About 200 Filipinos have sought shelter at the Philippine labor office in Kuwait alleging abuse by their employers and are awaiting repatriation, an official said Wednesday.About 80 percent of the workers are domestic helpers who ran away from their employers or were rescued by Philippine officials after suffering abuse, said Administrator Jennifer Manalili of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA)."Kuwait is one of our most problematic countries for household service workers," Manalili said.Domestic helpers leave their employers for various reasons, ranging from maltreatment, to rape to non-payment of salary and overwork, she added.The Philippine workers are not facing any criminal charges.The POEA tries to arrange to have their employers or their recruitment agency pay for their repatriation before sending them home, Manalili added.Officials earlier said there were about 140,000 Filipino workers in oil-rich Kuwait including about 60,000 household workers.The Philippines is one of the world's leading sources for skilled and unskilled labour with up to nine million people, about 10 percent of the population, living and working in 140 different countries.Their remittances have become a major pillar for supporting the economy.
as of 02/25/2009 6:22 PM
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