Kuwait’s Public Authority for Manpower (PAM) officially opened a new shelter for male migrants recently —the first such facility in the country. The shelter which is located in Hawalli spans 10,000 square metres and can accommodate between 200 and 300 workers.
According to Acting Deputy Director General of PAM’s Protection Sector Affairs, Dr. Fahad Al-Murad, the shelter will provide essential services, including primary legal and health support, for male migrant workers in both the domestic and private-sectors. Workers can access the shelter with or without referrals from government agencies such as the Ministries of Interior and Justice, diplomatic missions, or civil society organizations.
The facility will also operate a national referral system for cases of human trafficking and will house migrants involved in disputes with their sponsors until the issues are resolved, either amicably or through the judiciary.
For years, PAM has announced plans to open a shelter for male migrants, only for those plans to face repeated delays. Male migrant workers in Kuwait, who constitute roughly 67% of the migrant population, who have disputes with employers or who are victims of exploitation often struggle to find housing due to a lack of affordable or accessible options. If access to this new shelter remains unrestricted, it could offer much-needed relief.
Local media, citing PAM, reported that the government is currently studying to switch the female and male shelters. The female migrants, who are primarily domestic workers, may be transferred from their shelter in the Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh area to the new male shelter in Hawalli. As per PAM, this move would place them closer to recruitment offices, making it easier to deal with cases. In addition, the Hawalli center has not yet received any male workers, which makes the transfer process easier.
Across the Gulf states, government and embassy-run shelters typically service female migrants alone, despite men making up the majority of the migrant population. This issue mainly arises from the live-in nature of migrant domestic workers’ jobs, where they both live and work in their employer’s home. As a result, it is presumed they won’t have alternative accommodation in the event of a dispute that forces them to leave their workplace. In contrast, migrant men, the majority of whom work in the private sector outside of their employer’s home, are often overlooked. They are assumed to be able to easily find accommodation. However, they too can be evicted from company housing and may struggle to afford rent for a new place.
MR spoke to some workers who cautiously welcome the new shelter, but say for most workers in distress a government shelter is seen as a step before detention and not a safe house. PAM’s shelter for women does provide health and legal aid services, and gives access to embassies and select CSOs; however, to a large extent, the services provided women are oriented towards their repatriation, rather than justice and reintegration.
