http://news.kuwaittimes.net/2012/09/01/injustice-motivates-domestic-workers-to-commit-suicide/
Injustice motivates domestic workers to commit suicide’ KUWAIT: The increasing suicide rate among domestic workers in Kuwait is an indication of the suffering and abuse they suffer at the hands of some sponsors, stated a local human rights organization recently. In a statement, it called for “immediate and adequate governmental action to diagnose and tackle the problem.” “While it cannot be described as a phenomenon in the society, the issue remains a serious problem that concerns all organizations supporting human rights and people’s basic freedoms,” reads a statement released recently by the Kuwaiti Society for the Basic Principles of Human Rights (KSBPHR), suggesting that “the increase in suicide cases among domestic worker is met with inadequate governmental action to address the root causes of the problem.” The KSBPHR believes that this problem not only affects the well-being of domestic workforce in Kuwait, but also “damages Kuwait’s international image by showing it as a country where human rights and dignity are not respected.” Furthermore, the society demanded in the statement that is posted on their website that ‘the domestic workers law,’ which protects rights of housemaids, and the ‘anti-human trafficking law’ are enforced as soon as possible “to protect the rights of the vulnerable and sponsors alike.” Moreover, the KSBPHR urged authorities to cooperate with civil society institutions to carry out investigations and studies to diagnose the reasons which drive workers and housemaids to commit suicide. “A housemaid might commit suicide following sexual assault, and a worker can choose to end his life after being subjected to insult or severe physical assault by the sponsor,” the statement read. Abuse and mistreatment committed by sponsors or their family members leaves a negative psychological effect that according to the KSBPHR “adds to the feeling of injustice and psychological pressure that drive them to commit suicide.” The society called to understand the situation facing many domestic workers “who come from poor environments with the responsibility of supporting their families,” adding that workers in this case feel depressed “when they are deprived of their legal rights such as unpaid salaries, overwork and the lack of a hotline through which they can report cases of abuse.” The society also urged people to “recognize and respect the God-given rights of domestic workers whose well-being becomes the responsibility of the family as soon as they enter their house.” (Source: Official website of the Kuwaiti Society for the Basic Principles of Human Rights [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
