The abuse of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in Kuwait persists with government data revealing that at least two cases of physical abuse, sexual harassment, or rape occur daily, reported The Manila Standard.
Despite the number of cases decreasing in the past six years, this is still “one too many”, according to Department of Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople.
The report came in the wake of DMW’s decision to suspend contracts of first-time OFWs to Kuwait following the death of Jullebee Ranara, whose body was found buried in the desert on January 21, 2023. She was reportedly raped, murdered, burnt and thrown in the desert.
Ople has sent a fact-finding team to Kuwait to assess the performance of migrant workers officers ahead of a review of the bilateral labor agreement.
The report of The Manila Standard showed data it acquired from Sen. Joel Villanueva, showing over 200% increase in the number of cases involving contract violations and employers holding possession of OFWs’ passports from 2017 to 2022.
Villanueva told the report that there were 948 reported cases of abuse, including 823 cases of physical maltreatment, 99 cases of sexual abuse, and 26 cases of rape last year. This equates to at least two cases per day.
The data also shows that 96% of OFWs seeking refuge in shelters in Kuwait were household service workers.
A Memorandum of Agreement was signed between the Philippines and Kuwait in 2018, but the situation has not improved, and OFWs are still vulnerable.
The bilateral labor agreement between the Philippines and Kuwait is up for review, and the audit of the fact-finding team dispatched by Ople will be used as the basis for reforms.
“One rape, one senseless death, one unpunished crime or incident of abuse, is one too many,” Ople said.
