42 OFWs repatriated from Kuwait

At least 42 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), many of them allegedly abused by their employers, have arrived home from Kuwait.   Many of the OFWs sought the help of the Philippine Embassy, a report of GMA News TV's "Unang Balita" said on Tuesday. The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) offered to help the OFWs by:

• conducting a stress debriefing,
• providing them with financial assistance for their return to their home provinces, and
• helping the returning OFWs set up their own businesses.

A report of the news site BBC in January this year said Kuwait faced a recent spate of militant violence. "Security forces have clashed with Islamist militants, some of whom are alleged to have links with Al-Qaeda. The authorities say extremist groups have plotted attacks on Western targets," BBC said.

The BBC noted that Kuwait is a small, oil-rich country in the Gulf. It is flanked by larger and more powerful neighbors: Saudi Arabia to the south, Iraq to the north, and Iran to the east.

Kuwait's oil fields were first explored in the 1930s. Oil has since dominated its economy, accounting for about 90% of its export revenues. - VVP, GMA News