Modern day slavemasters

From Arab Times, 16 Aug. 2008. A bit old this opinion piece by Ali Al-Baghli, but the issues it raises are current...

A cook, a ‘slave’ … burnt hopes

By Ali Ahmad Al-Baghli Former Oil Minister THE following is a true story which happened in Kuwait some days ago. This is a good reply to those who defend Kuwait against accusations of inhuman treatment meted out to domestic maids and human trafficking. This happened in a society which we like to say is generous and has good faith. An Indian cook works for a Kuwaiti family, which is known for organizing Hajj caravans every year. The cook managed to bring his son, who looks like his father and has a nice smile on his face all the time, to work as a domestic helper for another Kuwaiti family. But within a few days the happy face of the son turned gloomy. He told his father that his master beats him regularly and gives instructions in Arabic, which he doesn’t understand. As he could not follow his master’s instructions correctly, the master thought the domestic helper was stubborn and making mistakes deliberately. This miscommunication happens all the time in the country. As this inhuman treatment went on, the father advised his son to go to the recruiting office to find another sponsor. When he came to know of this the master became hysterical and went to the office to claim the “slave” he had bought. He took the helper to his home, tied him up, locked him in a room, and branded the poor boy with a heated iron, like shepherds brand their camels. Such incidents used to happen in ancient times when masters branded their slaves to prove their ownership. The poor boy managed to escape from this prison and went to his father and asked him to find a lawyer to file a case against the slavemaster of the 21st century. At this point the Kuwait Human Rights Society got into the act and filed a case against the sponsor. However, soon they found out that the sponsor had already filed a case against the domestic claiming he was absconding. Maybe the master was safe in the knowledge that the unfair laws of Kuwait implemented by the book by the Interior Ministry would stand on his side. In this scenario we want to pose a direct question to Acting Minister of Interior Sheikh Mohammed Al-Khalid Al-Sabah, who is concerned with Kuwait’s poor track record on human rights: what do you expect this boy to do after being beaten and burned by his sponsor? How much more suffering and torture should he put up with to ensure no case is filed against him? Where are the shelter homes which you promised international organizations to build soon, for such cases? Such questions and information on similar cases are not grabbing the attention of any government departments or religious activists, who work day and night urging people to abide by high moral principles. Maybe this case doesn’t belong to their high ethics because according to their traditions and culture slaves are to be treated with a stick. e-mail: albaghlilaw@hotmail.com By Ali Ahmad Al-Baghli Former Oil Minister