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Walls at Every Turn
Abuse of Migrant Domestic Workers through Kuwait’s Sponsorship System
Summary
Key
Recommendations
Methodology
I.
Background
The
Migration of Domestic Workers to Kuwait
Sending
Countries’ Protection Gaps
Sanju
R.’s story
II. Legal
Framework for Migrant Domestic Workers
International
Human Rights Obligations
National
Laws
The
Aliens’ Residence Law of 1959 and Accompanying Regulations
Labor
Protections for Domestic Workers
Draft
Domestic Labor Legislation
III. A
System that Breeds Exploitation
The Business
of Recruitment
Where Does
the Money Go?
Buying Back
Their Freedom..
IV.
Workplace Abuses
Nonpayment
of Wages and Overwork
Sexual,
Physical, and Psychological Abuses
Denial of
Adequate Food and Health Care
Restrictions
on Freedom of Movement
Passport
Confiscation
Forced
Confinement in the Workplace
V. Nowhere
to Turn
Agency
Abuses
Lack of
Shelter
Government
Shelters
Embassy
Shelters
VI.
Punishing Escape
Absconding
Criminal
Charges against Domestic Workers
Failed
Escapes and Suicide Attempts
Deportation
VII.
Barriers to Redress
Inadequate
Complaint Registration and Resolution
Domestic
Workers Department
Police
Stations
Judicial
Redress
VIII.
Recommendations
To
Kuwait’s Parliament
To the
Ministries of Labor and Interior
To the
Ministry of the Interior
To
Governments of Labor-Sending Countries, including India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka,
Ethiopia, Ghana, the Philippines, and Nepal
To Members
of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), including Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain,
Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)
To the
International Labor Organization (ILO) and the International Organization for
Migration (IOM)
IX. Appendix
X.
Acknowledgements
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