Number of domestic helpers in Kuwait tops 500,000

Manama: A Kuwaiti interior ministry official has warned that the massive presence of foreign domestic helpers in the country was a "time bomb."

According to the official, the number of domestic helpers in Kuwait, a country of 3.3 million people, reached 576,000.

"This number is a real time bomb," the official, who was not named, said, Al Watan daily reported.

Several officials in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries have warned about the negative cultural and linguistic effects of the presence of a high number of domestic helpers on children.

Many helpers have also complained about abuses by their sponsors that included extended working hours, working in difficult conditions, physical violence and mental pains. Most of the helpers are from Asia.