GOK CONFIRMS THAT STANDARDIZED DOMESTIC LABOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L KUWAIT 003993 SIPDIS NOFORN SIPDIS FOR NEA/ARP, INL/HSTC, AND G/TIP E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/04/2016 TAGS: PGOV PHUM ELAB KU TIP SUBJECT: GOK CONFIRMS THAT STANDARDIZED DOMESTIC LABOR CONTRACT IS IN EFFECT; SHELTER UNDER STUDY REF: A. KUWAIT 3741 ¶B. KUWAIT 2569 ¶C. KUWAIT 1041 ¶D. KUWAIT 921 ¶E. KUWAIT 42 Classified By: DCM Matthew Tueller for reasons 1.4(b) and (d). ¶1. (C/NF) PolCounselor and PolOff visited Abdullah Al-Ruwaih, the Director of Immigration at the Ministry of Interior (MOI),on October 3 to inquire about the Ministry's plans to begin enforcing the standardized, three-party domestic labor contract on October 1. Al-Ruwaih confirmed that as of October 1 all expatriates receiving visas to come to Kuwait as domestic workers must have signed the new contract. The contract must be signed by the recruitment agency and employer in Kuwait, then sent to the Kuwaiti embassy in the sending country to be signed by the worker. The MFA was not able to confirm or deny that it had taken preparatory measures for implementing the contract, and promised to look into the matter. Post has asked its contacts in the sending countries' embassies to look into whether the contract is being enforced in their countries. ¶2. (C/NF) PolCounselor asked about the measures the Immigration Department, and specifically the Domestic Workers Administration (the DWA falls under the jurisdiction of the Immigration Department),would take to enforce the contract. Al-Ruwaih said the contract had been distributed to domestic labor recruitment offices and that the MOI had publicized the contract via the media. Al-Ruwaih and his aides, including the Director of the DWA, Adeeb Sweidan, stated that those found in violation of the contract could be prosecuted in Kuwaiti courts of law and that administrative punishments could also be imposed, such as preventing Kuwaitis from hiring more foreign workers for a given period of time. Al-Ruwaih noted that this was a new experiment for Kuwait, and that it would become clearer over the next few months how the contract was working. PolCounselor commended the MOI on this important step and urged the DWA to provide Post with statistics regarding how many of the contracts were being signed as well as how many violations were being reported and what happened to those cases. (Note: Sweidan remarked in the meeting that approximately 50,000 domestic workers arrive in the country every year. Official GOK estimates of the total number of domestic workers range from 450,000 to over 500,000. End Note.) ¶3. (C/NF) PolCounselor asked about the possibility of establishing a shelter for domestic workers. Al-Ruwaih said that the number of cases where domestic workers faced violence or physical danger was extremely low and that they could go to the police stations or the DWA. (Note: When Post visited the DWA earlier this year, the DWA only accepted workers when they were brought by their embassies during specified hours. End Note.) However, one of his aides said the matter was under study, and that there was a proposal to have the Kuwait Union of Domestic Labor Offices (KUDLO) run the shelter under MOI supervision (ref E). ********************************************* * 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/ ********************************************* * LeBaron