Duterte threatens to ban Filipinos from working in Kuwait over abuse concerns
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said yesterday he may impose a permanent ban on sending workers to Kuwait and withdraw his countrymen working there if another Filipino maid is raped or killed.
The comments were the second time in less than a week that Mr Duterte expressed anger about alleged abuse in Kuwait, where he said low-paid Filipinos were made to endure rape and starvation.
“Treat my countrymen as human beings, with dignity,” the president said.
Mr Duterte asked the governments of Kuwait and other Middle East countries, where more than a million Filipinos work, to take steps to end the abuse.
“I hope I am not committing a diplomatic faux pas.
“But one more incident ... I’m going to ban,” he said before leaving for a regional summit in India.
“And I’m sorry, the Filipinos there, you can all go home.
“If you leave, they will also be having a hell of a time adjusting to that.”
On Friday, the Philippine Labour Ministry suspended the sending of workers to Kuwait, a day after Mr Duterte said abuse had driven several maids to commit suicide.
Kuwait initially expressed surprise at the comments.
It said it was in touch with Manila to try to resolve the issue.
More than 250,000 Filipinos work in Kuwait, the Philippine Foreign Ministry estimates, most of them domestic helpers.
There are also large numbers in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
Remittances by overseas Filipinos amount to more than US$2 billion (Dh7.35bn) a month.
Mr Duterte said Kuwait was an ally, but abuse should not be tolerated.
“I hope that you listen to me,” he said.
“We may need your help, but we will not do it at the expense of the dignity of the Filipino.”