By Francis A. Clifford Cardozo
(Arab Times) — KUWAIT CITY : Starting Aug 11, the Kuwaiti authorities stopped issuing all types of visas to Ethiopian nationals after three Ethiopian maids recently tested HIV positive, says Hashem Majed, the Managing Director of Al-Huqooq International Company. Majed told the Arab Times that the maids were newly recruited and expressed surprise as to how the three maids had cleared the medical tests in their home country. He went on to add that the Kuwait government should not mete out ‘collective punishment’ to all Ethiopians, instead the Kuwait embassy in Ethiopia should get to the bottom of the matter, even as he called on the embassy to check the antecedents of the medical centers in Ethiopia, which cleared the three maids.
Majed noted that the three infected workers have been deported from the country. Sources said that the two of the three maids were housed at the Khaitan Shelter before they were deported. ‘The Kuwaiti embassy should conduct a thorough investigation to ascertain whether any ill-practices were involved in the matter. I believe the ban is temporary in nature,’ he added. Al-Huqooq International Company has been offering legal assistance to distressed workers and has helped in repatriating thousands of stranded workers of various nationalities. Until a few days ago, about 1,000 Ethiopian maids were being recruited on a monthly basis and the ban is likely to create a serious vacuum in the domestic sector, especially after Sri Lanka decided to cut the number of maids to the Middle East over alleged mistreatment, he added.
‘In the run-up to Ramadan, the demand for domestic helpers sees a rise. The government should now make alternate arrangements to overcome the shortage of workers,’ he added. According to Majed, there are some 14,000 Ethiopians in Kuwait, many of whom work in the domestic sector. He added that the recruitment fee for an Ethiopian maid is around KD 380 and the fee is lower compared to Filipino and Indonesia maids whose recruitment fees come to over KD 500 each. He added that the demand for Nepali maids is expected to increase as the recruitment fee (KD 320) is the lowest.
8 thoughts on “Kuwait stops issuing visas to Ethiopians after 3 test HIV+”
wow!!
i am not surprised about their test result because AIDS an epidemic that is killing our people with no mercy. What surprised me the most is how We Ethiopians became so comfertable working for Arabs as a maid. i know living condition is worse in our own country but i do not think it is worse than being a maid for bastard in Arab world.
The Kuwait embassy in Ethiopia could do nothing to check the medical conditions of the Ethiopian girls destined to go to that country for economic reasons. I think the responsibility to take the medical care of the Ethiopian girls solely rests on the shoulder of Meles Seitanawi. It seems every Woyanne governmental departments, whether it is the health department, the police department, the educational department, and the food distribution department, are falling apart, and no one is taking full responsibilities for such departmental disasters.
I never understood why among all people, Arabs need maids so badly. Do these people do ANY actual work? Look at UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, their economy is blossoming thanks to foreign nationals who are present in every sector of the economy: service industry, construction, mining and of course the oil industry. So why do Arabs import maids as if they have no time to cook their own meal and take care of their house? The answer is simple: it has to do with their mentality. Don’t forget that these people were nomads before the petro-dollar started pouring in. They are not fit to sedentary lifestyle which require much more work, discipline and effort.
I distinctly remember a time when Arabs used to migrate to our country in search of food and work. Times have reversed thanks to the wars these beggars imposed upon our people and our nation. Sick, bastardly, beggar Woyane has destroyed our country and our pride!
Assata,you need to be pragmatic.Poverty is the main cause of all the problem, name it AIDS or other.It would have been the same situation under any government.Any poor countries government capacity is very limited .
I don’t think the responsibility is solely on the shoulder of any government. This is the result a negligent sexual revolution that hit the country belatedly in the 80’s and 90’s. Our women are groomed or groom themselves for selling their bodies at an early age. This was the case as far as the history of our women goes. If you read books written by early western travelers in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, you will find out accounts after accounts of our beautiful women standing in line along the trade route from Tajorah all the way to Khartoum just to sell their bodies. Read, read!!!! As it is, the people’s drive to be innovative and hard working has been badly damaged by centuries of abuse. Now you add the effects of HIV onslaught to this injury, you have people done with all the desire to work. In short, you have a country of pan handlers ravaged by deep emotions of self-pity. Sad…sad…sad…sad indeed. You will soon have a county of 140,000,000 HIV positive health time-bombs who will be danger and harmful to other healthy societies. I am wondering how many of these infested beings are wiggling among us already. God Protect US!!!!!
Dear Lulataw,
Exporting Ethiopian girls to a foreign country without first screening them for AIDS is like spreading this fetal disease purposely to the people who are employing the girls to work at their homes as maids, so the Woyanne regime is responsible for those girls affected by the AIDS for not treating them at home before exporting them to the Arab world.
Waw “Yehagere sew”! I can witness one thing. There is the so called “Delala” in Ethiopia who sold Ethiopians for Kuwiati in 10,000 ETB. This guy had a big chain in Kuwait Embassy in Ethiopia, so that the girls didn’t check the medical exam while they are in Ethiopia. After he took their 10,000 ETB he send them to his Arab Delala friend in Kuwiat. The Second Delala sold them by KD300 (equivalent to 10,000ETB) after that the Kuwaiti government will find out that they are infected by HIV. Then they are forced to be back to home with loss. Any how God bless Ethiopia and let’s pray not to be slave for Arabs.