Weighing the Philippine OFW deployment ban on Kuwait- Good or bad?

No more Filipino Migrant Workers
for Kuwait.
Image credit: Pixabay

Another Filipina is found dead in a freezer in Kuwait. There seems to be a trend of dying Filipina Household Workers (HHWs) in the Middle East. Usually raped by their male employer, mistreated and abused by their female employer, and ultimately killed.  What makes it worse is that all deaths are treated as suicides by the authorities and none of these Filipinos ever attain justice.

It has never been kept a secret- the abuse that these Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) face in the hands of brutal employers usually from the Middle East. Saudi Arabia alone employs 1.5 million Filipino domestic helpers. Unfortunately, with most of the Filipinos living in poverty, the allure of finding a good paying job overseas has pulled millions of Filipinos out of their homeland to countries abroad with a big number being deployed in the Middle East. Armed with the hope to make their families financially stable, they leave to pursue the promise of a better tomorrow.

In Kuwait alone, 200000 OFWs are abused by their employer. Abuse ranges from working without pay, food, or sleep, being physically mistreated or tortured, and ultimately an untimely death. When these Filipinas ask for help from the recruitment agencies that facilitated their employment, their concerns are disregarded and they are told to finish their respective contracts without complaint. What I don't understand is why these agencies do not contact the proper authorities (like police) or the Philippine Embassy for prompt repatriation. Abuse from an employer is clearly a breach of contract, so why tell your recruits to continue working amidst abuse? Abuse can be proven by wounds and bruises all over the body. Why wait until it's too late?

My theory why agencies refuse to help the OFWs who report their employer's abuse is 1. They themselves have signed a contract with the employers of the OFWs and thus may pay damages if a breach of contract happens 2. There is a significant monthly gain in terms of profit from these employers aside from the agency's fee deducted from the monthly $400 salary of the OFWs. Therefore, if a Filipino domestic helper leaves the home of her employ, the agency loses a lot of money and their efforts and time in hiring go out the window.  The priority of these agencies is business first above anything else.

Filipina Household Workers are often
mistreated and abused.
Image credit: Pixabay

Unfortunately, some of the OFWs who work as household workers come home to the Philippines in a coffin, abuse written all over their corpses. It's hard to believe that all these deaths were tagged as suicides. But when you are treated worse than an animal, I believe that is enough to drive you to kill yourself. I feel for these Filipinas- they felt that the only way to escape their abusive employers and beyond par living conditions was to kill themselves. I want justice for these Filipinos- they never deserved to be treated that way.

I would like to point out one thing- this kind of thing happens MOSTLY in the Middle East- Kuwait having the largest number of Filipino deaths. I heard from a friend that Islam is a peace-loving religion. If that is the case, then why does this happen mostly in the Muslim- populated countries? Do the Muslims/Arabs believe in slave-labor? Muslims in the Philippines are repeatedly said to be innately lazy. This is the reason why Datu Paglas in Maguindanao had to create a slogan to encourage industriousness within the Muslim community. Are these Arabs racist and hate Asians or specifically Filipinos? Are the Arab men sexually oppressed in these countries that they have to rape these Filipinas? I have read that the ISIS rape as an offering to Allah. Most of these Arab employers are always caught saying "I paid good money for you". How much exactly? Because you never hear authentic rich people saying that. These are intriguing highly sensitive issues that need much clarity. I mean not to offend but, to ask.

Although abuse happens to OFWs in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and in China, the highest number is in Kuwait. Thus, the Duterte Administration has enforced a total deployment ban for Kuwait because Kuwait has failed to ensure the safety and security of Filipino migrant workers in their country. All OFWs currently working in Kuwait will be either granted passage back to the Philippines or given other employment in other countries mainly China. The Kuwaiti government is in shock with this diplomatic protest of the Philippines. According to some, neighboring Asian countries that "supply" to the needed labor force in Kuwait welcome this move of the Philippines. It will allow these countries to deploy more of their locals to the workforce of Kuwait. I just hope that whatever has been happening to the Filipinos will not happen to your countrymen. At least, and this is according to the Guardian, the Philippines has embassies scattered in the Middle East to help migrant workers, unlike some.

In the end, I hope the Kuwaiti and Philippine governments will find a compromise and new regulations revolving around "fair" treatment of migrant workers from anywhere around the globe can be made by the Kuwaiti government. A watchful eye should be kept on the agencies that are tasked to screen and hire migrant workers. Embassies should be further staffed and a partnership with the police enforced to save OFWs from abuse should be considered.

Modern day heroes, our OFWs, deserve respect and better treatment... Not a casket.

The Pinoy Inquisitor will be back again...