Kuwaiti blogger under fire over comments on Filipinos

Dubai: A famous Kuwaiti beauty blogger is under fire for complaining about changes to laws to recruit domestic help from the Philippines.

Sondos Al Qattan, who has 2.3 million followers on social media, was outraged by the new law imposed by the Kuwaiti government after the Philippine government demanded certain changes. She voiced her feelings on social media on Thursday.

Al Qattan posted a video addressing her government on the new laws and the cost to recruit domestic help. She said the new law does not guarantee her rights as an employer and opens her up to exploitation by the employee. She further said she often does not get the service she expects in return for the hefty amounts she pays to recruit a Filipino helper.

According to changes in the Kuwaiti law governing the recruitment of help from the Philippines, a maid will work 12 hours a day, with a one hour break. She or he must be provided a personal mobile phone with internet connection.

The help must get one day off a week. The employee must be given an annual holiday of 22 days. She or he must also be given a ticket home after two years. The employee must keep her or his passport at all times.

The employer is obliged not only by law but also by Arab norms and traditions that over and above the salary, the help is given free accommodation, free food, toiletries and full health insurance which will provide access to private hospitals and clinics.

The employer must pay for the household worker's residency costs, which amount to more than $2,000 a year. There is also a $2,000 deposit that is given to the government as a guarantee. This is refunded when the help leaves the country after the contract has expired.

The employer must also pay large sums of money to an agency in the Philippines to recruit the help, pay for an air ticket and a visit visa for the employee to enter the country. The Kuwaiti government ensures the rights of all employees before they arrive. 

Other governments have not specified rules to recruit help into Kuwait from their countries.

Al Qattan stressed that the employee has been given rights, but what of the employer? In a video she posted on Instagram she asked: “Who will guarantee my rights if this maid takes her passport and leaves. Who will compensate me after all the money that I have paid?”

There have been several cases in the Gulf where domestic help have used the employer to enter the country and then fled with the passport to look for better opportunities. Employers have repeatedly said their rights have not been safeguarded. There have also been cases where employers have violated the rights of employees and subjected them to abuse.

Al Qattan expressed loudly on social media what most employers in the Gulf countries are talking about. She said clearly “it is not about the 12 hours of work with a break because that happens already, it’s not about the free phone or access to the internet because that is normal, but it’s about the day off when the help is allowed to leave the house with passport in hand.” “Who will guarantee my money when she vanishes?” Al Qattan asked.

She was then slammed that she wanted helpers to work seven days a week. Al Qattan found herself under heavy attack and criticism. Some called her racist and that she wants to go back to days of slavery. She was bashed as a human with no heart and no morals. Some of the brands that work with Al Qattan have already started cutting ties with the influencer.