FREE Established 1961 Friday ISSUE NO: 17643 MUHARRAM 18, 1440 AH FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2018 The sociocultural reality India’s supreme court rules KFA to announce national 4 of people of mixed heritage 10 adultery no longer a crime 45 women’s football team Prime Minister addresses UN General Assembly See Page 6 2 Friday Local Friday, September 28, 2018 PHOTO OF THE DAY Human rights bureau Local Spotlight By Muna Al-Fuzai [email protected] inally, a Kuwaiti law has been issued with the spe- cific task of considering human rights issues in FKuwait, by setting up the National Human Rights Bureau. Terms of membership of this body and conditions of selection have been defined, including previous expe- rience in dealing with human rights issues. The second article of this law states that it is an inde- pendent body supervised by the Council of Ministers, which aims to promote and protect human rights and respect for public and private freedoms. Article 3 stipu- lates that the new bureau will have a board of directors composed of 11 national figures. The president of the chamber and the vice-president will be fulltime members. I believe that working fulltime is very important, because the agenda of human rights is packed. I would There is also A wooden trellis covers a tiled corridor of the popular Avenues shopping mall in Al-Rai. — Photo by Mustafa Al-Badr/Kuna the subject of exploitation by companies A bitter compromise together in a small house, he said. To have a roof over his like to congratulate Jassem Al-Mubaraki on this impor- Kaffeeklatsch tant post, which carries great responsibility and will family’s head was why he came to Kuwait in the first place, undoubtedly need a lot of support to carry out the work reminding me that he left for foreign shores at a late age. of the bureau. Everyone knows that the population of Although he has no complaints about his living quarters - the villa is new - he lamented the high cost of produce at the Kuwait is about 4 million people, including both citizens By Shakir Reshamwala stores in the neighborhood, as his sponsor doesn’t provide and expatriates. I hope the new president and members [email protected] any food. One tomato costs 100 fils, and a kilo of onions is will proceed immediately in listing the main issues that sold for 350 fils, while it’s less than 100 fils in the city, he can be examined and verified. he other day at a chalet in Khairan, I began chatting with rued. A cylinder of cooking gas costs double at KD 1.5. All I also know that the bedoon issue is one of the out- the caretaker, a lanky fortysomething man from India. these expenses eat into his already-low salary. To make mat- standing issues affecting human rights directly, but unfor- TWhat he told me boggled my mind. He said he has been ters worse, he confessed he’s not much of a cook and mostly tunately, it is not the only unresolved issue. The increase in Kuwait for more than three years without travelling back survives on eggs, as they are cheaper, easy to cook and in population has added new concerns to the society. For home, and plans to stay yet another year to save some more. nutritious. example, there is no one considering the issue of poverty He has been working for his current sponsor for a few months He said he plans to go back to India after his house is in Kuwait, as many people think there is no poverty in the now, after transferring from his initial sponsor, who according completed, but admitted prospects are bleak. I asked him state. There is also the subject of exploitation by compa- to him, was mean and made him work non-stop. Apart from a what he did before coming to Kuwait. He said he belongs to nies, including non-payment of regular salaries and the few months in Funaitees at his previous sponsor’s home, he has a family of weavers who make the famed Banarasi saris that conditions of prisoners and the provision of their human- been in Khairan for his entire stay in Kuwait. a wardrobe staple in most Indian women’s closets. But itarian, psychological and physical needs. Don’t you get bored living in a remote area all alone? Do changing fashion trends and cheap imports have decimated I am sure that these issues are not absent from the you ever go to other parts of the country, I asked him. The the industry, driving many weavers to ruin. After hearing his minds of the members, because these are the issues that haris laughed disdainfully - it costs KD 5 for a taxi from here sorrowful tale, I felt thankful for all what I have been given - the Western world tackles. I hope members will make to Fahaheel, he said. That’s KD 10 both ways, plus more if he a wonderful family, a decent job, a cozy house and the ability field visits to all areas where it is likely that human rights headed to Kuwait City or elsewhere. Has he seen the Kuwait to travel to any corner of the earth. might be violated, whether of citizens or expatriates, in Towers, the ubiquitous symbol of the country? Never, he Later on the long drive home that night, I still couldn’t get cooperation with the responsible government bodies. replied. I’ve only been to Kuwait City once, and Maliya the poor haris out of my mind. There are countless others I hope that the new bureau will be a Kuwaiti window another time, he said, as I stared incredulously. like him - taken straight from the airport to work as shep- He said Khairan was a desolate place until very recently, for the Western world to view human rights issues and herds or caretakers in the middle of the desert. For many, gesturing to rows of newly-built chalets. He misses his wife review outstanding issues with transparency and clarity. livestock are their only companions, while others - like the and kids - a teenage boy and a preteen girl - although the haris - only have the four walls of their makeshift rooms for It should also issue online reports in both English and Internet has made it easier to keep in touch. He said despite Arabic. I know some members of the new bureau are company. But I admired his perseverance and dogged pur- his meager monthly salary of KD 100, he has managed to suit of his goal. He sacrificed family and country to live in an competent to handle this difficult task at a time when the build a house on a plot belonging to his father. Only the community is raging with issues that are affecting human alien land with no home comforts - however, at the end of structure has been erected, he said, adding it needs a lick of the day he has something to show for it, which isn’t the case rights, and most importantly our reputation as a modern paint, doors and windows etc, due to which he has extended for many others whose circumstances are far better. A harsh country with a global humanitarian leader. his stay in Kuwait. We are five siblings and our families live tradeoff, some would say. Friday 3 Local Friday, September 28, 2018 The psychological impact of no rest day Domestic helpers in Kuwait typically do not get weekly day off, despite labor law By Ben Garcia achieving one’s potential, including creative activities. She explained that in psychology, according to Maslow, a day off omestic helpers are a vulnerable group in most labor (or rest) is part of basic human requirements. But there are oth- markets in the world. In Kuwait, abuse of domestic labor er needs like safety, belongingness and love, esteem and self- Drights has been in the spotlight over the last few years actualization. with several high profile cases. The domestic labor law does offer important protections for employers and employees but it Fundamental needs is often not implemented. “Notice physiological needs, which include food, water, Although the majority of Kuwait’s nearly 700,000 domestic warmth and rest, are in lower part of the pyramid, but belong to workers are treated well, many do not receive their full rights. the most important and fundamental level of human lives. They One of the most widely abused rights is that of a weekly day off. serve as an anchor and the strongest side in the hierarchy of Housemaids typically work 18-20 hours a day, some are needs,” she said. deprived of medical attention, and some are virtually held as Let’s take a serious look at the physiological and emotional prisoners inside their sponsors’ homes for months and years aspect of a domestic helper with and without a day off. “When without a day off. we talk from the psychological point of view, the impact on the emotional part is really huge. Number one, they are already Labor law requirements battered being away from their families. Two, they left their Kuwait’s domestic labor law, which was passed and imple- loved ones back in their beloved country. Three, they are mented in 2015, specifically mentions a 12-hour working day, a labeled as minorities. Then, here comes the truth in the job - the Dr Joanne Hands weekly day off and 30 days of annual leave for every domestic salary is different from the rest, plus their treatment inside the helper.