What if...

What if my family hadn't come to Kuwait when they did?

What if we hadn't made as much money as we have today?

What if we were still in India and still poor?
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What if my wife's family hadn't moved from the Philippines to Canada?

What if they hadn't become Canadian citizens and had the option of being middle class?

What if they were still in the Philippines and still poor?
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Would then my own mother, sister and the woman who I would have married - have come here as nannies and housekeepers?

What if it all happened to them?
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What if Kuwait had never been liberated, and citizens had no home to go to?

What if they had to make a living in a foreign country among a foreign people?

New writer on Q8SWS

Hi there blogfans, my name is nabeel. Sws has kindly invited me to share my thoughts on this blog as a new writer -- and rather than just intrude right away, I thought I'd start off by ways of a little introduction.

I'm a third generation Indian citizen in Kuwait, born and raised. I have no gift whatever for languages so I dont speak more than a few words of Arabic - or any Indian language for that matter. I went to an English school in Kuwait and did my University in Vancouver, Canada. I'm married to a great gal from there and now I'm back in Kuwait, working. ..And recently I've started involving myself in a little social work and have been utterly amazed by what I've seen.

About that - hopefully over time, I'll be updating you with reports of human rights abuses here, and my perspective on it as an expat. As I'm sure you're already aware, the Gulf region has come under a lot of scrutiny for this sort of thing. Please feel free to ask any questions, air your opinions - and mostly... please get involved.

I will start off with a report from a Nepali Humanitarian Organisation "Asha - Nepal" which is headed by a British gentleman:

"I wish we could stop these girls going. They are aware of the situation, but are pursuaded by the agencies that they will be looked after and of course the money is a huge draw.

We had a case three years ago, with Kuwait Airways carrying a seriously demented girl on a plane to Delhi in her night dress. (In Kuwait) she had been taught to offer herself to any man that came near her. The girl in question committed suicide just under a year ago. We want to write to the airline and the Kuwaiti Embassy in the UK although they aren't likely to reply. They didnt last time."

You might think this is an isolated incident, but in one of our hospitals right now is an Indonesian girl who was 'lent' by the agency to a man who forcibly slept with her and then 'sold' her to another man who forced her to sleep with 3-5 men a day. Then - like many stories you might here - she jumped.

Guess where she will go after her discharge from the hospital?! Jail. After that its the deportation center and if she's lucky enough, she will be booked a ticket home in a month or so, with only the clothes on her back and not even a month's worth of salary. But then what sort of salary do you get from forced prostitution !?

And then the real shame begins as she tries to live in her community, a rape victim and penniless.

One case in hundreds. What are your thoughts?

quote of the day and nothing to say

Do good and throw it bahhar

BLAST OFF

You're sinking slowly very very slowly and you do your best to paddle your way to the top only to find yourself sinking again, you look around and see all the beautiful familiar faces you know but refuse to ask for help cuz you don't want to take them down with you, so you keep paddling discreetly hoping nobody sees your struggle.


Uplifting ... I love my baby girl

You've got a friend

When you're down and troubled

and you need a helping hand,

and nothing, whoa nothing is going right.

Close your eyes and think of me

and soon I will be there

to brighten up even your darkest nights.

You just call out my name,

and you know wherever I am

I'll come running, oh yeah baby

to see you again.

Winter, spring, summer, or fall,

all you got to do is call

and I'll be there, yeah, yeah, yeah.

You've got a friend.

If the sky above you

should turn dark and full of clouds

and that old north wind should begin to blow

Keep your head together and call my name out loud now

and soon I'll be knocking upon your door.

You just call out my name and you know where ever I am

I'll come running to see you again.

Winter, spring, summer or fall

all you got to do is call

and I'll be there, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Hey, ain't it good to know that you've got a friend?

People can be so cold.

They'll hurt you and desert you.

Well they'll take your soul if you let them.

Oh yeah, but don't you let them.

You just call out my name and you know wherever I am

I'll come running to see you again.

Oh babe, don't you know that,

Winter spring summer or fall,

Hey now, all you've got to do is call.

Lord, I'll be there, yes I will.

You've got a friend.

You've got a friend.

Ain't it good to know you've got a friend.

Ain't it good to know you've got a friend.

You've got a friend.

Thank you Meema :*

Brief from S.W.S

تقرير عن مساهمة بيت الزكاة لأئمة المساجد البنغالين

‏من خلال زياراتنا الميدانية المستمرة و إستشعرانا لذو العوز و أصحاب الحالات الإنسانية، ‏إلتقينا مع شريحة كبيرة من العمالة الوافدة يتجاوز عددها 120 فرداً و التي أُغر بها من قبل ‏شركة نظافة قامت بالتعاقد معهم في بلدهم على العمل كأئمة مساجد و مأذنين في دولة الكويت ‏برواتب مجزية و قدرها 120 دينار كويتي و عليه قاموا بدفع تكاليف الإستقدام مقدمًا و ذلك ‏من خلال بيع كل ما يملكون و الإقتراض و الرهن على أن يقوموا بالسداد لاحقاً وذلك من خلال ‏عملهم في الكويت و بعد وصولهم و إنهاء جميع الإجراءات فوجئوا بتكليف الشركة لهم بالعمل ‏كعمال نظافة بأجر مقطوع لا يتعدى دينار 25 كويتي.‏و عليه و بعد التنسيق مع المنظمة الدولية للهجرة قام وفد الجمعية بزيارة الشركة المذكورة و ‏إطلاعهم على ما آلت إليه أوضاع مكفوليهم و إستنكروا ذلك و إفادوا بأنة لا يوجد لديهم عمالة، ‏وأثبتنا لهم عدم صحة إدعائهم و ذلك من خلال عرضنا لكشوفات بالإسماء و مستندات و أقوال ‏هذه العمالة و بعد المواجهة وعدوا بأن يقوموا بإنهاء هذه المشكلة في موعد أقصاه أسبوع من ‏تاريخة و لم يفوا بوعودهم، فقمنا بمراجعتهم مرة أخرى بمقر الشركة الكائن في حولي و لم ‏نجد مدير الشركة و كررنا الزيارة و بدأ مسئولين الشركة التهرب منا مرة تلو الأخرى و مأساة ‏العمالة تتفاقم يوما بعد يوم و الذين باتو بلا مأكل و لا مأوى.‏‏ لذا قررت إدارة الجمعية بوقف هذه المأساة الإنسانية ورفعها للجهات الرسمية بالدولة و ‏فقامت الجمعية على الفور بتقديم المساعدات المالية لإعانتهم على توفير المأوى المؤقت و ‏المأكل حيث أنهم كانوا يسكنون في ساحات المساجد و مواقف السيارات و في فترة الصيف ‏يعانون من شدة الحر.‏كما أخذت رئيسة الجمعية على عاتقها بزمام الأمور و قامت بمخاطبة بيت الزكاة وذلك بتاريخ ‏‏07/08/2007 مطالبة بتوفير مساعدة مالية لتلك العمالة لتأمين تكاليف عودتهم إلى بلادهم و ‏تسديد قروضهم، حيث وافق مدير عام بيت الزكاة مشكوراً على تخصيص مبلغ و قدرة ‏‏50.000 د.ك ( خمسون ألف دينار كويتي فقط لا غير) يودع في حساب الجمعية شريطة أن ‏يصرف لتلك العمالة و إفادتهم بجميع المستندات التي تثبت ذلك ، و بعد مراجعتنا لبيت الزكاة ‏فوجئنا بطلب وزارة الشئون الإجتماعية والعمل ممثلة بوكيل الوزارة من بيت الزكاة بإيداع ‏المبلغ أعلاه بصندوق الخيري للتنمية الإجتماعية العائد لوزارة الشئون بدلا من جمعية العمل ‏الإجتماعي الكويتية مثبتة بذلك المقولة التي تفيد "لا أرحمك و لا أخلي رحمة الله تنزل عليك". ‏و قد قام نائب رئيس الجمعية بطلب مقابلة السيد / وكيل وزارة للإستفسار عن هذا القرار الغير ‏مسبوق من قبل الوزارة للتدخل في ألية عمل الجمعيات بهذا النحو ورفض وكيل وزارة الشئون ‏مقابلة نائب رئيس الجمعية و عليه قام بمقابلة الوكيل المساعد لشئون القانونية وأطلعة على ‏هذا الأمر و الذي بدورة أستغرب من موقف وكيل الوزارة الغير مبرر و الذي قد يفهمة البعض ‏بأنه تواطؤ مع أصحاب شركات النظافة والمتنفذين.‏ولا يزال المبلغ حتى هذا التاريخ بصندوق الوزارة و لم ينفق على هذه العمالة المتضررة أي ‏مبلغ و بعد فترة قامت الشركة بإجراء بلاغات تغيب لتلك العمالة مدعية بعدم تواجدهم في ‏أعمالهم و هروبهم من العمل متناسية الحديث الشريف " أعطوا الأجير أجرة قبل أن يجف ‏عرقة".‏وبعد فترة تم إلقاء القبض على مجموعة منهم وأودعوا في سجن الإبعاد و قمنا بزيارتهم و ‏أعطائهم بعض المبالغ النقدية لشراء مستلزمات سفرهم و تم إبعادهم من قبل وزارة الداخلية ‏و هذه المأساة تتكرر مع العديد من العمالة الوافدة التي لا حول لها و لا قوة إلا بالله. ‏

Warm up

I'm not a great writer, actually I don't enjoy writing at all but I have soooo much to say and this blog is the only way I can vent untill someone buys me and IPOD teaches me how to use Itunes and perhaps one day I can have my voice heard through podcast and I don't think that's happening anytime soon.

I haven't written for a while because I had much to say but my thoughts were scattered and I didn't know how to approach my subject so I sort of gave up, also I felt like I kept repeating the same thing over and over again. Recently, two men whom I respect very much. Rev. A and ATM asked me why I was lacking and I said I had nothing to talk about then I sensed their disappointment and that motivated me.

Yesterday, I went to the avenues for the first time ever with my daughter (hussah the great) and we played at Baroue with the other kids and their nannies. I don't like children very much and especially the ones that are out of control which was the case yesterday with all the kids, the horror!! Goodness... poor nannies, I hope they're paid enough.

A friend of mine is doing a documentary about modern slavery/human trafficking (whatever you prefer to call it) in kuwait, I wish you all the best R-watan.

Can the ministy of social affairs please find the that 50,000 kd that al zakat donated to them in order to send 200 bangalis home who came to kuwait under false pretenses and weren't paid for months. These men just want to get paid and go home. I'm posting an article in arabic about this situation in details tomorrow inshalla.

On another note: Happy Ramadan.. Happy Eid and if you drink or eat during fasting hours you will get arrested!! Now how pathetic is that?!? What about the many ppl who aren't muslims in Kuwait? What about the ones that work outdoors and need a sip of water atleast! Silly law like many other silly laws are made to be broken.

Khoda Hafiz and God Bless ..