I feel hurt to know that so many of our Goan Maids had to face these brutalities from some brute Kuwaitis who did not even have respect for their own religious teachings which forbid such cruel treatment to the maids. Goan Maids were the early Maids recruited in Kuwait and they have given best of their services to Kuwaitis and best of motherly love and affection to the Kuwaiti children who were brought up under these faithful Goan Maids. I fail to understand how these people praying five times a day and committing such brutal and humiliating crimes on their poor Maids. Maids are like Goats in front of their Kuwaiti bosses many of whom many times like butchers commit butchery on the poor Maids and these helpless Maids having no other choice like Goats meekly suffer these butcheries. I don’t think there is any Goan Maid now retired in Goa who has not faced brutality of her Kuwaiti employers either of males or of females or of their children in any inhuman manner such as physical assault, sexual assault or simple harassment on the job.
The Kuwaitis who maltreat their poor Maids are cowards. They can act as Lions in front of the Goats only. During their critical time which was sent to them by God, these Kuwaitis became cockroaches and at many times they were saved by their Maids only. When I see Israeli Jews maltreating the poor and helpless Palestinian Arabs I curse these Jews but when I hear of Kuwaitis maltreating their poor Maids I have no words to express my anger. In this regard I can say only one thing, that is, Kuwaitis maltreating poor helpless Maids is worst than Israeli Jews maltreating the poor helpless Arabs. I don’t understand what these Kuwaitis think of themselves when they employ Maids in their houses!! Are these Maids slaves to treat them in such a manner so as to abuse them physically? Is slavery still existing in this world and in Kuwait as well? Surely it looks like though not officially but unofficially. The Human Rights activists not only in Kuwait but all around the globe must campaign hard against the atrocities committed on poor Maids in Kuwait by the uncivilised brute Kuwaitis.
Recently on 19th of this month a news item appeared in the local Arab Times showing how a Philippina Maid was physically brutalised by her Kuwaiti lady employer. First the Kuwaiti lady employer started assaulting her Philippina Maid physically without any mercy and later on purely in a sadistic manner she “made her Maid to pour two cups of liquid bleach and a detergent powder into a small basin and allegedly asked her to use her bare hands to dip into the solution and clean the walls of the house”. Her Kuwaiti lady employer did not allow her to use gloves or sponge. Because of this both her hands were blistered and still her Kuwaiti lady employer asked her to go on and on and clean everything.
Below is the picture of the blistered hands of the physically abused Phillipina Maid.
During the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait we heard lot of stories of how Kuwaitis, males and females including their children were brutally maltreated by the Iraqi invaders and we openly condemned this and I myself in particular am on record to organise a movement in Goa during the invasion of Kuwait to condemn the brutalities of Iraqis on Kuwaitis in invaded Kuwait. The Kuwaitis felt very bad when they were maltreated by the Iraqi invader rascals but when these Kuwaitis maltreat their maids and other domestics, how it looks? I condemn those Kuwaitis who maltreat their Maids. It is unethical, unreligious and uncivilised to maltreat Maids. No Kuwaiti employer has authority to physically assault his or her Maid. In case there is any breach of discipline committed by any Maid, there is proper official and legal authority to deal with it but surely not the Kuwaiti employers. Kuwaiti employers got no right to take law into their own hands, it is the right of the State and not of Kuwaiti employers. Those Kuwaiti employers who maltreat their maids are responsible to disgrace the fair image of Kuwait.
During the invasion of Kuwait under my leadership we in Goa organised a big movement in support of Kuwait and to condemn Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. When we were organising this movement in support of Kuwait and Kuwaitis many persons including some Muslim Arabs were questioning me personally why we are supporting Kuwait when Kuwaitis were on record to maltreat our Goan Maids? My answer to them was this: Maltreatment of Maids issue and invasion of Kuwait are two different issues, they cannot be linked together though I condemn forcefully the maltreatment of Maids by Kuwaitis. And as a matter of fact only few Kuwaitis are responsible for maltreating their Maids and these Kuwaitis deserve highest condemnation. As a friend of Kuwait I am involved in a movement thru Goa-Kuwait Solidarity Center to depict the bright image of Kuwait but because of maltreatment of Maids by some Kuwaitis my efforts are hampered.If I am permitted to speak the truth still further on the treatment we get in Kuwait I must admit that it is not Maids only who are maltreated in Kuwait but even other expatriates mainly coming from Indian sub-continent are treated badly in Kuwait. This type of treatment based on discrimination on the basis of nationality is absolutely bad for human dignity. Such discriminations make a person lose his self confidence, make him lose his human dignity and makes him consider himself as sub-human being. This society as a whole is not an egalitarian society where all are not treated on equal footing. You go to the Church during the Arabic Service, the Lebanese, Palestinians and other Arabs look at you with hatred and anger as if Christianity belongs to the neighbours of Jesus Christ only; you go to any Government Offices you are treated as second class person; you go to anywhere where locals are also involved, you are made to admit that you are nothing. Even on employment front you are paid and treated on the basis of your nationality. For this reason I say unofficial apartheid is practiced in Kuwait by the privileged people.
A. Veronica Fernandes,
Kuwait.
