Kuwait's Abused Domestic Workers
With its large oil reserves and a small population Kuwait is one of the richest countries in the world. It has a population of about 3 million. Over 600,000 domestic workers come from Asian countries , mostly Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, Indonesia and the Philippines.
These foreign workers are not protected by Kuwaiti law. Many of them are treated badly by their employers. Domestic workers tell stories of abuse, beatings and other types of bad treatment.
In many cases, they do not get paid for their work, have to work for months without a day off , or are not allowed to visit family members in their home countries. Sometimes they do not get food or medical care .
Although many of them have complained about such bad treatment there is nobody in Kuwait who can help them. The government says they have no reports of migrant workers being badly treated.
Human Rights Watch has demanded that the Kuwaiti government give domestic workers better protection from employers who abuse them.
Related Topics
Words
- abuse = if you treat someone in a cruel or violent way
- beating = to hit someone many times
- complain = to say that you are unhappy about something
- day off = a day, on which you do not have to work
- demand = to ask for something because you think it is right
- domestic worker = someone who works in a person's house. They clean the house, cook, wash, care for children etc..
- employer = a person who gives you work
- foreign = from another country
- Human Rights Watch = organization that care for the rights of people
- law = rules of a country
- medical care = to help a person who is ill
- migrant = someone who goes to another country to live or work there
- protect = guard , defend