Kuwait arrests more than 5,500 residence law violators in 2023
KUWAIT CITY, Nov 15, (Agencies): The Joint Quadrilateral Committee, under the leadership of the General Authority for Manpower, has conducted inspections throughout the current year, initiating legal actions to repatriate 5504 violating workers in relation to residence and work laws. These measures extended until last October and encompassed various sectors.
Sources reveal that these violating workers are dispersed across different categories, with 2115 in the private sector under Article 18, and 1429 domestic workers under Article 20, constituting 26 percent of the total violators. Additionally, 28 are part of joined families under Article 22, 22 are government sector workers under Article 17, and 1910 hold various residence permits.
Clarification from the sources indicates that some of the apprehended workers admitted to paying amounts ranging between 1500 and 2000 dinars to their employers.
In detailed updates, the Joint Quadrilateral Committee, headed by the General Authority for Manpower and representatives from the Ministries of Interior and Commerce and the Municipality of Kuwait, conducted 332 inspection tours across all regions of the country from the beginning of 2023 until the end of October. They seized 5504 violating workers with respect to residence and work laws, implementing necessary legal actions.
The violating workers are categorized with 2115 in the private sector under Article 18, 1429 domestic workers under Article 20 (26% of total violators), 28 in joined families under Article 22, 22 in the government sector under Article 17, and 1910 with various residence permits.
Further investigations by the Labor Inspection Administration will be initiated for some of the apprehended workers who disclosed paying amounts between 1500 and 2000 dinars to their employers. This aims to understand the circumstances and identify the processes of recruitment and fund payment.
Regarding domestic workers, sources state that the Ministry of Interior, represented by the General Administration for Residency Affairs, is being approached. Legal actions against them and their sponsors are undertaken by the Joint Quadrilateral Committee. Emphasizing the continuation of surprise campaigns across the country, the committee aims to apprehend marginalized labor and those working under different employers, taking legal action against employers involved in residence trading and fake companies flooding the market with marginalized labor.
The sources highlighted that the three largest seizures of violating labor in the current year occurred successively in August (1175 workers), September (996 workers), and October (836 workers). Concerning the apprehended private sector workers, the file of the registered employer is temporarily suspended until their deportation is confirmed.
After the apprehension, the committee collaborates with the Ministry of Interior to establish specific measures preventing the leakage of this workforce into the private sector. Investigations with victims of human trafficking will be conducted to comprehend their recruitment methods, identify those involved, and implement legal measures to curb human trafficking that negatively impacts Kuwait’s regional and international reputation.
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