Hundreds of thousands overseas Filipino workers (OFW) in Kuwait expressed their decision to stay in Kuwait amid alleged cases of abuses in the Gulf state.
OFW Luzviminda said choosing to leave Kuwait would be a major loss for her family as her son’s education heavily relies on her remittance – this, despite being afraid after hearing about Demafelis’ murder, is also the reasons of other Filipino workers in Kuwait.
Another OFW, Rose, said that the benefits outweigh the risks in Kuwait. Rose has been a housekeeper in Kuwait since 1997. “I worked for 5 families, the last of which was an American family. They treat me well,” she said.
OFW groups in Kuwait have also expressed their request to the Philippine government to lift the ban on newly hired skilled workers. “There are a lot of opportunities for the Filipinos” in Kuwait, said Anna Bunda, founder of OFW group Sandigan-Kuwait.
“I hope that the government will hear us.”
On February 9, the Philippine government announced the total deployment ban of OFWs to Kuwait following the death of Joanna Demafelis whose body was found inside a freezer of an apartment in the Gulf state.
Since the imposition of the deployment ban, more than 1,700 Filipino workers have already been repatriated to the Philippines.
