VZCZCXRO2635
RR RUEHDE RUEHDIR
DE RUEHKU #0284/01 0721236
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 121236Z MAR 08
FM AMEMBASSY KUWAIT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0981
INFO RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 06 KUWAIT 000284 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR NEA/ARP, G/TIP, G, INL, DRL, PRM 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KCRM PHUM KWMN MSIG KFRD ASEC PREF ELAB KU
SUBJECT: KUWAIT'S 2008 TIP REPORT SUBMISSION 
 
REF: STATE 2731 
 
¶1.  (U) Embassy Kuwait's submission for the 2008 Trafficking 
in Persons (TIP) Report follows.  Responses are keyed to 
paragraphs 27-30 of reftel. 
 
--------- 
OVERVIEW: 
--------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Please find below responses to questions in 
paragraph 27 of reftel: 
 
¶A.  Kuwait is a destination country for internationally 
trafficked men and women.  No reliable numbers were available 
for the numbers of victims.  There is trafficking in persons 
into the country as well as some within the country's 
borders.  There is no trafficking in areas outside Government 
of Kuwait (GOK) control.  Many of Kuwait's expatriate workers 
complain of violations of their rights as workers, though 
most of these cases do not meet the definition of trafficking 
in persons.  Neither the GOK nor any of the source-country 
embassies distinguish between simple labor violations and 
those of trafficking, making it unclear as to the real number 
of trafficking victims. 
 
The GOK keeps reliable records on the number of foreign 
workers in country. Source countries, to a lesser degree of 
reliability, also track expatriate laboreres.  Post has 
requested these numbers during numerous meetings with GOK 
interlocutors at the relevant ministries as well as 
submitting a request through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs 
(MFA) but, to date, has not received any statistical data. 
 
Adult female domestic workers make up the group most at risk 
of being trafficked.  Men and women working in low-skilled 
sectors such as janitorial services are also victims of 
various forms of exploitation.  There does not seem to be a 
specific bias against any one nationality or ethnicity; 
however, poorly educated migrants tend to be the most 
vulnerable. 
 
¶B.  Trafficking in persons remains a problematic issue in 
Kuwait.  Source country embassies and NGOs do not report 
major changes in governmental efforts to combat trafficking 
as compared to the previous year. 
 
In the past year, the GOK took three major steps to improve 
the trafficking situation: it opened a temporary shelter for 
domestic workers, passed a ministerial decree that forbids 
sponsors from withholding employees' passports and drafted 
anti-trafficking legislation.  Labor trafficking is much more 
common than sex trafficking.  Workers face a number of 
problems that potentially make them susceptible to becoming 
victims of human trafficking.  The most common problems are 
non-payment of salaries and withholding of passports.  Some 
domestic workers face the additional problems of restriction 
of movement, unsuitable living conditions and abuse. 
 
Since the drafting of the last TIP report, an area of notable 
improvement is that of public awareness through the media. 
Kuwait's press, one of the most open in the Middle East, 
reported widely on the USG report as well as on the plight of 
trafficking victims.  On a daily basis, stories of abuses of 
domestic workers appeared in the newspapers.  While this new 
awareness has not prompted GOK action at the desired level, 
it has raised the profile of the issue.  For example, in the 
fall of 2007, imams began addressing trafficking in Friday 
sermons, calling for Muslims to treat third-country workers 
in Islamic fashion with respect and dignity, and shaming 
trafficking violators. 
 
Another problem is "visa trading" or "residence permit 
trading," in which sponsors profit by selling their 
sponsorship to workers.  In many cases, workers pay very high 
fees to recruiters (sometimes in Kuwait but often in source 
countries) for the right to procure a job in Kuwait.  Some of 
these workers arrive in the country to find that the job they 
were promised does not exist while others are aware that no 
job exists but come in the hopes of finding one after they 
arrive. 
 
There are reports of people promising runaway domestic 
workers well-paid service industry jobs and non-domestic work 
visas, then coercing the workers into prostitution (NOTE: 
Domestic workers receive Article 20 visas.  These visas are 
restrictive and fall under the jurisdiction of the Ministry 
of Interior (MOI).  All other foreign private sector workers 
are given Article 18 visas which fall under the jurisdiction 
of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor (MOSAL). END 
 
KUWAIT 00000284  002 OF 006 
 
 
NOTE).  The GOK asserts that cases of actual coercion are 
rare, and that most of the women apprehended for prostitution 
made conscious choices to work as prostitutes.  The number of 
cases that involve coercion is unknown. 
 
Domestic labor recruitment offices, small businessmen and 
individuals are the most common traffickers.  Some government 
officials enable sponsors to procure permission to sponsor 
foreign workers, though there is no evidence to suggest that 
there is widespread government complicity in the kinds of 
visa and residence-permit trading described above. 
 
¶C.  The Ministries of Social Affairs & Labor, Awqaf 
(Religious Endowments) & Islamic Affairs, Interior and 
Justice are all involved in anti-trafficking efforts.  MOI 
monitors the concerns related to domestic workers and MOSAL 
is the relevant ministry for all other foreign workers.  It 
is unclear which ministry has the lead on TIP and there 
appears to be little, if any, coordination between the 
various ministries. 
 
¶D.  The GOK does not lack the financial resources to combat 
TIP or to its aid victims.  To date, the GOK has shown little 
political will to address TIP as a problem.  Instead, since 
most trafficking problems involve domestic workers in private 
homes, the GOK has been reluctant to investigate and 
prosecute Kuwaiti citizens. 
 
Kuwaiti officials argue that the expatriate labor community's 
size (approximately 67% of the population), diversity (over 
100 nationalities) and low education profile make combating 
TIP difficult. 
 
Enacting new legislation is an arduous and lengthy process. 
Corruption continues to be a problem (NOTE: Kuwait's ranking 
on Transparency International's annual Corruption Perceptions 
Index fell from 45 in 2006 to 60 in 2007.  END NOTE).  There 
are credible allegations that work visas (Article 18) are 
illegally sold to brokers.  Workers who enter the country via 
such schemes are especially vulnerable to exploitation. 
 
¶E.  The GOK does not systematically monitor its 
anti-trafficking efforts and does not make available its 
assessments of these efforts.  However, it does publish 
regular statistics on the enforcement of various labor laws 
and regulations through the Office of Labor Affairs at MOSAL. 
 
--------------------------------------------- 
INVESTIGATION AND PROSECUTION OF TRAFFICKERS: 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Please find below responses to questions in 
paragraph 28 of reftel: 
 
¶A.  The GOK does not have a law specifically prohibiting 
trafficking in persons.  The GOK has drafted legislation but 
that legislation has not been presented to the Parliament for 
consideration. 
 
There are several laws that address TIP-related crimes such 
as: 
 
--  Kuwait criminal law criminalizes kidnapping, detention 
and slave trading, with penalties as severe as life 
imprisonment. 
--  Article 31 of Kuwait's constitution protects against 
restriction of movement, torture, or "degrading" treatment. 
--  Law 16/1960 criminalizes forced labor or exploitation as 
well as maltreatment of all kinds of individuals.  If the 
maltreatment amounts to torture and leads to death, it is 
considered first degree murder.  In addition, sexual crimes 
can lead to execution and incitement of (sexual) immorality 
can result in up to seven years' imprisonment. 
--  MOSAL decree 152/2004 forbids underage employment in 
dangerous industries. 
--  Ministerial decree 152/2004 forbids the use of camel 
jockeys younger than 18 years. 
--  Ministerial decree 152/2007 forbids sponsors/employers 
from withholding passports 
 
¶B.  Since there is no anti-trafficking legislation, there are 
no prescribed penalties for trafficking crimes. 
 
¶C.  Law 16/1960 criminalizes forced labor and exploitation, 
and penalties range from up to seven years' imprisonment (for 
incitement of sexual immorality) to death in cases of sexual 
crimes and murder.  A Ministerial Decree was issued in July 
2007 (152/2007) forbidding the withholding of workers' 
passports.  To date, this law has not been enforced.  Source 
country embassies report that over 90 percent of the domestic 
 
KUWAIT 00000284  003 OF 006 
 
 
workers that come to the embassies for assistance do not have 
their passports with them. 
 
¶D.  The maximum penalty for rape is death.  There is no 
legislation that prescribes penalties for crimes of 
trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation. 
 
¶E.  Prostitution is illegal, as are the activities of pimps, 
clients, brothel owners and those who facilitate or encourage 
prostitution.  Penalties include prison sentences for up to 
seven years depending on the level of involvement and the age 
of the sex workers.  In 2007, police regularly conducted 
raids on brothels and arrested prostitutes, pimps and 
clients.  Despite numerous requests for data, none was 
received; therefore Post is unaware of successful 
prosecutions filed against these individuals. 
 
¶F.  Due to the lack of an anti-trafficking law, the GOK does 
not keep track of statistics related to trafficking. 
 
The GOK does not criminally prosecute employers or labor 
agents who confiscate workers' passports or switch contracts 
or terms of employment without the worker's consent.  There 
have been cases filed against employers for physical or 
sexual abuse against workers; however, reports on thoses 
cases have not been released to the public. 
 
¶G.  The GOK did not provide any specialized training for 
government officials related to TIP.  One of the commitments 
by the GOK in 2007 that elevated Kuwait's status from Tier 3 
to Tier 2 Watchlist was to provide TIP-related training to 
law enforcement officials, prosecutors and judges.  In 
February, PolOff presented a training course proposal offered 
by the International Office for Migration (IOM) to MOI 
officials. The MOI and IOM are in talks to host the training 
at the Kuwaiti police training academy, but there has been no 
concrete progress on this issue. 
 
There were no NGO, International Organization or USG training 
programs provided to GOK officials. 
 
¶H.  The GOK does not cooperate with other governments in the 
investigation and prosecution of trafficking cases. 
 
¶I.  The GOK will extradite its citizens if a reciprocal 
extradition treaty exists, however, in practice, very few 
Kuwaiti citizens have ever been extradited for committing any 
crimes outside of Kuwait.  Post is unaware of any 
extraditions for TIP-related crimes. 
 
¶J.  There is no evidence of GOK involvement in or tolerance 
of trafficking on a local or institutional level.  However, 
some government officials reportedly make it easy for 
citizens or foreigners to import workers in exchange for 
political loyalty or occasionally bribes.  The workers 
brought in are generally slated for the private sector and 
are less likely to be trafficked than domestic workers.  When 
trafficking occurs, it is perpetrated by the recipients of 
the government permits, rather than by the government agents 
themselves.  The GOK involvement is therefore extremely 
indirect. 
 
¶K.  Post is unaware of any government officials involved in 
trafficking. 
 
¶L.  Kuwait does not contribute troops to any international 
peacekeeping efforts. 
 
¶M.  Kuwait does not have identified child sex tourism. 
 
------------------------------------- 
PROTECTION AND ASSISTANCE TO VICTIMS: 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Please find below responses to questions in 
paragraph 29 of reftel: 
 
¶A.  The GOK does not assist victims by providing any type of 
residency status or relief from deportation. 
 
¶B.  The GOK established a temporary domestic workers shelter 
in September 2007.  The shelter has a maximum capacity of 40 
women and provides medical, psychological and legal services. 
 One of the commitments by the GOK that elevated Kuwait from 
Tier 3 to Tier 2 Watchlist status was to establish a 
permanent shelter that could house up to 700 men and women. 
Bids for a facility have been open since December 2007; 
however, a suitable site has not been identified. 
 
Post has requested but has not received statistics on the 
 
KUWAIT 00000284  004 OF 006 
 
 
women that have stayed in the shelter since its opening.  The 
amount of GOK funding for the shelter is unknown. 
 
The women who are at the shelter are sent from the shelters 
of the various source country embassies' shelters.  The 
embassies are allowed to send up to ten women at a time, 
however, all ten women must have left the shelter before that 
embassy can send additional women.  One source country 
embassy informed Poloff that it no longer sends women to the 
shelter because the shelter will send women back to the 
embassy if they have cases they want to file against their 
employer.  This was confirmed by another source country 
embassy who told PolOff that they were specifically 
instructed to only send women with "simple" cases. 
 
¶C.  The GOK does not provide funding or other forms of 
support to domestic NGOs or international organizations to 
provide services for trafficking victims. 
 
¶D.  The GOK does not have a formal system of proactively 
identifying victims of trafficking among high-risk persons 
with whom they come in contact. 
 
¶E.  Kuwait does not have legalized prostitution. 
 
¶F.  At the law enforcement level, victims' rights are usually 
not respected.  According to source country embassies, the 
treatment of victims varies from police station to police 
station, but for the most part the women are treated poorly. 
There were numerous reports in the press during the reporting 
period about domestic workers attempting to commit suicide 
and subsequently being arrested (attempting to commit suicide 
is illegal in Kuwait).  At the judicial level, victims are 
generally treated fairly; however, the slowness of the court 
system works against the victims who must remain in-country 
for the duration of the process for criminal cases. 
 
Under Kuwait law, sponsors/employers can file absconding 
cases against domestic workers (or absentee cases against 
non-domestic workers) to counter any claims filed by the 
victim.  However, according to the law, absconding and/or 
absentee cases are invalid if the reason for the worker 
running away was violation of his/her rights.  In practice, 
sponsors/employers are sometimes successful in filing their 
cases and having the victims deported.  Deportation of 
victims is the norm for non-violent crimes; prosecution and 
fines are rare. 
 
¶G.  The GOK does not encourage or discourage victims from 
assisting in investigations.  Victims can and do file suits 
against those who violate their legal rights.  These cases 
are often settled out of court, though there have been cases 
of the courts ruling in favor of victims and awarding 
compensation.  Post has no statistics on the number of 
victims who assisted in investigations or prosecutions.  Post 
also does not have, despite numerous requests to the GOK, the 
number of prosecutions.  Increasing prosecutions against 
perpetrators of trafficking related crimes was also a 
commitment the GOK made in order to increase its ranking from 
Tier 3 to Tier 2 Watchlist. 
 
Although there is no concerted effort to impede victims' 
access to legal redress, language and knowledge barriers 
present difficult obstacles to hurdle for the victims. 
 
Victims are not allowed to leave the country pending criminal 
trial proceedings.  In practice, it is difficult for workers 
to file suits against their employer due to the slowness of 
the court and the victims' inability to leave the country. 
In most cases, the victims are not permitted to obtain other 
work while awaiting the outcome of the cases due to the fact 
that their employer is likely to also be their sponsor. 
Workers cannot move between certain categories of employment 
and most cannot switch employers during the first 6 - 12 
months of arrival in Kuwait. 
 
¶H.  The GOK does not provide any particular protection for 
witnesses. 
 
See 29B regarding GOK shelter for domestic workers shelter. 
The de facto system of shelter in Kuwait is through source 
country embassies who provide assistance.  In meetings with 
different source country embassies, PolOff learned that three 
source country embassy shelters alone house approximately 600 
women.  The GOK does not interfere in the embassies' work. 
 
¶I.  The GOK did not provide any specialized training for 
government officials to identify trafficking victims.  The 
GOK did not pay for the repatriation of victims. 
 
 
KUWAIT 00000284  005 OF 006 
 
 
¶K.  There are no NGOs or IOs that work with trafficking 
victims in Kuwait.  The United Nations Development Program 
and the International Organization for Migration operate in 
Kuwait and follow trafficking issues closely.  They 
frequently press the GOK to make improvements and work to 
influence public policy rather than helping individual 
victims. 
 
The GOK has adequate financial and other resources to address 
the problem but lacks the political will. 
 
----------- 
PREVENTION: 
----------- 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Please find below responses to questions in 
paragraph 30 of reftel: 
 
¶A.  The GOK recognizes that labor exploitation occurs, but 
the prevalence of foreign workers in the private sector and 
domestic labor market overwhelms official enforcement 
measures.  The GOK defines trafficking more narrowly than the 
USG; it considers trafficking to be a systemic phenomenon, 
whereas it views the situation in Kuwait as consisting of 
isolated individual cases of workers whose rights were 
abused.  The GOK acknowledges that some workers face 
difficulties but it questions whether that constitutes a 
systemic problem and points to the fact that the vast 
majority of foreign workers come to Kuwait and remain 
voluntarily in order to take advantage of higher wages and 
better work conditions than may be available in their home 
countries.  The general view held by GOK officials is that a 
few publicized extreme cases of worker abuse have maligned 
the entire system. 
 
¶B.  There were no GOK-run awareness campaigns during the 
reporting period. 
 
¶C.  Outside of USG initiative in investigating and reporting 
on TIP, there is little attention paid to trafficking. 
Source country embassies play a key role in addressing the 
issues of individual victims, but the role of facilitating 
communications and linking IOM, UNDP and other to the GOK is 
left to the USG. 
 
¶D.  The GOK does not specifically monitor immigration and 
emigration patterns for evidence of trafficking.  The GOK 
does not screen for potential trafficking victims along its 
borders but affirms that all domestic workers are met at the 
airport by the agency that recruited them to prevent the 
workers from being picked up by potential traffickers. 
 
¶E.  The GOK does not have a mechanism for coordination or 
communication between various agencies on trafficking-related 
matters.  The GOK does not have a single point of contact for 
trafficking-related matters or a task force on public 
corruption. 
 
The government previously had a committee to review and 
respond to human rights reports; however, this committee was 
dissolved and a new committee is being formed in its place 
that will not only review and respond to human rights issues 
but take actions to combat any violations.  The committee 
will be headed by the Minister of Justice and include members 
from various ministries. 
 
¶F.  The GOK does not have a national plan of action to 
address TIP. 
 
¶G.  The GOK has taken no discernable measures to reduce the 
demand for commercial sex acts. 
 
¶H.  N/A 
 
¶I.  N/A 
 
-------------- 
TIP POC KUWAIT 
-------------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU)  The point of contact at Embassy Kuwait for TIP 
related issues is Dew Tiantawach who is an FS-04.  Time spent 
on the preparation of the cable: approximately 40 hours, 
including meetings, research and drafting. 
Telephone:   965 259-1457 
Fax:   965 259-1051 
 
********************************************* * 
For more reporting from Embassy Kuwait, visit: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/?cable s 
 
KUWAIT 00000284  006 OF 006 
 
 
 
Visit Kuwait's Classified Website: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/ 
********************************************* * 
Misenheimer