A recent meeting between the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor and the Ministry of Interior discussed criticisms made by the International Labor Organization (ILO)

against Kuwait in regard to the regulations pertaining to expatriate manpower, especially for women who work as domestic helper. The meeting also came in parallel with the ILO's demands for Kuwait to abide by five international resolutions before 2015 at the latest.

A source from the ministry said that they have showed the Ministry of Interior these criticisms, including the failure to enforce Resolution #111 that included several clauses pertaining to the rights of household laborers.
Furthermore, they also demonstrated during the meeting the main decisions that they have made to protect expatriate manpower in the public sector while eliminating all of their problems and working on ending their struggle with their sponsors.

In that regard, they assured that they have banned child labor in illegal activities such as drug dealing while they are working on issuing a law that criminalizes human trafficking. In addition, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor called on the Ministry of Interior to provide them with their response in regard to the bedoon issue and their monitoring of housemaid agencies and drug trafficking activities.

The representatives from the MoI assured that certain measures have been taken to regulate the relationship between housemaids and their sponsors through a contract that includes time hours, days off, travel tickets and other privileges, Al-Qabas reported. Meanwhile, they will provide the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor with a complete study regarding the status of bedoons and the status of female laborers in military service and a right to assembly law, as these studies will be prepared during a futu
re meeting between the two ministries before they are sent to the ILO

Kuwaittimes