Kuwait wants Ethiopian ‘domestic workers’ after Philippine ban

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Kuwait wants Ethiopian ‘domestic workers’ after Philippine ban

11:19 CAT | 03 Apr 2018

Relatives of Filipina worker Joanna Demafelis, whose body was found inside a freezer in Kuwait, hold banners calling for justice for her. Getty Images

Authorities in Kuwait have announced they will recruit domestic workers from Ethiopia to cover for a “deficit” – after the Philippines banned its citizens from working in the Gulf nation.

Gen Talal Al-Maarifi, head of the Residency Affairs, told news agency AFP the country aims “to open the door to the recruitment of Ethiopian workers to fill the deficit of domestic servants and reduce prices”.

The Philippines banned their citizens taking up the roles in the country following the murder of 29-year-old Joanna Demafelis, who went missing in September 2016.

Her body was found in a freezer earlier this year, bearing signs of torture.

Her employers, a Lebanese man and Syrian woman, were sentenced to death this week.

Despite this, Ethiopia last week ended a similar five-year ban for its citizens, which was brought in following reports of abuse and complaints that employment agencies lured its citizens to work illegally and under appalling conditions.

Last year, Kuwaiti police detained a woman for filming her Ethiopian maid falling from the seventh floor without rescuing her.

Rights groups have criticised Kuwait and other Arab countries, where migrant labour is regulated under a system known as “kafala”.

The kafala, or sponsorship, system ties migrant workers’ visas to their employers, prohibiting workers from leaving the country or changing jobs without prior consent.

Mr Maarifi said there were more than 15,000 Ethiopians currently living and working in Kuwait.

Source: BBC