KUWAIT MEDIA REACTION - Update: TIP Report Coverage in

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 000772

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARP, NEA/PA, NEA/AIA, NEA/PI, INR/NESA, R/MR, I/GNEA,
B/BXN, B/BRN, NEA/PPD, NEA/IPA
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E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO XF KU TIP MEDIA REACTION

SUBJECT: KUWAIT MEDIA REACTION - Update: TIP Report Coverage in
Kuwait's Press Shifts Focus

Summary
--------------

Tuesday, July 08, 2008


1. (U) Summary. The TIP report's June 4 release triggered a
plethora of articles, editorials, and op-eds responding to the
report's contents. Initially, articles harshly challenged the
report's content; some articles continued to cover the Government of
Kuwait's (GOK) refutation of the report's contents. However, in
recent days, scathing editorials have given way to reports of
government efforts to address the issue, and editorials urging the
GoK to take action. It is worth noting that the conservative
English language daily Al-Watan ran a long investigative piece on
the treatment of domestic workers in Kuwait, complete with a
somewhat graphic picture. This cable is a snapshot of recent
Kuwaiti press coverage of the still-evolving reaction to the content
of the most recent TIP Report. End Summary.


2. (U) Block Quotes:

-- The newly established Arabic language daily, Al-Seyassah,
reported that the Administration of International Relations at the
Ministry of Justice refuted any allegations of trafficking in
persons occurring in Kuwait. The report said: "There is no solid
evidence supporting these allegations [of trafficking in persons]."
It also confirmed that "the Kuwaiti Constitution protects citizens
and residents rights', including the inhumane treatment of
laborers."

-- Under the title, "530 laborers violating decision banning working
at noon seized," the conservative Arabic language daily, Al-Watan,
interviewed Dr. Saleh Al-Sheikh, Deputy Undersecretary at the
Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor. Dr. Al-Sheikh stated (07/05):
"During the Ministry's surprise inspection tours of workplaces in
Kuwait between the hours of noon and four, the Ministry found 530
workers in violation of the Ministry's by-law, which bans work
during this period. The Ministry's by-law number 2005/157 bans
laborers in Kuwait from working in an environment where they would
be subject to direct sun exposure. During the Ministry's June
inspection tours, 530 workers were found to be in violation of that
law. Secondary inspections in the same locations during the same
month revealed 293 cases of violation."

-- Chief Editor of Al-Watan English language daily in Kuwait, and
daily columnist in Al-Watan's Arabic daily, Dr. Ali Al-Tarrah opined
(07/05): "Marginal labor in Kuwait is a big problem and growing
fast because the source of the problem is not being addressed. The
government must take strict measures against those who trade in
residency permits rather than simply opening shelters. Traders in
residency permits wander free without having any sense of their
responsibilities. All countries in the world have their own
regulations, except Kuwait, where things are loose and no
regulations are in existence."

-- The conservative Arabic language daily, Al-Shahid reported that
the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor is considering establishing
a company for ensuring laborers' wages (07/05): "The Ministry of
Social Affairs and Labor is studying a proposal from Dr. Walid
Al-Tabtabaei, Chairman of the National Assembly's Human Rights; the
proposal aims to solve the problem of laborers having their wages
withheld by their employers. The Ministry is considering
establishing a company that would be in charge of collecting the
wages of laborers from private sector companies and then paying the
laborers their salaries through the Ministry." The Minister of
Social Affairs and Labor Bader Al-Duwaila told reporters in an
earlier press conference that the Ministry "is very serious about
finding solutions to foreign workers' problems."

-- The conservative Arabic language daily Al-Watan interviewed
Lawyer Al-Thuwaimir (07/05). In reference to an MP's promise of an
investigation during a Committee for Human Rights meeting,
Al-Thuwaimir said to Al-Anbaa [Arabic language daily]: "citizens
have the right to know if past or present officials in the National
Assembly are involved in trafficking in persons." He added that the
[Kuwaiti] "Constitution gives us the right to prosecute those who
misuse their positions of authority as public servants. If former
officials were guilty of trafficking in persons, we need to know and
prosecute them. Legal immunity only protects current MPs, but we
need to know who they are so that we can prosecute them in the
future."


KUWAIT 00000772 002 OF 002


-- The conservative English language daily Al-Watan ran a story
under the headline, "Exploring conflicting reports of sexual abuse
on domestic workers in Kuwait." The report featured a graphic
picture of an injured Kuwait-based domestic, quoted extensively from
the TIP report, but also interviewed Kuwaitis alleged to be involved
in human rights issues. The article quoted Hamdan K. Al-Nimshan,
described as an advocate and legal consultant: "Sexual abuse takes
place all over the world and not only in Kuwait. I believe the
reason there is so much controversy about the issue of sexual abuse
amongst domestic workers is because we have a lot of servants in
Kuwait. Yes, there are cases of domestic workers who have been
sexually abused by their sponsors but I believe that the report that
was released by the human rights society was exaggerated. There are
not that many maids being sexually abused, on the contrary, most of
these maids come to Kuwait and receive good treatment. When these
maids go on their annual leave, their sponsors drive them to the
airport, process their paper work and do not leave the airport until
they have finished all necessary documents. Many of the employers
buy their workers mobile phones, give them gifts and ensure that
they have free time to relax." The article also quoted several
domestics who related stories of physical and sexual abuse, as well
as an anonymous source from the Philippine Embassy in Kuwait,
saying: "We have a lot of problems regarding rape, physical
injuries and sexual harassment here at the embassy. Some domestic
workers are being abducted and forced into prostitution and these
workers are unable to defend themselves. We have rescued 121
workers from October, 2005, who have been victims of abuse including
sexual abuse. It is likely that the numbers are a lot higher but we
are not authorized to go into every house and monitor how employers
are treating their staff. The number of workers being sexually
abused by their employees on a monthly basis is roughly two per
month, and these are the ones who runaway and seek the Embassy's
support. The real number is hard to obtain because most of the
workers are afraid to come forward for various reasons; some do not
do anything about it because they feel afraid, while some receive
verbal threats, by their employers."

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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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JONES