RAPINGS IN KUWAIT.
Harassment to the maids and those women working as domestics is rampant in Kuwait. The local Daily Newspapers are aghast with all sorts of stories where physical abuses are highlighted on females. When one reads these stories one feels disgusted with the people involved in committing such crimes on innocent women who come to this country to earn Dinars to support their nearest and dearest back at their home countries. Those females who come to work here as domestics are poor in their own countries and because they are poor they are coming to earn Dinars here. Otherwise in reality the salaries these women are paid in Kuwait are not much. As for me, I would not advise my dearest and nearest to come to Kuwait to work as domestics for such paltry salaries. The quantity of work and the quantity of working hours do not match with their salaries. Above all, the humiliation and lowliness heaped on them is too bad to bear. Many times it looks that they are denied the sense of human dignity. I feel it is disgusting, filthy and unbearable to know incidents of maltreatment of maids can take place in this so called civilized society where we are living and earning our sustenance.
Now I am referring to the news item in the local daily Arab Times dated 16th of this month about the poor Philippina girl who was gang raped not only by one Kuwaiti youth but by seven Kuwaiti beasts, I call them beasts because they lost all their human attributes. I don’t consider them as human beings but I consider them as wild animals because they handled and feasted on the poor Philippina housemaid as wild foxes, as wild tigers and as wild lions do in the jungle for their poor preys. I applaud Philippine Embassy and its Ambassador for personally taking interest in this case and trying to mete out justice to the poor victim. I don’t think our Embassy and our Ambassador would dare to act the way Philippine Embassy and its Ambassador dared to fight for justice for their victimised nationals. Our nationals many times made as cheap commodities by our own Embassy, our victimized nationals are treated many times with disgust by those who are supposed to protect our nationals. Many times many of our nationals are considered as botheration for our Embassy. For this reason many of us are treated in Kuwait with disrespect and disdain.
Regarding the gang raped Philipina I also support her cry for justice when she said “I want them (the seven Kuwaiti culprits) to rot in the jail. I hope that what they did to me won’t happen to their mothers and sisters”. For these seven beastly Kuwaitis their mothers and sisters are sacrosanct while expatriates namely Asians doing menial jobs are like slaves to be treated with disrespect. I am surprised when such horrible stories are highlighted in the local English Press no Kuwaiti comes out openly in condemning their compatriots for disgracing the image of their country. I don’t think the religion these beastly Kuwaitis are following is allowing them to practice such a genocide on helpless maids. It is a shame not only on the 7 beastly Kuwaitis but also on their parents for not disciplining their sons properly. I only hope with the “wasta” (influence) the Kuwaitis are having in Kuwait the parents of the culprits would not try to shelve this case because sometimes justice is selective and purchaseable too. But I still have strong hope in Kuwaiti justice where judiciary acts appropriately and justly.
It is really horrible to read in the media today abundant news on rapes in Kuwait. Almost everyday news appearing in the Press about rapes and prostitution in certain areas like Abbasiya and Juleeb Al Shouk. Prostitution is supposed to be the oldest profession and no power on this planet can stop it. The great and highly learned Saint of the Roman Catholic Church, St. Agustinho who because of his high learning called the Doctor of the Church, symphatised with the prostitutes because according to him, “prostitutes are necessary evils. Because of their existence and profession”, he said, “our mothers, sisters and wives are safe otherwise they all will be the target of beasts in human beings, the rapists”. Sex is a part of human life for this reason advanced countries including theocratic countries legalized prostitution. Among the expatriates, Kuwait is inhabited mostly by the single males whom we called bachelors, these bachelors as human beings need sex. All males cannot control their sexual urge. Hence, rapes and hunt for illicit sex as we see in the media daily.
According to elders who worked in Kuwait when Kuwait was a protectorate of Britain, before its independence, illicit sex was permitted in Kuwait. The brothels were located in Murqab area near the roundabout. Though it was cheap meant for cheap people yet it used to serve the need of the hour. Precisely because of this availability of commercial sex, crimes related to sex and rapes were almost non-existent then. Yet another instance: Kuwait was under the siege of Saddam’s Iraq for 7 months. Almost half this period I was in invaded Kuwait and during this period I moved a lot and seen a lot in Kuwait. Again illicit sex was going on in Murqab for a price like commercial sex in especially erected small tents with the support of four wheeler Vans. Again, near Muthanna in Kuwait City, Kurdish women were soliciting customers openly and one could take them to one’s residence and have sex with them by paying their fixed charges. Because of this sex freedom there was no need for committing sex related crimes and hence rapes did not exist during that particular period. Though rapes were carried by the Iraqi soldiers during the first 4 days of the invasion. This was done by the invading filthy and beastly Iraqi troops with the support of their guns. This is the normal process for any invading troops. Indian troops did such a dirty job in Goa in 1961 when Goa was forcibly grabbed by the Indian Government headed by Nehru’s Congress Party Government, so too they did in Bangladesh when Indian troops liberated Bangladesh. Hitler’s Army did in all the countries they invaded in the Second World War. They went to such an extent that they even raped Jewish women in Poland when Nazis hated Jews and considered Jews as untouchables. Incidentally when the matter of sex comes, untouchability and other discriminations take back seat. See the incidence the 7 Kuwaitis committed on poor Philippina maid. Otherwise maids are “muskin” (poor - miserable) but for sex it is o.k., anybody “chalta hai”. See in our own Goa, many of the high caste Brahmins are having their concubines coming from the low caste families and harijan category. Shameless people are these and yet they crave for respect in society and disgracefully boast of their superior nationality and superior castes.
I feel Kuwait, in the light of rampant sex related crimes, should legalise prostitution to minimize rapes of innocent females. Because of sexually perverted menfolk Kuwaiti roads and bus stops are not safe for poor and innocent expatriate females especially from the indisciplined Kuwaiti youth who had no guts to touch their own womenfolk. Those Kuwaitis who rape innocent expatriates especially the females from domestic sector are cowards of highest grade and because they are cowards they go after poor maids. It is not difficult to introduce legal prostitution in Kuwait because behind the curtain and almost to the glare of the persons concerned many of the financially affluent men make use of illicit sex and they do it rampantly but do not get caught. They don’t get caught because they use very sophisticated methods and not the crude and cheap methods used in Abbasiya and Juleeb Al Sohouk.
A. Veronica Fernandes,
Kuwait.
