United States’ Ambassador to Kuwait Douglas Silliman tours the facility

KUWAIT: The United States' Ambassador to Kuwait lauded the Kuwaiti government yesterday on its continuing efforts to protect the most vulnerable workers in Kuwait and combat human trafficking issues in the country. Speaking to reporters during a brief tour of the 'Expatriate Manpower Lodging Center' in Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh, Douglas Silliman hailed Kuwait's efforts to protect the rights of expatriate workers and fight human trafficking.

Silliman noted the importance of this shelter for many workers, which ultimately helped resolve some issues. "I want to congratulate the government of Kuwait, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor and the leadership of the shelter's chairman Falah Al-Mutairi for operating this shelter to help the most vulnerable workforce in Kuwait," he said.

"Many people come to Kuwait from other countries hoping to improve their lives. Most of them have a good experience working with their employers, but there are people who are not lucky enough, so the shelter is a really good place for them. The shelter is clean, and they have done a very good job helping women with problems in Kuwait to resolve them and get back to their countries," he added.

Silliman noted that he was especially happy that the center provides medical and psychological care to expats, as well as suitable sleeping areas and means of entertainment. He said Kuwait has taken a huge step in moving from third to second place in the US' list of the top countries protecting expat workers' rights. "Kuwait was at Tier 3 since 2009 - the lowest status when it comes to the treatment of workers. In 2016, we raised it to Tier 2. This is in recognition of its effort made recently, most especially the practical steps taken to protect the most vulnerable workers. We have witnessed the progress so far," he noted.

Domestic helpers

The envoy also applauded the recent laws issued with regards to domestic helpers. "It provides shelter and legal options for women. This shelter is one example of what the government can do to help this vulnerable population. New laws have been passed for domestic helpers to give them more rights - this is very positive," he said. He also urged the Kuwaiti government to implement the laws recently passed, including a new anti-trafficking law, with the help of the ministry of interior to enforce the law. "We have provided consultation and some training for their staff. This is just one priority in our policy, but the action must be from the Kuwaiti government," he concluded.

Mutairi said the shelter was established to host female workers and is the first of its kind in the Middle East, with a capacity to receive 500 people. Kuwait is also planning on establishing a second shelter to host male workers, he added. Mutairi also noted that Kuwait has helped about 4,800 victims of human trafficking in cooperation with international humanitarian organizations and the UN.

By Ben Garcia