‘Remittances of expats in Kuwait drop by 13 pc’

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UN Special Rapporteur sends to MoI questionnaire on trafficking in humans

KUWAIT CITY, June 4: The UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences, has sent a questionnaire to the Interior Ministry on trafficking in humans, reports Al-Anba daily.

The responses to the questionnaire shall be submitted to the Special Rapporteur and will be discussed during her visit in 2019. The questions are as follows:

* Are there any economic sectors in your country in which contemporary forms of slavery such as forced labor or bonded labor exist?

* What is the estimated representation of men/women in the sectors indicated?

* Are the sectors indicated State controlled or private sector controlled?

* Please provide any relevant data regarding the number of persons affected by contemporary forms of slavery in your country, if possible disaggregated by sex.

* What are the main abuses suffered by men/women in the sectors identified?

Meanwhile, according to the foreign exchange companies the remittances of foreign workers in Kuwait have dropped by at least 13 percent in the first quarter of 2018, reports Al-Qabas daily.

Sources close to the exchange companies added, the decline has been continuing since 2017.

Official figures showed the remittances last year fell by 9 percent from KD 4.56 billion in 2016 to 4.14 billion dinars in 2017.

The sources quoting exchange companies pointed out the monthly transfer rate for expatriates (excluding domestic workers) was on average $626 per person per month, but recently it dropped to about $545.

The sources explained this means the number of expatriates has not increased but somehow declined.

The sources added the past few years have been characterized by the decline in oil prices, and this has negatively affected several sectors, including the income of expatriates especially after the increase in fuel prices and hike in electricity and water charges, as well as other burdens.

It should be noted that the remittances of about 700,000 foreign workers, mostly in the family and household sectors, do not exceed an average of $300 per month.

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