KUWAIT CITY, July 1: The International Labor Organization (ILO) and International Immigration Organization (IIO) have both defended Kuwait on accusations of human trafficking leveled against the country by the US State Department in its human rights report, stressing that Kuwait has taken concrete steps to address many of the issues mentioned in the report and the issue is not as worse as painted, reports Al-Seyassah daily.
In a press release, the representative of ILO in Kuwait Thabit Al-Haroun pointed out that Kuwait’s failure to implement specific reforms and programs to get off the black list can be traced to political impasse crippling the passing of many bills, including anti-human trafficking law and cancellation of the sponsorship system.
He noted that different institutions have their own ways of evaluating situations, and that the issue is not as bad as the US State Department made it look. He noted, “Kuwait has passed the private sector labor law and the establishment of a public authority for labor is underway. These are positive steps that must be commended.”
He called for the human trafficking and domestic labor laws to be passed, reiterating the importance of political stability, which he said is the only way to resolve most of the pending problems.