Global Courant 2023-05-26 17:49:53
Kuwait (Reuters) – Kuwait has indefinitely suspended all new visas for Philippine nationals, the Interior Ministry confirmed this week, in an escalation of a row between the oil-rich Gulf state and Manila over protection of workers and employers’ rights.
Philippine nationals make up about 6% of Kuwait’s population of 4.7 million, government data shows. Kuwaitis make up 32%.
The visa suspension comes after the Philippines halted the first deployment of domestic workers to Kuwait in February after the body of housekeeper Jullebee Ranara was found in the Kuwaiti desert in January.
Large numbers of Philippine citizens work abroad, with about 10% of the gross domestic product coming from remittances. Many work in oil-rich Gulf states like Kuwait as low-paid housekeepers, where visa systems tie an employee to one employer and leave migrant workers vulnerable to abuse — including employers confiscating their passports.
The Interior Ministry said on Wednesday that the Philippines had violated a bilateral labor agreement. The two countries signed an agreement in 2018 after a previous row over worker protections in the wake of several domestic worker deaths.
Listed violations include housing workers in shelters, searching for runaways without government agency involvement, communicating with Kuwaiti citizens without permission from authorities, and pressuring Kuwaiti employers to add clauses to employment contracts.
A week ago, the Philippine State Department said all actions taken by the Philippine Embassy and government are “to ensure the safety and well-being of our own nationals.”
“Providing protection to the citizens of a country abroad is an established duty of consulates under international law and treaties,” the statement said.
The Philippine embassy in Kuwait did not respond to a request for comment.
(Reporting by Ahmed Hagagy and Lisa Barrington; editing by Conor Humphries)
