Muna Al-Fuzai

Ethiopian domestic labor will soon return to Kuwait after years of absence due to a recruitment ban. The Kuwaiti ambassador to Ethiopia told KUNA on Wednesday that he met the Ethiopian minister of labor to discuss the issue of the return of Ethiopian workers to Kuwait. The Kuwaiti official said he requested interested candidates go through specialized habilitation centers and undergo psychological tests. This demand was made because of a number of horrific killings by Ethiopian domestic helpers due to what was rumored to be mental illnesses.

According to the Kuwaiti ambassador, the Ethiopian minister confirmed the existence of training centers for the workers. The ambassador also said Kuwait is expected to work on a new draft agreement between Kuwait and Addis Ababa.

Turning to the archives of the local press before the official ban, I think it is necessary to mention some of the headlines that shocked the Kuwaiti society, including: "Ethiopian woman beheads woman on her wedding day in Jaber Al-Ali" and "Ethiopian maid kills female Lebanese employer".

It is natural that these sensationalized murders and attempted murders provoked the Kuwaiti community, especially with repeated reports of such crimes by Ethiopian workers in only a few short months. The nationality of the helper was always mentioned and the crimes were often violent and grisly. I guess it was a normal reaction that led the National Assembly to demand that Ethiopian domestic workers be banned from Kuwait. I think the call to subject domestic workers to undergo examinations to ensure they are free from any psychological diseases and get a certificate of sound mental health is reasonable.

But this is not enough. When a killing occurs, everyone thinks of the victim and the family, but few think what led this worker to violence in the first place. Yes, I agree that psychological conditions and mental illness could be a reason, but extreme poverty in the workers' home countries as well as abusive treatment at the hands of nearly all-powerful employers can also ignite hatred in the heart, which leads to such crimes. Let's remember that these helpers come from a far and troubled place and they are in need of kindness and good treatment by the family to make them feel safe and fairly treated. This is required and important regardless of nationality.

Also, aside from possible physical abuse, there is verbal abuse. I think that it is necessary to take care of the social and humanitarian relationship that makes the helper comfortable in the house in which she works.

The dilemma now is that many in the Kuwaiti society believe that all Ethiopians are violent, which is an unjust stereotype. I think it is unfair to have such a perception about all Ethiopians, because in every nationality and workplace there will be bad persons and good. The circumstances of the person and their living conditions may be a reason to commit a crime and not due to belonging to a particular community or state. The Ethiopian embassy must try to change this view, because it is unjust and racist. It is also necessary to have constant communication between the worker and the embassy before and after arriving in Kuwait.

I believe psychological evaluations should be carried out on workers as part of the procedures and conditions for the approval of domestic employment, whether Ethiopian or other nationalities.

By Muna Al-Fuzai

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