HRW: Why is Kuwait punishing those helping FWs in danger?

EDITOR: JOHN REY O. SAAVEDRA

MANILA — Human Rights Watch came to the defense of the Philippines as it expressed displeasure over the move of the Kuwaiti government to punish the people who tried to help distressed overseas Filipino workers.

Rothna Begum, HRW Middle East and North Africa researcher, called the arrests of two Philippine embassy staffers “outrageous.”

“The Kuwaiti authorities shouldn’t be punishing those for helping domestic workers in danger but rather working with the Philippine Embassy to help investigate and rescue distressed workers,” Begum said in a statement Friday.

The Department of Foreign Affairs, however, said in a statement Thursday that aside from the three diplomatic personnel who were ordered arrested by the Kuwaiti authorities, four Filipinos hired by the Philippine Embassy remained in detention.

The Gulf nation also declared Ambassador Renato Villa as an unwanted individual and asked him to leave Kuwait.

The Philippines issued an apology on Tuesday after Kuwait viewed the conduct of “rescue” operations by the Philippine mission to save some distressed domestic helpers a violation of its laws and sovereignty

Foreign Affairs Secretary Cayetano clarified that these operations were not illegal and were coordinated with local authorities except for life-ordeath cases.

Kuwait is demanding that the Philippine mission give the names of the Filipinos who took part in the missions that took domestic workers from their employers’ homes.

The two countries have since started negotiating a pact that would give OFWs better protection after a Filipina helper Joanna Demafelis was found inside a freezer a year after she was killed.

There are around 260,000 OFWs in Kuwait.