And the fact that nearly every one got super defensive about the Kuwait house above everything else… really tells you about what’s wrong at the core here!

First of all Mark you have the right to bring such issues of awareness to peoples attention, yet you might do so less harshly.

Second I agree with no “42. SecurityAdviser” He seems to have some logical and fair solutions like the closing down of the false and bogus labor companies.

And third and most important:

A. Any Kuwaiti citizen would know that not all Kuwaitis live in a Mansion like that, maybe 30% do and thats something expats might not know.

B. Obviously the ruined house were the workers live in is an ABANDONED house, which is very commonly used by ILLEGAL WORKERS/ IMMIGRANTS and not by forced labor or workers.
If you go to Jeleeb el Shiyokh on the 6th Ring Road you will see things like that and in Khitan as well and Farwaniya

C. The usual story goes like this. The worker visa expire, company is broke, the sponsor fires them for whatever reasons etc, they are asked to leave the country and go to their embassy, yet they don’t. They chose to stay and sell perfumes in Kuwait city door to door office to office, and DVD movies in Salmiya same way. Then of course they cannot afford the rent and they take refuge in empty apartments and abandoned homes that are ready to be demolished and so on.

D. Things like this exist in many countries on the world. The the Mexican or the Latinos from Southern American Countries who fled in waves to the USA for the last 40 years. Allot of Them live like that in San Diego, LA, El Paso Texas and Del Rio Texas and much more of the Southern Sates in America. The Asian illegal immigrant in Uk and Canada. The Caucasus people in Russia “Aliens in their own country”. the Gypsies in many Eastern European countries. Chinese minority groups. The Thai workers in Japan the list goes on. No much has been done to change or address these issues. In the USA, the dishwashers and waiters and cooks and trash removers and trash truck drivers and the mexican farmers and the ones who bring the vegetables and fruits from the farm land to the fancy restaurants of NY, and LA, and Miami how do you think they live.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3L8FpBaFHmA&feature=channel

What must be done is that the Kuwaiti public who have voices that actually reach the ears of the men who roam the corridors of power in this country should cry out their outrage at this…….at how this reflects on them as a people… as a NATION. The sound should be so loud that it should shake the very foundations of this evil.

The perfect scenario should be that the these places be raided by the authorities and the owners of these companies be jailed. Their files for recruitement of manpower should be closed and black listed by the ministry of social affairs and labour for at least 10 years. The owners should not be able to start a new company under a new name at all during this time. Laws regarding minimum wage should be put forward and enforced and the same penalties should be enforced for defaulters.. The same defaulters need to be photographed and their pictures be put in the local dailes under the title of LOCAL SLUM LORD.

Only then and then only will the fatted evil doers wake up and take notice. Once they are forced to live like the workers that they have forced to live in filth will they realise the extent of their evil.

But this will never happen in a country where money is the name of the game and where most men who roam the corridors of power are supported by the very same fatted RICH evil doers.

The above is MY 02 cents …………

What the picture essentially points out are the bad living conditions and poor wage for the workers in Kuwait. Its worse than slavery because as slaves were atleast pitied but there are some people here who talk like heartless beings with no feeling whatsoever.

Unfortunately as someone has mentioned these labours come from country like India selling money, land, jewels just for a meagre salary. Most of them come from Villages and due to industralisation and seasonal changes they are not able to make a decent life by agriculture. As they are not well educated they are lured to take up job overseas by any means. Once they get in the wrong hands and end up in these situations they cannot go back or complaint.

And as for this living condition being better compared to their homes in their home country – thats bull shit! All the street cleaners we visited in Hasawi are from farm lands, and they have spacious homes.. with air to breath and rivers to swim in. They showed us pictures of thei home and family. The only reason they suffer with this is because they have no money left (they gave it all away to come here). So they cant just pick up and go back like others have suggested. They have to come up with the ticket money on their own.

Can you imagine living on KD18 a month in Kuwait? Sure, its an alright salary for someone from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, but compare that salary with the living expenses here. No wonder these people go into crime and begging.

For a rich country like Kuwait there sure as hell isnt enough being done for them. I’m not asking for much, just basic human dignity. Treat them like you treat the Filipino tea boys. They live in flats in Salmiya, 4 people to a 2 bedroom flat. Not like animals in a barn.