Kuwait’s Public Authority for Manpower (PAM) recently announced that a new shelter for male migrants is expected to be opened soon.  Currently, PAM operates only one shelter for female migrant workers with a capacity of 500 people.  Male migrant workers often struggle to find shelters due to lack of available options. Shelters in embassies, for example,  usually only accept female migrants.

It’s unclear whether the new shelter will accommodate all migrant victims of abuse and labour exploitation, or only identified trafficking victims. The move follows recommendations by the US State Department to open a shelter for male victims of trafficking. 

Kuwait’s Minister of State for Economic Affairs, Mariam Al-Aqeel, announced that the new male shelter will replace the existing female shelter. A new shelter for female migrants is being built in South Sabahiya. 

According to the US Trafficking in Persons (TIP) 2019 report, in 2018, the Kuwaiti government housed a total of 1,600 domestic workers in its shelter compared to 3,000 in 2017. Kuwait was been upgraded to Tier 2 status in the latest TIP report.