PH mulls expanding deployment ban to Saudi Arabia over ‘slave trade’

AMID reports that Filipino household workers (HSWs) or domestic helpers were being traded like slaves, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is considering expanding the existing deployment ban in Kuwait to Saudi Arabia and other Middle East (ME) countries.

“For example, in Saudi, it is common malpractice that the employer trades or switches their worker to other employers. That’s what they call the kafala system and it is always for consideration. We will impose the same restrictions (like in Kuwait) and will consider deployment ban if strengthened protection of our OFWs was not assured,” Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello 3^rd said on Wednesday.