Manama: A Kuwaiti who had a sticker stating that the back (boot) of large vehicles should be used for luggage and not for domestic helpers has been praised.

“You are absolutely right,” Mohammad, a blogger, said. ”Unfortunately, many people ill-treat domestic helpers, humiliate them and do not respect their dignity. At the very least, they should appreciate their children and their homes are in the care of these helpers,” he wrote.

Another blogger said that only heartless people or men who are afraid of their wives would place their helpers in the back.

“It is really heartbreaking and we need to educate people on the teachings of Islam that ban mistreating others regardless of their status. Helpers should be given good clothes and good food, not ill-treated.”

Bin Mattar, another online user, said that the sticker was a great reminder about the humanity of helpers.

“God bless you and we hope that the reminder will help people appreciate that helpers are human beings who deserve full respect,” he wrote.

For Al Ajmi, the sight of a domestic helper sitting next to the luggage was an indication that the family employing her was heartless.

“The best thing is to have the traffic authorities book every car where helpers are made to sit in the back,” he said.

Those who were against the sticker argued that domestic helpers sat in the back only when there were no seats.

“You do realise that there is a problem when there is not enough space and people, whether they are helpers or members of the family, need to sit in the back,” Ayyar wrote.

“Let us not dramatise the situation,” Stranger wrote. “There are kids who fight to sit there, and this does not mean that their families hate them.”

However, a blogger, writing under the pseudonym Environmentalist, warned that the place was dangerous and should be avoided.

“It is close to cars coming at the vehicle and the oil tank is underneath it,” Environmentalist wrote. “Those who wrote that it was a normal thing to do should have a heart and think of the divine justice they will face one day for ill-treating others.”