Filipino maid jumps to death in Kuwait

A Filipino maid was killed in Kuwait after reportedly jumping from her employer’s residence in Kuwait on Tuesday, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.

The DFA did not name the worker, but said Philippine Embassy officials are coordinating closely with Kuwaiti authorities who are investigating the death of the household service worker from Isabela.

Citing an embassy report, the Filipina seemed to have jumped from the third floor of her employer’s residence in Sabahiya.

The reported suicide of the Filipino worker came six months after the signing of a labor welfare protection agreement between Manila and Kuwait.

Rising incidents of abuses against Filipino domestic helpers, where some resulted to death, previously prompted the Philippine government to enforce a deployment ban, sparking a diplomatic row between the two states.

Kuwait was also angered by the Philippine embassy’s series of rescue operation of Filipino maids allegedly abused by their employers.

The ban was lifted days after the labor pact was signed in May, signaling normalization of the two countries’ relations.

Philippine officials in Kuwait, meanwhile, will arrange for the repatriation of the remains of the victim.

Kuwait is a major labor destination for Filipinos in the Middle East, with over 250,000 currently working there, mostly as domestic helpers. — BAP, GMA News