Thanks for your input Veronica.
Appreciate all the warnings you have given to the maids who intend to work in Kuwait. This issue has been going on for so many years now and still these Kuwaitis along with their wives seems to be so brutal to their timid maids. They do not have shame as once upon a time they were the ones who were crying on the street of Dubai for having lost their country into the hands of the Iraqis. Would they like others torturing them in the same way they torture their maids? My blood keeps boiling when I read these issues about them. THey are not humans when they create such brutality. They pray in the mosque like saints but behind the back act like devils in disguise. May God bring them back to their senses.
These days in Goa, they are showing a 10 year old girl, working as a maid, from Karnataka whose body is burnt by a Hindu engineer and his wife and her sister. If you see the picture you will weep. SHe has lost her father and was with her grandmother and to her bad luck she was taken to work for these cruel people. The news of this girl and the photos were seen by the ministers and discussions were going in the cabinet meeting to punish these culprits. Wife and sister are absconding and husband was caught but now released on bail. Digambar has rewarded the girl 25000 as compensation and utmost care is being taken of her in the GMC with the best services as possible. Hope God takes care of these down trodden.
Thanks once again for courageously taking up these issues on our behalf. It takes a lot of courage to write like this on the open forum as threats to life is always there. Keep up the good work.
Veronica, being an ex Kuwaitkar myself, I can rightly say that you are a lone person and an expatriate in Kuwait who is gifted by God to fight against the injustice committed on humanity in Kuwait. I know you and all your activities in Kuwait since I was in Kuwait much before you came. You are the only Goykar who worked for Goan causes sincerely. You are the unique individual who has got the capacity to unite Goans. None before you in Kuwait united Goans for Goan causes the way you did. First you united Goans for Konkani movement, then for Direct Flight from Kuwait to Goa, then for Goan soccer thru your writings, then for Tiatros and other Goan traditional Folk Songs festivals like Mando Festival, then under Goa-Kuwait Solidarity Movement, then for the issue of the release of Kuwait's POW's etc. These are the living examples of your contributions for the cause of Goans and their gathering together in a decent and disciplined manner. No Goan can do what you did. I support you in your campaign for the good of downtrodden.
Annie,
Goa.
July 30, 2009
July 27, 2009
MANILA MAID'S WOES IN KUWAIT.
First of all let me applaud Arab Times, Kuwait for publishing in its daily dated 19th inst. full report of the maltreatment meted out to the Manila “maid” by her Kuwaiti female employer. This is a very good exposure penned down by the writer Michelle Fe Santiago who deserves highest kudos for being courageous in writing this piece. By disclosing this sad story of the Manila maid, Arab Times once again proved how it is hell-bent in exposing the barbaric behaviour of barbaric maid employers in Kuwait.
Mahatmah Gandhi once said “the greatness of a society lies in the treatment it metes out to its weaker section”. To call Kuwaiti society great, what treatment it metes out to its weaker section? Is it magnanimous? Is it benevolent? Is it kind? Almost every now and then thru press reports and thru mouth to mouth propaganda we hear maids are treated very brutally in Kuwait. What is shocking is this that overwhelming majority of the members of this society is keeping silence over the harsh behaviour of the cruel Kuwaitis towards their treatment to their maids. This type of barbaric treatment to maids in Kuwait is become an accepted norm for many. After reading this news in Arab Times, members of Kuwaiti society must put their head down in shame. I cannot understand what ails this society. Inspite of such a loud noise scripted by Arab Times unfortunately there is no echo of this noise heard in Kuwait’s Parliament. Kuwait’s MP’s must raise this issue forcefully in the Parliament to eradicate such dastardly acts committed on innocent maids by the Kuwaiti employers and thereby create a fair image of Kuwait.
Very few expatriates in Kuwait have worked for the good cause of Kuwait and Kuwaitis as I have done along with my Goan brothers and sisters in Goa and in Kuwait as well during and after the invasion and liberation of Kuwait. I feel disappointed when I hear the cruelties committed by Kuwaitis on the weaker expatriates in Kuwait. I feel ashamed in front of Kuwait's enemies when I am already on record to declare openly and publicly that Kuwaitis are good people. In fact Kuwaitis as a whole are good but only the few among them are cruel who treat the expatriates badly and it is they who damage the good reputation of Kuwait and Kuwaitis.
Because of atrocities on maids, the good image of Kuwait and Kuwaitis is getting tarnished beyond reparation. The way the Kuwaiti lady sadistically ill treated her Manila maid it looked to me that she was having Devine Right over her maid to treat her the way she wanted. I don’t know what these hard hearted Kuwaitis think of themselves once they employ maids in their household!! All these disastrous happenings take place in Kuwait for the poor domestics because there is no strong official backing for the maids from the Labour Department. Generally speaking maids in Kuwait are not living a life of human beings but they just exist as tools to use by their employers. On Sundays I see many Kuwaiti security personnel sprinting aggressively this side and that side to arrest maids having no residence permits but with the same speed and with the same aggressiveness the law enforcers are not going about to catch those Kuwaiti employers who maltreat their maids.
I want this story published in Arab Times to spread all around the globe especially in the countries from where the maids are recruited. In India, Goa is one such a place from where very many maids are recruited and many of them due to their docile nature have meekly suffered untold misseries from the hands of their brute Kuwaiti employers. Taking liberty of Arab Times, I have already reproduced this story in “goa-kranti.blogspot.com” for Goans not only from Goa but also to those who are spread all around the globe and to other Indians as well to read the cruel side of Kuwaitis towards their maids. I hope others will also follow my idea to alert their women thinking to come to Kuwait to work as maids. Let the world know that Kuwait is no more a safe place for maids to work. For many it is like a Hell to work in Kuwait under the develish Kuwaiti employers who profess their religion which clearly forbids maltreatment to the weaker section of the society.
For my Goan females intending to come to Kuwait to work as Ayas, I have a piece of advice:
Avoid coming to Kuwait thru Maid recruting Agencies. These Agencies are irresponsible. Their only motto is to make money and maximise their profits. Example: See how the Manila Maid was rejected by the Agency when she asked for help.
Secondly, do not come to Kuwait to work as maids without knowing the background of your Kuwaiti employers. Find out thru your contact the credibility of your sponsor first and then only take your decision. Otherwise you may be a victim of humiliation and slavery.
Thirdly, when you come to Kuwait, see that you keep in contact thru telephone with your nearest and dearest in Kuwait so that during any difficulty you can atleast communicate outside.
Finally, in case you find your employer a barbaric in his treatment, communicate thru your Kuwait contact to NRI Commissioner in Goa or to Indian Embassy, Kuwait. Do not wait long to face the Hell from your employer in your work place. Manila maid unnecessarily waited for 2 long years to escape from the Lucifer in Hell to her Embassy.
While concluding, let me quote Prophet Mohammed (PBUH): When Prophet was asked when there will be justice in this world, came the reply within a split of a second saying "WHEN EVERYONE OF US WILL GATHER COURAGE TO FIGHT AGAINST THE INJUSTICE COMMITTED ON TO OTHERS AS IF THAT INJUSTICE IS COMMITTED ON TO US ONLY, THEN ONLY THERE WILL BE JUSTICE IN THIS WORLD".
Innumerable Maids in Kuwait are suffering injustice. It is not my obligation alone to raise my voice against this inustice. Everyone of us must gather courage to raise our voice as indicated in the quote above.
A. Veronica Fernandes,
Kuwait.
Mahatmah Gandhi once said “the greatness of a society lies in the treatment it metes out to its weaker section”. To call Kuwaiti society great, what treatment it metes out to its weaker section? Is it magnanimous? Is it benevolent? Is it kind? Almost every now and then thru press reports and thru mouth to mouth propaganda we hear maids are treated very brutally in Kuwait. What is shocking is this that overwhelming majority of the members of this society is keeping silence over the harsh behaviour of the cruel Kuwaitis towards their treatment to their maids. This type of barbaric treatment to maids in Kuwait is become an accepted norm for many. After reading this news in Arab Times, members of Kuwaiti society must put their head down in shame. I cannot understand what ails this society. Inspite of such a loud noise scripted by Arab Times unfortunately there is no echo of this noise heard in Kuwait’s Parliament. Kuwait’s MP’s must raise this issue forcefully in the Parliament to eradicate such dastardly acts committed on innocent maids by the Kuwaiti employers and thereby create a fair image of Kuwait.
Very few expatriates in Kuwait have worked for the good cause of Kuwait and Kuwaitis as I have done along with my Goan brothers and sisters in Goa and in Kuwait as well during and after the invasion and liberation of Kuwait. I feel disappointed when I hear the cruelties committed by Kuwaitis on the weaker expatriates in Kuwait. I feel ashamed in front of Kuwait's enemies when I am already on record to declare openly and publicly that Kuwaitis are good people. In fact Kuwaitis as a whole are good but only the few among them are cruel who treat the expatriates badly and it is they who damage the good reputation of Kuwait and Kuwaitis.
Because of atrocities on maids, the good image of Kuwait and Kuwaitis is getting tarnished beyond reparation. The way the Kuwaiti lady sadistically ill treated her Manila maid it looked to me that she was having Devine Right over her maid to treat her the way she wanted. I don’t know what these hard hearted Kuwaitis think of themselves once they employ maids in their household!! All these disastrous happenings take place in Kuwait for the poor domestics because there is no strong official backing for the maids from the Labour Department. Generally speaking maids in Kuwait are not living a life of human beings but they just exist as tools to use by their employers. On Sundays I see many Kuwaiti security personnel sprinting aggressively this side and that side to arrest maids having no residence permits but with the same speed and with the same aggressiveness the law enforcers are not going about to catch those Kuwaiti employers who maltreat their maids.
I want this story published in Arab Times to spread all around the globe especially in the countries from where the maids are recruited. In India, Goa is one such a place from where very many maids are recruited and many of them due to their docile nature have meekly suffered untold misseries from the hands of their brute Kuwaiti employers. Taking liberty of Arab Times, I have already reproduced this story in “goa-kranti.blogspot.com” for Goans not only from Goa but also to those who are spread all around the globe and to other Indians as well to read the cruel side of Kuwaitis towards their maids. I hope others will also follow my idea to alert their women thinking to come to Kuwait to work as maids. Let the world know that Kuwait is no more a safe place for maids to work. For many it is like a Hell to work in Kuwait under the develish Kuwaiti employers who profess their religion which clearly forbids maltreatment to the weaker section of the society.
For my Goan females intending to come to Kuwait to work as Ayas, I have a piece of advice:
Avoid coming to Kuwait thru Maid recruting Agencies. These Agencies are irresponsible. Their only motto is to make money and maximise their profits. Example: See how the Manila Maid was rejected by the Agency when she asked for help.
Secondly, do not come to Kuwait to work as maids without knowing the background of your Kuwaiti employers. Find out thru your contact the credibility of your sponsor first and then only take your decision. Otherwise you may be a victim of humiliation and slavery.
Thirdly, when you come to Kuwait, see that you keep in contact thru telephone with your nearest and dearest in Kuwait so that during any difficulty you can atleast communicate outside.
Finally, in case you find your employer a barbaric in his treatment, communicate thru your Kuwait contact to NRI Commissioner in Goa or to Indian Embassy, Kuwait. Do not wait long to face the Hell from your employer in your work place. Manila maid unnecessarily waited for 2 long years to escape from the Lucifer in Hell to her Embassy.
While concluding, let me quote Prophet Mohammed (PBUH): When Prophet was asked when there will be justice in this world, came the reply within a split of a second saying "WHEN EVERYONE OF US WILL GATHER COURAGE TO FIGHT AGAINST THE INJUSTICE COMMITTED ON TO OTHERS AS IF THAT INJUSTICE IS COMMITTED ON TO US ONLY, THEN ONLY THERE WILL BE JUSTICE IN THIS WORLD".
Innumerable Maids in Kuwait are suffering injustice. It is not my obligation alone to raise my voice against this inustice. Everyone of us must gather courage to raise our voice as indicated in the quote above.
A. Veronica Fernandes,
Kuwait.
July 26, 2009
TORTURING OF MAIDS IN KUWAIT.
The following article appeared in the local Kuwait's daily, “ARAB TIMES” dated 19.07.09. It shows how badly maids in Kuwait are maltreated by their employers. By reproducing it in goa.kranti, I am alerting our Goans of the dangers of working in Kuwait as Maids since innumerable of them have worked in Kuwait and many of them due to their natural docile nature silently suffered cruelties from their cruel employers including beatings, torturings and rapings and enermous number of them are still working in Kuwait. Though recently their number is decreased and that from Philippines is increased. Social workers and Church leaders in Goa I hope will alert our Goan women going to Kuwait to work as Ayas of the dangers they may likely face while working in Kuwait.
Also, I request our people in Goa to pray for the safety and security of our maids working in Kuwait because at moments it looks that they are not only bodily under the clutches of their employers but even soully. God alone can protect them.
Innumerable Goan maids were the strong and active supporters and backbone of our movement in Goa under GOA-KUWAIT SOLIDARITY CENTER in support of Kuwait against the invasion of Kuwait by Iraq. Many of them even though were victims of Kuwaiti employers' brutalities and attrocities yet they joined us in unison in support of Kuwait's cause by forgetting in a pure Goan Christian way the maltreatment they unnecessarily and mercilessly received from their Kuwaiti employers.
A. Veronica Fernandes,
Convenor: GOA-KUWAIT SOLIDARITY CENTER,
Kuwait.
“MANILA MAID ‘SURVIVES’ TO TELL SADIST EMPLOYER’S TORTURE SAGA.
By Michelle Fe Santiago.
KUWAIT CITY, July 18: A Filipina household service worker employed by a Kuwaiti family sought refuge at the Philippine Embassy this weekend after allegedly suffering severe maltreatment for about two years at the hands of her lady employer. Jenny, 41, single and a native of Alabang, Manila was sobbing in pain as she narrated to the Arab Times on Saturday the ‘burning’ torture that her employer allegedly did on her.
“There was no single day that she did not hurt me. She loved hurting me,” cried Jenny as she showed all the scars and fresh wounds dotting her body. She recounted that her lady employer would usually time her whenever a household task is to be done. ‘She wants me to finish everything fast, but I am the only housemaid at home and she has two small kids. We’re staying in a flat with four rooms and with four bathrooms. I do all the household chores, cook, clean, baby-sit and laundry. Sometimes, due to extreme fatigue, I tend to work slowly and she would be very mad at me and the torture begins,” she stated. She narrated that her lady employer had fun torturing her by heating a knife on the stove and once it is hot, she would place the hot knife on any part of the latter’s body leaving burns and blisters.
“I kept on begging not to do it, I said enough, enough madam, but she won’t stop until my skin is burnt and blistered. It was horrible. She looked like a devil hitting me with the hot knife. How can a normal person do that?” sobbed Jenny whose wrists, arms, left foot and back were covered with bandage to prevent burnt infection after coming from Mubarak Al-Khaber Hospital for treatment.
Her ears resembled like a crunchy chicharron after her lady employer burnt them with a knife. “She burnt my ears, because there was a time when she called me and I wasn’t able to go to her immediately because I was doing something at the kitchen so she got angry and burned my ears for not replying her quickly,” she stated as tears welled in her eyes.
The lady employer also burned her hands and arms with the hot knife for not washing the dishes quickly. “She burned my legs and foot for walking slowly, she burned my nape too and she boxed me on my eye so that I cannot see things clearly,” outlined Jenny.
The lady employer also did not spare Jenny’s lips. As she narrated her harrowing experience, she pointed to her blistered, flaking and discoloured burnt lips. “She also hit my back using a water hose and lashed me with the ‘oqal’ of her husband,” she stated, showing her scarred back with newly bandaged burn wounds. The ‘oqal’ is the doubled black goat-hair and sheep’s wool that is used to secure the ‘Ghutra’ or head of Arab man in place.
The lady employer also cut the shoulder-length hair of Jenny leaving her almost bald. “I want to fight back but I was scared because she’s six months pregnant and I might harm her baby so I endured all the beatings” she pointed out.
After inflicting pain on her, the lady employer would usually give her some cream to treat the burns in various parts of her body. “I really can’t understand why she’s doing that. She would even ask me to wear gloves while washing the dishes to protect my hands and give me hand moisturizers,” she stated.
Last week, the lady employer allegedly threatened to burn Jenny’s eyes and face, prompting the latter to run to the embassy for help. “I finally decided to run to the embassy for help because only God knows, I may not be able to control myself and I might be forced to fight back and I might harm her and the baby in her womb,” she stated. She called first the local manpower agency that recruited her and asked for help but the man from the agency refused to help her. “I told him, please help me, take me out of this hell, but the guy at the agency even scolded me and told me not to go to the agency or he will kick me out of the agency. I called them five times. So I decided to sneak out of the house and go to the embassy” she claimed.
Meanwhile, Philippine Ambassador Ricardo Endaya disclosed that the embassy has already hired a Kuwaiti lawyer for Jenny to appropriate charges will be filed against her lady employer. “I am still at a loss how a human being can do this to her fellow human being. I hope the Kuwaiti authorities will not close their eyes on this so that justice will be served and the employer should be castigated for committing such inhumane acts,” she stressed.
I want her to be in jail. She should pay for what she has done to me,” cried Jenny as she hopes to go to the Philippines after getting the justice that she wants.
Also, I request our people in Goa to pray for the safety and security of our maids working in Kuwait because at moments it looks that they are not only bodily under the clutches of their employers but even soully. God alone can protect them.
Innumerable Goan maids were the strong and active supporters and backbone of our movement in Goa under GOA-KUWAIT SOLIDARITY CENTER in support of Kuwait against the invasion of Kuwait by Iraq. Many of them even though were victims of Kuwaiti employers' brutalities and attrocities yet they joined us in unison in support of Kuwait's cause by forgetting in a pure Goan Christian way the maltreatment they unnecessarily and mercilessly received from their Kuwaiti employers.
A. Veronica Fernandes,
Convenor: GOA-KUWAIT SOLIDARITY CENTER,
Kuwait.
“MANILA MAID ‘SURVIVES’ TO TELL SADIST EMPLOYER’S TORTURE SAGA.
By Michelle Fe Santiago.
KUWAIT CITY, July 18: A Filipina household service worker employed by a Kuwaiti family sought refuge at the Philippine Embassy this weekend after allegedly suffering severe maltreatment for about two years at the hands of her lady employer. Jenny, 41, single and a native of Alabang, Manila was sobbing in pain as she narrated to the Arab Times on Saturday the ‘burning’ torture that her employer allegedly did on her.
“There was no single day that she did not hurt me. She loved hurting me,” cried Jenny as she showed all the scars and fresh wounds dotting her body. She recounted that her lady employer would usually time her whenever a household task is to be done. ‘She wants me to finish everything fast, but I am the only housemaid at home and she has two small kids. We’re staying in a flat with four rooms and with four bathrooms. I do all the household chores, cook, clean, baby-sit and laundry. Sometimes, due to extreme fatigue, I tend to work slowly and she would be very mad at me and the torture begins,” she stated. She narrated that her lady employer had fun torturing her by heating a knife on the stove and once it is hot, she would place the hot knife on any part of the latter’s body leaving burns and blisters.
“I kept on begging not to do it, I said enough, enough madam, but she won’t stop until my skin is burnt and blistered. It was horrible. She looked like a devil hitting me with the hot knife. How can a normal person do that?” sobbed Jenny whose wrists, arms, left foot and back were covered with bandage to prevent burnt infection after coming from Mubarak Al-Khaber Hospital for treatment.
Her ears resembled like a crunchy chicharron after her lady employer burnt them with a knife. “She burnt my ears, because there was a time when she called me and I wasn’t able to go to her immediately because I was doing something at the kitchen so she got angry and burned my ears for not replying her quickly,” she stated as tears welled in her eyes.
The lady employer also burned her hands and arms with the hot knife for not washing the dishes quickly. “She burned my legs and foot for walking slowly, she burned my nape too and she boxed me on my eye so that I cannot see things clearly,” outlined Jenny.
The lady employer also did not spare Jenny’s lips. As she narrated her harrowing experience, she pointed to her blistered, flaking and discoloured burnt lips. “She also hit my back using a water hose and lashed me with the ‘oqal’ of her husband,” she stated, showing her scarred back with newly bandaged burn wounds. The ‘oqal’ is the doubled black goat-hair and sheep’s wool that is used to secure the ‘Ghutra’ or head of Arab man in place.
The lady employer also cut the shoulder-length hair of Jenny leaving her almost bald. “I want to fight back but I was scared because she’s six months pregnant and I might harm her baby so I endured all the beatings” she pointed out.
After inflicting pain on her, the lady employer would usually give her some cream to treat the burns in various parts of her body. “I really can’t understand why she’s doing that. She would even ask me to wear gloves while washing the dishes to protect my hands and give me hand moisturizers,” she stated.
Last week, the lady employer allegedly threatened to burn Jenny’s eyes and face, prompting the latter to run to the embassy for help. “I finally decided to run to the embassy for help because only God knows, I may not be able to control myself and I might be forced to fight back and I might harm her and the baby in her womb,” she stated. She called first the local manpower agency that recruited her and asked for help but the man from the agency refused to help her. “I told him, please help me, take me out of this hell, but the guy at the agency even scolded me and told me not to go to the agency or he will kick me out of the agency. I called them five times. So I decided to sneak out of the house and go to the embassy” she claimed.
Meanwhile, Philippine Ambassador Ricardo Endaya disclosed that the embassy has already hired a Kuwaiti lawyer for Jenny to appropriate charges will be filed against her lady employer. “I am still at a loss how a human being can do this to her fellow human being. I hope the Kuwaiti authorities will not close their eyes on this so that justice will be served and the employer should be castigated for committing such inhumane acts,” she stressed.
I want her to be in jail. She should pay for what she has done to me,” cried Jenny as she hopes to go to the Philippines after getting the justice that she wants.
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