Many Filipinos work as low-paid domestic workers in Gulf states like Kuwait, where visa systems make them vulnerable to abuse.
Philippine nationals make up around 6% of Kuwait’s 4.7 million population, government data shows. Kuwaitis make up 32%. Large numbers of Philippine citizens work overseas, with around 10% of its gross domestic product coming from remittances. Many work in oil-rich Gulf states like Kuwait as low-paid domestic workers, where visa systems tie a worker to one employer and make migrant workers vulnerable to abuse – including employers confiscating their passports.
Listed violations include housing workers in shelters, searching for runaways without involving state institutions, communicating with Kuwaiti citizens without permission from authorities and pressuring Kuwaiti employers to add clauses to employment contracts.