Kuwait bans hiring of domestic workers from several countries

Kuwait has banned the hiring of domestic workers from 27 countries, according to a list issued by the Interior Ministry’s General Directorate of Residency, news outlet Mubasher reported.

The countries from which domestic workers are banned includes two Asian countries – Indonesia and Bhutan – and 25 African ones. The ban was removed for workers coming in Kuwait from Eretria and Liberia, the report said.

Read more: Kuwait sets minimum wage for domestic workers

The ban also entails workers from Côte d’Ivoire, Madagascar, Djibouti, Uganda and Kenya. Additionally, female workers from Senegal, Malawi, Chad, Sierra Leone, Cameroon, Democratic Congo, Gambia, Zimbabwe, Niger, Ghana, and Burundi were also banned.

Kuwait continues to receive male workers only from Senegal and workers from Vietnam, Nepal and South Africa, according to the list.

In 2016, Kuwait’s Interior Ministry had reportedly announced the implementation of a minimum wage for domestic workers, including maids, private drivers, babysitters and cooks, set at KD 60 ($198.54) per month.

Also read: Kuwait lifts Ethiopian domestic worker ban