06 July 2011
KUWAIT: A Cambodia-based recruitment agency has reportedly opted not to send housemaids to Kuwait following revelations in a recent Human Rights Watch report of abuses committed by employers in the Gulf country. An Bunhak, the president of a Cambodian recruitment agency who acknowledged that he had not yet sent any maids to Kuwait, was quoted by Reuters as saying, "We have received a report from our embassy about the abuse of maids and also the report from Human Rights Watch.
Long Kem, the Ambassador of Cambodia to Kuwait, denied having advised anyone in his country to stop deploying housemaids to Kuwait. Speaking with the Kuwait Times at the country's embassy in Surra, Kem insisted that this was a misunderstanding: "In fact we want to send our housemaids to Kuwait, but we are in the process of securing the smooth flow of recruitment from Cambodia," he said.
We haven't got any housemaids [in Kuwait] as of now, but both countries already signed a MoU [Memorandum of Understanding] on January 13, 2009." Ambassador Kem explained that the memorandum focuses on the exchange of manpower. "If Cambodians want to work in Kuwait, as housemaids or in other jobs, they can freely come and work here," he stated.
Ambassador Kem, who is also the Cambodian envoy to Qatar, Oman and the UAE, said that the MoU, which took effect immediately, follows certain guidelines. "We must meet at first and agree on some measures and provisions. The MoU mentioned the high-level meetings between two ministers of labor of both countries. Those specific provisions of the MOU have not been met as yet.
I told our people back in Cambodia that if they want the MOU to get underway, they should come first and Kuwait will follow. Probably it will happen soon, but on the Kuwaiti side, they already informed us that they are waiting for the 'new domestic labor law' to be approved before they can continue talking about the MoU. They promised us that it would be approved by January 2011, but I haven't received any news so far," he admitted.
Asked whether he isn't reluctant to advise Cambodian domestic workers to take up employment in Kuwait after several cases of abuse documented by local media and international human rights groups, Ambassador Kem said, "It is really an issue of concern. The worker's problem that are emerging here in Kuwait aren't new to us. We also have the share of problems of our workers in other countries. That is why on our side, we also want clear guidelines to be followed from the moment we start sending workers here s
o as to protect our citizens. Environment-wise Kuwait is okay.
The ambassador said that at least five recruitment companies have already been endorsed by the Cambodian government, if the "playing field" is ready. "In Kuwait there are local recruitment agencies which have already inquired about our readiness to send our workers; we have at least two agencies, but those are small companies and they want to pay our housemaids KD40 [per month]. I told them we cannot accept a monthly salary lower than KD60 [for housemaids]. Plus, we do not want to just focus on domestic he
lpers, we also want to penetrate other fields in the job market," he said.
The Embassy of Cambodia to Kuwait opened in November 2008, but since its establishment, the envoy admitted to witnessing very limited progress in terms of the levels of bilateral exchange between the two countries. "We are still new here, barely two-and-a-half years, so we don't want to rush," said Ambassador Kem. "What we're doing right now is introducing our rich cultural heritage to this beautiful country and improving ties at all levels, particularly the political realm and economic and cultural fields.
KUWAIT: A Cambodia-based recruitment agency has reportedly opted not to send housemaids to Kuwait following revelations in a recent Human Rights Watch report of abuses committed by employers in the Gulf country. An Bunhak, the president of a Cambodian recruitment agency who acknowledged that he had not yet sent any maids to Kuwait, was quoted by Reuters as saying, "We have received a report from our embassy about the abuse of maids and also the report from Human Rights Watch.
Long Kem, the Ambassador of Cambodia to Kuwait, denied having advised anyone in his country to stop deploying housemaids to Kuwait. Speaking with the Kuwait Times at the country's embassy in Surra, Kem insisted that this was a misunderstanding: "In fact we want to send our housemaids to Kuwait, but we are in the process of securing the smooth flow of recruitment from Cambodia," he said.
We haven't got any housemaids [in Kuwait] as of now, but both countries already signed a MoU [Memorandum of Understanding] on January 13, 2009." Ambassador Kem explained that the memorandum focuses on the exchange of manpower. "If Cambodians want to work in Kuwait, as housemaids or in other jobs, they can freely come and work here," he stated.
Ambassador Kem, who is also the Cambodian envoy to Qatar, Oman and the UAE, said that the MoU, which took effect immediately, follows certain guidelines. "We must meet at first and agree on some measures and provisions. The MoU mentioned the high-level meetings between two ministers of labor of both countries. Those specific provisions of the MOU have not been met as yet.
I told our people back in Cambodia that if they want the MOU to get underway, they should come first and Kuwait will follow. Probably it will happen soon, but on the Kuwaiti side, they already informed us that they are waiting for the 'new domestic labor law' to be approved before they can continue talking about the MoU. They promised us that it would be approved by January 2011, but I haven't received any news so far," he admitted.
Asked whether he isn't reluctant to advise Cambodian domestic workers to take up employment in Kuwait after several cases of abuse documented by local media and international human rights groups, Ambassador Kem said, "It is really an issue of concern. The worker's problem that are emerging here in Kuwait aren't new to us. We also have the share of problems of our workers in other countries. That is why on our side, we also want clear guidelines to be followed from the moment we start sending workers here s
o as to protect our citizens. Environment-wise Kuwait is okay.
The ambassador said that at least five recruitment companies have already been endorsed by the Cambodian government, if the "playing field" is ready. "In Kuwait there are local recruitment agencies which have already inquired about our readiness to send our workers; we have at least two agencies, but those are small companies and they want to pay our housemaids KD40 [per month]. I told them we cannot accept a monthly salary lower than KD60 [for housemaids]. Plus, we do not want to just focus on domestic he
lpers, we also want to penetrate other fields in the job market," he said.
The Embassy of Cambodia to Kuwait opened in November 2008, but since its establishment, the envoy admitted to witnessing very limited progress in terms of the levels of bilateral exchange between the two countries. "We are still new here, barely two-and-a-half years, so we don't want to rush," said Ambassador Kem. "What we're doing right now is introducing our rich cultural heritage to this beautiful country and improving ties at all levels, particularly the political realm and economic and cultural fields.
© Kuwait Times 2011
