--------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Wishing all Goanetters |
| a Prosperous |
| and |
| Happy New Year - 2006 |
| Goanet - http://www.goanet.org |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
The following which I wrote and which was published in the local Arab Times
(Kuwait) Daily dated 01.01.06 should evoke some interest in many of our
Goans back home in Goa and elsewhere too. The nationlity of the murdered
maid is not yet disclosed but she can be any body's mother, wife, sister or
unty. Our Maids coming to Kuwait first find out the character of the
sponsors and employers. Our Maids coming to Kuwait to work must have some
body of her own for any eventuality, in the event of any problem she might
have to undergo due to the harsh treatment meted out to her by her
employers. Many times when dead bodies of maids are sent for burial in Goa,
their relatives must find out how she died. Many times many questions remain
unanswered. The social workers, NGO's and religious leaders mainly the
Church leaders should educate the propective maids by preaching in the
Church. Many times our priests are coming to Kuwait but many of them are
not interested in knowing the situation of the weaker section here, they
come and raise funds for their activities back home but do not bother to
know the pathetic situation of our suffering maids and others. Our
tiatrists too are sailing in the same boat. They can do lot of educating
the people back home in Goa. The write up below is self explanatory and by
reading it many of our people should know the hardships many of us are
undergoing here while earning petro dollar.
"This is in response to the news item appeared in Arab Times dated 29.12.05
under the caption Maid Killers jail extended. The news item of killing
their maid by a Kuwaiti couple is creating chilling effect on readers. In
his statement, the advocate for the murderers said that" his clients should
be released since there is nobody to take care of their children
particularly Eid holiday is about to start. What about the children or
dependent of the brutally murdered maid? Who will take care of her
dependents for whose sake she came to Kuwait? This question should get
preferential answer first. The news item further states that the couple
confirmed they had not murdered the maid but she committed suicide.
According to me, no maid normally comes to Kuwait to commit suicide, she
comes to Kuwait to work and earn petro dollar to support her dependents back
home. To earn precious Dinar is her only motto and not to forfeit it by
committing suicide. Even at times when she commits suicide or made to
believe that she committed suicide when in fact she was killed, she does so
because she is forced to when she is constantly maltreated and beaten as it
was indicated in your report saying that the Kuwaiti madam used to beat
her. Here I asked, what right the Kuwaiti lady got to beat her maid and
who authorized her to touch her maid by meting out corporal punishment? It
is atrocious and no civilized person will accept this type of treatment.
The couple found the house maid dead in her room. Fearing the woman would
be charged with murdering her; the couple carried the body in their vehicle
and buried it in a desert area in Jahra states your news item further. It
is rubbish to accept this statement even by a layman. The Kuwaiti woman is
not a small baby simply to accept accusation of murdering the maid when she
is not a culprit. She should have complained to the police and police would
take care of the remaining but surely not take law into her own hand and
burry the body in the desert without informing the proper authority. What
about the relatives and the nearest and dearest of the maid? What do they
know? Do they know that the maid is still working and not taking care of
contacting them back home because she is flirting here in Kuwait with
someone in whom she is more interested than her relatives back home? Or
where they informed by the Kuwaiti criminal couple that she was dead? There
is no respect for the dead body? There are no last religious rites to be
performed on the dead body and just buried in the desert instead of
cemetery? Is Jahra desert become an illegal burial place for the innocent
victims murdered by the murderers? I condemn such killings and ask society
as a whole and Kuwaiti society in particular to raise its voice against this
type of atrocities against weak creatures of God. Where are the Kuwaiti
Human Rightists and social activists? They must come forward forcefully
before the fair image of Kuwait is tarnished. The entire world is watching
Kuwaiti society in its dealings with maids in particular and expatriates in
general. They are not slaves to be treated in this manner.
Mahatma Gandhi once wrote in his regular column in Young India saying the
greatness of a society lies in the treatment its metes out to its weaker
section. What treatment do these Kuwaitis give to its weaker section?
This is not an isolated case. Local press is full of such atrocious
stories. People in our countries back home started speaking loudly on the
treatment this society gives to its weaker section that are doing so much
for the development of this country and society. The stories circulated in
the countries of maids of their maltreatment is creating chilling effects on
everyone. A few years back after the liberation of Kuwait, when the local
English press highlighted the grievances of the maids in Kuwait, there was
so much awakening in the world that Time Magazine deputed its correspondent
Mr. McLeod from Scotland, who after meeting many of the suffering maids near
the Church in Kuwait City wrote a piercing article in Time thereby creating
further awakening on this subject. So much so, during that period one
American Senator was so much annoyed over the maltreatment of the maids in
Kuwait that he challenged saying I will take a special flight to Kuwait and
bring back all the suffering maids in Kuwait and land them in their
countries of origin, if there is no stopping of their maltreatment. It is
time for every one of us to speak on this topic and speak forcefully. When
our sisters, mothers & wives are suffering we cannot be just silent
spectators. We must feel part of these sufferers and as members of society
we must identify ourselves with them by fighting to get justice for them.
After all, who are we? Dust we are and unto dust we all will go. While
concluding I must say this When Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) was asked when
there will be justice in this world, came the reply thus 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.
A. Veronica Fernandes,
Kuwait."
_____
_________________________________________________________________
Don't just search. Find. Check out the new MSN Search!
http://search.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200636ave/direct/01/
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Goa - 2005 Santosh Trophy Champions |
| |
| Support Soccer Activities at the grassroots in our villages |
| Vacationing in Goa this year-end - Carry and distribute Soccer Balls |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
