BBC news reported on 24 February 2018 that the employers of a Philippine domestic worker had been
arrested in Damascus after her body was found in the freezer of their abandoned Kuwaiti apartment, showing signs of torture. Joanna Demafelis (29) went missing over a year ago and her death has now ignited protests, especially in her home country, the Philippines.
According to the Khaleei Times reporting on 15 February 2018, Philippine President Duterte immediately called for the
evacuation of all Philippine nationals working in Kuwait. On 19 January 2018, BBC News reported that he had already
suspended sending workers to Kuwait pending investigations into the deaths and abuse of several other Filipinos there. According to a report by the Khaleej Times on 20 February 2018, an agreement between the Philippian and Kuwaiti authorities had been made to
regulate conditions for the Philippine workforce, the majority of whom are women.
Michael Bosch, persecution analyst at World Watch Research, comments: "How sad these cases of abuse and mistreatment might be, the Philippine government will not be able to maintain such travel bans for long. Filipinos working abroad - many in the Gulf states - are bringing in an estimated
2 billion Euro every month (as reported by BBC News on 19 January 2018). They form one of the pillar stones of the economy and are
highly regarded within society (see: BBC News report of 9 March 2015). But far away from home, working for long days outside of the public eye and
legally tied to their employers under the Kafala system (see: Human Rights Watch World Report 2017), they are vulnerable to mistreatment and (sexual) abuse. A large number of them are Christians and it is feared that their religion adds to their vulnerability in the conservative Muslim society. Due to the pressure, many end up converting to Islam."
Michael Bosch adds: "It is doubtful whether President Duterte"s protest will significantly change anything on the ground in Kuwait. However, it is important that the fate of such workers in the Gulf states keeps catching the attention of the world. That might help change things in the long run."
