Philippine envoy welcomes ‘kafeel’ system cancellation

KUWAIT: Scrapping the ‘kafeel system’ (sponsorship system) is a welcome move, but addressing the concerns and issues of domestic helpers can go a long way, the Ambassador of the Philippines to Kuwait said. In a cordial meeting held with Abd Al-Rahman Alyan, Kuwait Times Editor-in-Chief, the Philippine Ambassador Shulan Primavera welcomed the news on the amendments made to the kafeel system. He, however, expressed slight hesitation. Primavera paid a visit to Kuwait Times office yesterday where he held a meeting with the newspaper’s Editor-in-Chief. Both sides discussed a host of issues.

Taking the point further, Primavera recommended that the government closely consider addressing the issues and concerns of domestic helpers. This, he said, could help repair Kuwait’s international image, “Kuwait’s name has taken a battering because of the domestic helpers’ issues, on the international front. If the concerns of domestic helpers are addressed, it can help Kuwait greatly and can go a long way,” Primavera stressed. “Cancelling the ‘kafeel’ system is one great move that will surely help expatriate workers, but it will also help Kuwait if the concerns of domestic helpers are given priority,” he reiterated.

Primavera pointed out that other workers’ concerns are well-protected by the Kuwaiti labor law, unlike the domestic helpers, a segment that is most vulnerable. The domestic helpers’ concerns in Kuwait are handled by the Ministry of Interior(MoI), and they are not covered by the new labor law. Just three days ago, the Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Mohammed Al-Afasi, announced that the ‘kafeel system’ would formally come to an end in February.

According to the ‘kafeel’ system, all foreign workers are required to be sponsored by Kuwaiti employers, which places them at the mercy of their bosses. If February’s promise materializes, Kuwait will become the second Gulf country to abolish the system, after Bahrain. Manama had likened the sponsorship system to modern-day slavery. –Ben Garcia, Staff Writer