Well lets see, Human Trafficking is a very serious issue in the rich gulf states (GCC), no where else is this menace more of an issue than in Kuwait.
For the longest time, Kuwaiti authorities have been lax when it comes to cracking down on Human traffickers, instead they used to rely on raid in area where illegals usually stay in an attempt to stem the tide of illegals.
Before anything is said it is important to explain how human trafficking is done here.
It usually starts with a person wanting to come to Kuwait for work, in order to support their family back home,...
In a few cases people are enticed into coming abroad by their relatives or acquaintances who already live or work in these countries.
Anyway, these people are directed to get in touch with a "broker", this broker talks them through the visa procedure, life abroad, what jobs they will be expected to do etc. I would like to add most victims are naive men from villages with no idea of life outside their village, they're easily convinced and made to believe that they will have a easy job here with lots of pay, nobody ever mentions working as a labourer under the scorching Kuwaiti sun.
Victims are convinced into paying a large sum of money for the brokers help in bringing them abroad, mind you these people come here legally, they only become illegal later, as I'll explain shortly. Victims are poor and usually sell whatever land, property or cattle they have to acquire the required funds, sometimes even taking out loans.
Once the money is paid, they are told they will have good life here and will have many other Bangladeshis here to keep them company.
The victim only realises their mistake after they come here and are forced into busses after arriving at the airport. Bus takes them straight to the labour housing units, locally known as "camps". These camps are crowded apartment complexes with 5 to 6 people living in each room. The job is not what they were promised instead its usually some type of manual labour ranging anywhere from construction work to janitorial services. They are over worked and the camp supervisor who is also usually a Bangladeshi takes a cut from their already low salaries, anywhere from 30 to 40 percent.
Now here's the catch the Kuwaiti labour laws are extremely vague and layman workers have no knowledge of their rights, as such they're abused and treated like slaves. The people are brought here on "project" visas, which is basically a work visa that expires once the project that you're working for is completed.
Long story short, after anywhere from 1 to 4 years of slaving off here at low pay, these people are terminated and expected to buy a ticket back home, end of story.
Most people refuse to do this, because they spent thousands of dinars coming here, only to find themselves entrapped and cheated by the brokers. These people now "Illegals" do all sorts of odd jobs to make ends meet ranging from washing cars to working in far off isolated farms, always vary and hiding from law enforcement.
The Kuwaiti government conducts raid every now and then, resulting in a few repatriations here and there but doesn't make a move to stem the issue, that is until now.
Since the last six or so months, there has been a concerted effort by the Kuwaiti government to deport illegal expatriates and fix the demographics imbalance; 70% of Kuwait's residents are foreigners. These illegals include Indians, Egyptians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Sri Lankas, Nepalis, Ethiopians, Afghans and a few other countries.
I do not know how Indians and Pakistanis end up as illegals but I presume its the same story as with Bangladeshis.
Now coming to the point, This MP is the General manager of a company called "Marifi International", They supply manpower ranging from Labourers, Security, Drivers and Janitors. These guys have a direct link to visa brokers back in Bangladesh and sometimes they themselves set up these visa brokering offices back home.
They also have support from withing the Kuwaiti establishment, there are a few corrupt Kuwaiti nationals involved in this trade, and the Kuwaiti government is currently weeding these people out, Some are even high profile officials.
Now coming to what I think, I wholly support the Kuwaiti government's move to crack down on and dismantle the human trafficking rings. The government is leaving so stone unturned and is not shying away from taking appropriate measures against their own citizens who are involved in this. The honourable PM of Kuwait has promised that all those involved will apprehended, no matter how high up the trail of corruption goes.
I personally thank the Kuwaiti government especially His excellency the Emir and the Honourable PM for taking these much needed actions because these illegals are a menace to us all and only serve to snub the image of our countries and they inadvertently make life hell for us legal residents.
Mr. Shahid here is a criminal and has exploited countless people and run them out huge sums of money, Hopefully now fate and justice catch up to him. I hope he isn't deported to Bangladesh and is made to serve his time here in Kuwait, where he cant talk his way out of trouble. Having known people who were exploited and tricked by these human trafficking rings, I have nothing but utter comtempt for this crook.
This is a controversial topic here in Kuwait, both among citizens and expats, as such I would prefer to not make any hasty comments regarding this and instead let the Law run its course.
Edit : I forgot to mention, last month the government enacted a new law that allowed for illegals to get a no questions asked ticket back to their country of origin paid for by the Kuwaiti government and all the fines and criminal charges related to being illegal were dropped. Around 30,000 people signed up for this amnesty service and most have departed now, but it is estimated that another 15 to 30 thousand illegal Bangladeshis remain. Illegal Indians number over 80,000.
Perhaps
@Michael Corleone bhai who also resides in Kuwait can share his views on this as well.
