just want to go back home”. do you really think she would have said that had her life in kuwait been “200% better life than where they came from”?

do yourself a favor and read before you decide to state your opinion. congratulations on looking like a ginormous fucking donkey. i just wish i had a face to put to your comment to, so i could ridicule you in person.

then again, i know exactly what a donkey looks like so i’ll be sure to keep my eyes peeled.

You do have a point in some of what you say. Living and working here for domestic workers gives them an opportunity to first live better second make more money in order to live better back home. However the main problem is not if 90 percent of the houses of kuwait have maids but how they treat their maids. There are laws yes however an a labour worker has no access to them. When a labour worker goes to the police station they are treated like cattle if not worse. They are employees and have rights and deserve respect. It boils my blood to see a helper wash her sponsors car in the middle of the day when the sun is at its hottest. They are abused yes.

One more thing, having affordable help at home is a blessing and if it was available worldwide everyone would do it, the biggest proof is when people from the west come and settle her with their families they hire a maid/helper nanny because it gives them more time to work etc.

80kd is not a lot of money in kuwait. You can spend that in a couple restaurants, but it can, over the course of a year buy land, build a house and take care of a family in some parts of the work.

Remember 100 dollars american feeds a family of 5 in countries all over Africa.

The feed you talk of is maize, plantains, banana leaf, betel nut, worms, and wild animals mostly fetches from trees, plantations and deep jungle animals – all FREE! Did you know that Angola, South Africa, Botswana, Niger, Chad, Cote D’Ivoire, Sudan, and other African nations have the highest inflation rates in the world??? Fuck sakes a loaf of fresh baked bread costs like $2 dollars in Angola, Mozambique!!

Their houses are mud thatch straw built! All free from the earth.. They can’t afford to buy a brick damnit!!!

You want to see slavery promotion? Watch Salwa Mutairis videos on YouTube! You want to see beater battered bruised domestic helps? Visit the Philippine embassy’s runaway maid shelter! You wanna see a live example of Kuwait State (the government) promoting slavery? Read up on the battle between the INDIAN embassy and Kuwait Government trying to enforce the KD700.00 bank guarantee! You want to see prostitution money reaching Kuwaitis? Go talk to a Bangladeshi cab driver who will tell you innumerable stories of kidnapping and forced into the flesh trade!

The whole khadim visa system is a bloody mafia. A popular maid agency in Kuwait’s owner sits on the MoSAL panel!

Nuff said!!

guaratee should be much more than 700 KD. families that pay up to 1000 KD to get them to the country plus the ticket are used as anchors for the maids to come to here and runaway to work with relatives or for companies. thats illegal and immoral.

they are paid for a service that alot of them don’t even intend to preform.

I know what alot of this blogs readers think about locals. but our money doesn’t grow on trees.

“I’m sure had I lived elsewhere…”

That’s the materialistic you having preference over a moral and ethical you!

Maher, congratulations on being a donkey as K has done a great job of stating.

Let’s try and knock some sense into you, shall we?

“I bet those maids are living at least 200% better life than where they came from.”

Tell you what – get your head out of your ass, do the research, come with literal statistics, put real money on the table (as real bets are made of) and I will pay YOU if you can prove this vs. taking from your ass.

“its pathetic that most of your posts are envying Kuwaitis specifically on the wealth they have.”

We see the world as we are, not as it is. Perhaps this is too much philosophy for your pea brain but I try.

“I am sure if my dad lived somewhere else and I was born somewhere else then I will not have the standard rights as the ones I am having here.”
Here’s the thing, life is never black or white. You can appreciate a country while still calling it out on BS. As for “being sure” about anything, its only because clearly, you haven’t been anywhere else and because talk is cheap. Not everyone is in the same shoes as you. There are people who are far poorer and their tales of slavery are true.

“Living here is like this: If you follow the rules and respected the society values, then you are safe and you will enjoy this country more than its people. if you are trying to be smarter than the society values, then you’ll be in trouble”.
Again, feel free to thank your stars that you haven’t experienced getting screwed despite doing all of this. There are people who have. Might want to get off your high horse.

The only thing I’m going to truly wish for you is that someday you end up in the position of the people you’re betting on. People like you won’t learn any other way.

everyone keeps talking about how the maids have a ‘better’ lives here and ‘more’ money than they get back home. Let’s just take a very simple example – you have a super conservative orthodox and abusive family. You live with them. You are not as conservative as they are but you still live with them, respect them because well commitments, relationships, money, no where else to go etc. Does that give your parents the right to hit you up, lock you in the room, not give you a penny to spend? Because if you complain about all those things, one could tell you run from home and live on streets, life will be better. Which you might at some point anyway but does that make what your parents did to you fair?

btw, that ‘slave’ is on the phone talking to the world – something she would only dream doing back at their home.

You’re from Jordan you say?

Are you aware of the fact then that India and Ethiopia, two of the poorest nations in the world according to the International Monetary Fund, have MUCH more mobile phones in usage per capita than Jordan?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_number_of_mobile_phones_in_use

I’ve been to both of those countries and every single schmo on the street had a cellphone in their hand.

I have no idea where you get your preconceived notions about other countries.

Mark, this article from The Guardian was circulating heavily on social network sites this past weekend. Thank you for posting it on here.

FYI that “Slave” must be talking to her SIR informing him that MADAM is shopping and I am lost here in the mall ! Most of the “SLAVES” are given cellphones with only incoming calls facility and if at all outgoing, to a SPECIFIC NUMBER

You are a disgusting human being. Even so, I hope none of the people you care about have to experience a fraction of what these modern day slaves have to go through.

I don’t agree. I DO hope that Maher Rhayel experiences what these modern slaves do. Because he/she seems like the type of close-minded person that won’t learn unless something drastic happens to them.

Miss/Mr Jordan ,

I am an Indian born and raised like you in Kuwait. Yes.. The land has blessed me in many ways. I have to agree with the fact that majority of the maids are mistreated here. There are exceptions of course . But I believe just because someone is unfortunate enough to work at our homes as helpers; it does not allow us to mistreat them or abuse them. They are humans just like us.. I have a Srilankan maid for the past seven years and she’s had horrendous stories to say about the three families she worked with before us. I am not pointing fingers at any particulate race or nationality. All I say is – there should be humanity left in us when some one prepares our meals/ cleans our homes/ help raise our children.

The 100 day guarantee is very similar to any clause in an employment contract that gives the employer a right to terminate the employment without any justification within 100 days of hiring. My own employment contract also has this clause, and I am Kuwaiti. As for “choose the one you want”, this is equivalent to choosing a hirable candidate among a list of applicants in a company. I don’t see why these two matters translate to slavery.

I am without a shadow of a doubt against mistreatment of any house maid, which should be treated as seriously as you would any horrible crime. Saying that all housemaids are treated as slaves in Kuwait is misguided though. For example, I have a housemaid. She is free to resign at any time. She is also free to leave Kuwait after two years and not return at any time, with a paid ticket and an advance of two months salary. All of my friends and family do the same. Is this slavery? I think not.

The “kafala” law of Kuwait created a slave market. People call it “tanazol” (relinquish), in which the kafeel asks for money in exchange for revoking and transferring the “Kafala” to another person.

This *is* a form of slavery because the domestic worker cannot freely move from one job to another without the consent of the “Kafeel”: the master. The most unfortunate thing is that it is the law.

While many people do not ask for money for transferring the iqama of their domestic workers, many other people do. All you have to do is check the classifieds for “khadam lil tanazol” and you will realise the extent of the problem.

By the way, they go to 1000-1500KD these days.

Two questions regarding that:

1. Would this make 90% of Kuwaitis (as per the article) slavers, since they partake in such a market?

2. Isn’t what you mentioned the same as certain other job markets that are highly controlled, such as football players? Football players cannot willingly leave their current employer (their club) unless the club relinquishes them, usually in return for payment or transfer of another player, or both.

The answer to both of your questions on no.

So, do I congratulate you on solving the slavery problem in Kuwait?

disagree on the first point. We are all IN the system and are therefore slavers. Why? because we have no legal humane avenues by which to procure willing and able help. If we hold onto passports, we are very much slavers because we have withdrawn the freedom for them to leave – thats right, it may be illegal to leave but for a human to withold that right from another is slavery.

Dont get me wrong I am not pointing a finger at everyone else. We have a maid too, and yes because we are aprt of the system, we are slavers

No one is denying the abuse. but to make blanket statement about Kuwaitis is just narrow minded.

We have a long way to go with human right, for both expats and more importantly Kuwaitis (it is after all the only place we got). And BTW a lot of domestic workers not only make a better living in kuwait they are treated better than they are in their countries, so don’t get too excited and call them modern day slaves.

so after saying dont make blanket statements, you make blanket statements? At least the Kuwaiti thing is backed up by figures but the idea that ‘btw a lot of them are treated better in kuwait’ is making EXACTLY

I don’t see where i made a blanket statement.

and yes a big part of the problem is the culture they came from that justifies tolerating being abused. Caste systems are planted deeply in the psyche of a lot of south Asians. that’s why you don’t see as much abuse towards expats from other regions.

Also, can anyone say with clear conscious that these abuses are limited to Kuwait or GCC? I’ve been around, and there are NOT. and believe it or not, maids do wear uniforms in America and Europe.

This is a report about something real that is happening in Kuwait. If you don’t personally do the things that are described in the article, it does not mean that the problem does not exist. It will also not make the problem go away.

People must face reality and stop being so defensive.

It’s the ‘system’ to blame and the people who are responsible for the ‘system’ are members of the government. I often wonder if they really care about the reputation of the nation overseas. Currently Kuwait has a foul reputation if you go into countries where these women come from and even in Dubai you can almost speak to anyone and they know what goes on in Kuwait and it is not flattering to say the least. It doesn’t matter how much money you donate, it will not suffice for the suffering that you cause on your own soil.

I’ve been to the UK, Jordan and Turkey and I have yet to hear a positive remark about Kuwait after I tell them I’m from there. People look at you different, and one Turkish waitress told me Kuwaitis drink a lot and never tip. Every country thinks of us obnoxious, rich and spoiled people. It’s really shameful, and people tell me they don’t believe I’m Kuwaiti because I seem so nice.

yousefq8 – in turkey now. A Kuwaiti was being rude tpo people IN ATATURK AIRPORT as soon as he had landed. Some people give me funny looks when i tell them i live in kuwait but i am quick to point out i am not kuwaiti and then the stories start coming out. And i can only nod and agree. everyone i have met here hates folks from kuwait, saudi and qatar

Kafala is should scrapped immediatley. I wish there was an easy and legal way to get a parttime maid in Kuwait but it’s all under the table and very shady.
We’re stuck with paying close to a 1000kd for a maid who may or may not be mentally stable, may or may run off without coming back. Inhumane treatment cannot be excused but the system makes it hard for people to give maids total freedom to come and go as they please.
Yes I have heard the argument that “if you treat them well they will stay”. I do that but I still get problems.
P.S I have offered all maids I’ve dealt with days off to go outside but they refused because they didn’t want to waste money and they didn’t know anything about kuwait. Am I a slaver?

Thanks Mark for posting this and being brave enough to state your opinion even when the powers that be might not like it.

Until you change the system don’t expect to see any changes in the treatment of housemaids. Many people in Kuwait (not only Kuwaitis) have become too dependent on housemaids in their daily lives. For this reason you can expect to see a lot of opposition when it comes to making any humanitarian changes. Many domestic helpers are treated like slaves and I have seen that here in Kuwait and written about it. We need to ask ourselves when did society become so dependent on others doing everything for us? Just because we have the chance to take advantage of others does not mean that we should.

Ahmad/ Mohammed,
I do not see the article accuse or slander 90% of the Kuwaitis. All it says (if you have read it) is that 90% of the Kuwaitis use foreign maids. I’m sure no one will dispute this statement.

The article also says that the “Women from Sierra Leone formerly employed as domestic workers in private Kuwaiti households said they had been “sold like slaves” by recruitment agents to families in the Kuwaiti capital and then resold multiple times.”. That’s a statement made by a group of people that experienced the plight. Nothing wrong in that either as they have experienced it and that therefore is the truth.

“…free to resign at any time”, does not mean anything. What matters is whether they have their rights while they are working with you. Being tied to a contract is fair enough as is with players, but they have no restrictions to the conduct of their daily life. Please note that I am not pointing a finger at you. All I am saying is that an option to resign an pack up is no good enough and yet there are others who I’m afraid to say do not even have that option … the option to resign an pack up!

To Maher Rhayel
Living in conditions 200% better is something you have experienced. Not everyone is as fortunate. Thank God for your fate, but also feel for the less fortunate. Again, life style improvement at the cost of many factors such as freedom to behave like a human being is not necessarily good enough. Ok, I did not have an A/c back home. If I then am put within 4 air conditioned walls with no freedom of movement, no freedom of though, nor interaction does that make my life 200% better?

You also said “Living here is like this: If you follow the rules and respected the society values, then you are safe …” What would you say of cops who tow your car away for the lack of a perfect paint job? The driver has respected all values but their property taken away by force. There are n number of cases where absolutely law abiding people are pulled up reasons they know not nor understand.

As pointed out by many, it is the kafeel system that is to blame along with the attitude of those responsible for safe guarding the law. If the helpless cannot approach the protectors owing to the attitude of the latter, every system and law WILL fail.

I did not read the article.

I just want people to know that our maid lived with us for more than 15+ Years.

Just want everyone to know that we all love her <3

She is part of the family from day 1 and always will be forever!

I thank her every single time i see her for everything she does <3

Respect and attitude are the most important aspects of a good relationship with them.

Thank you Naomi, We all love you!

I feel sick reading about the mistreatment. I can’t believe people are still treating maids this way.

Law should be applied strictly against domestic violence, just like other laws that are being more strictly applied (i.e. traffic )

I think I have been misunderstood due to the fact close-minded replies to particular ppl here

anyway lets solve the issues:

lets talk about modern slavery in India, Lebanon, Pakistan, Egypt, Syria, Philippines, and all the reader’s countries (including Jordan dont worry).

now compare that modern slavery to what you see in Kuwait.

OK now say ‘Alhamdulillah’.

Enough said.

What is described in the article is wrong and evil “absolutely”.

You, and many other pathetic people with low standards and ambitions for Kuwait are always trying to turn the evils in this country into a “relative” problem.

“Alhamdulillah” that I am not like you.

It can’t be that you’re a donkey, its the close minded replying people that are a problem. I hope your damn high horse kicks you off it and lands atop you.

Here’s some enlightenment loser – it happening in other countries does not make it ok to happen here. No one said Kuwait is the only country to have issues – this article is about Kuwait and we are denouncing it as such. If it were about another place, we ‘close minded’ would do the same.

How about you open your mind a bit and get some reasoning skills before you post your junk. As for solving any issues, you haven’t solved shit – not even your own ignorance. You’re just here ass kissing.

Stick with saying ‘Alhamdulillah’ that you’re not one of these slave workers. Though with some justice in the world, you should be. Its disgusting how you lack compassion for the plight of any downtrodden anywhere.

Enough said.

we live in Kuwait. hence we talk about kuwaiat. your tactic of trying to deflect the argument by pointing at something that is not being discussed is ignorant and stupid.

I think somebody mentioned this before but if back in civil war america people said. well the blacks get treated worse in africa .. or some stupid shit like that, well then slavery would never have been abolished. But dont worry there were plenty of slavers like you around at the time holding back everything and everyone.

Maher the professional ass-licker. The type of foreigner who deleted Viber off his iPhone when the government frowned upon it.

I am a sri lankan wor king as a maid for 2 years in kuwait and this is the first time in a foreign country. Before i came here i had a different opinion about GCC nationals, i thought all of them are very rich very religous and they hve a very good family bond and not educated much. After i came here i realized that they also same as any other country ppl. What i am trying to say is unless you experience by yourself u dont understand aboutothers. This is 21st century but most of the arabs including kuwaitis think maids r still having a 20th century lifestyle. Using a mobile service is not luxury anymore in the world. In our country you can buy a cellphone with connection only for 2dinars yes 2 kuwaiti dinars and for same mobile line for one minite its only one rupee and for other lines its only two rupees it cost.sms only 50 cents for any local line. Even beggers have cellphone in our country so stop thinking that a maid have a mobile back in home. I dont know what ppl mean by having a better life than home country. In srilanka any one can earn enough of money for their basic need. Most ppl come abroad to give there children abetter life not because they want to have a better life . I like to explain a lots of things to arabs but i am not used to type from a mobile so after i get back to my country i will write my experience to you people i hope mark will post that.

would like to see defenders of Kuwait explain this one. Or maaaaaaaaybe, life in our own countries is actually pretty okay and the REAL reason we are here is because our cultures and personalities mean we want to make money to put our kids in good schools and colleges back home (many of which are better than the unis here btw), make sure our old people are well taken care of and provided for – and providing only the best that money can buy for our families. Notice we are not bringing them HERE to kuwait for the good life, just the money that makes it happen.

so next time you think, if you dont like it gtfo, or life is worse where they come from/ they get treated worse at home … maybe try and erase the brainwashing and look at our lives from the perspective of the responsibility and duty we feel for our families rather than the idea that your country is the best in the known universe

I don’t think anyone in Kuwait truly believes that if domestic helpers worked back where they are from they would die of starvation.So the whole idea of if you don’t like it gtfo makes a lot of sense whilst I truly hate the way maids are marketed and treated in Kuwait, I don’t think Kuwaitis are entirely to blame.

If any of you used common sense you will quickly realise that the people who are the first to be blamed are those recruitment agency back in THEIR countries (where the false promises are made). Kuwaiti families who have domestic help didn’t dupe their staff into thinking that they were looking for nurses or hotel staffs only for them to find out they were going to become domestic helpers.

Mungeemand, Since the schools and life back home is so much better than kuwait. Do yourself the biggest favour in your lifetime and do leave and go back to heavenly country where you blessed us with your presence probably not that long ago.

@ 2 years as a maid best of luck to you and your family. keep strong.

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