AMBASSADOR ENCOURAGES GOK TO STRENGTHEN EFFORTS TO

C O N F I D E N T I A L KUWAIT 003440

SIPDIS

NOFORN
SIPDIS

FOR NEA/ARP AND G/TIP

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/21/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM KU TIP
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR ENCOURAGES GOK TO STRENGTHEN EFFORTS TO
COMBAT TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS

REF: KUWAIT 3322 AND PREVIOUS

Classified By: Ambassador Richard LeBaron for reasons 1.4(b) and (d)


1. (C/NF) The Ambassador met August 22 with Kuwaiti First
Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense, and Minister of
the Interior Shaykh Jaber Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah to review
ongoing GOK efforts to strengthen legal protections for
foreign domestic workers. He had a similar meeting with new
Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Shaykh Sabah AL-Khalid
Al-Sabah on August 15, sharing with him the G/TIP Action
Plan and stressing the importance of continued progress in
order to improve Kuwait's TIP ranking (reftel). Shaykh Jaber
welcomed the U.S. recommendations, but was otherwise
non-responsive. The Ambassador will follow up on the
discussion with a letter to the Minister, who as Interior
Minister has responsibility for domestic workers, and
encourage GOK implementation of the Action Plan.


2. (U) In support of efforts to combat TIP, the Ambassador
will host on September 12 a reception highlighting the
release of Project FALCON, a USG-funded and Embassy-prepared
brochure aimed at informing foreign domestic workers and
their employers of their legal rights and responsibilities.
Invited guests include GOK officials, diplomats from source
countries who cooperated with Post in preparing the brochure,
and members from the NGO and human rights community.

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For more reporting from Embassy Kuwait, visit:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/?cable s

Visit Kuwait's Classified Website:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/
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LeBaron