Leaders protest harassment of African migrants

By Standard Reporter

African leaders frowned openly at their Arab counterparts over the mistreatment of migrant workers at the start of a major summit in Kuwait to explore ways of creating a new working formula between the two regions on Tuesday.

Ethiopia Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, who is also the African Union (AU) chairman, called for an immediate solution to the poor treatment of migrant workers, saying the handling of immigration issues required a collective response.

“It is within our means to find solutions to this problem in a comprehensive and sustainable manner,” Mr Desalegn said in his opening remarks at the summit.

Kenya’s Foreign Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed made similar demands earlier, saying the issue of immigration required streamlining during the summit.

Kuwait’s economy is mostly run by migrant workers from Bangladesh, Egypt, Morocco, India, Philippines and Kenya, and the rest of East Africa, some of who operate from the shadows.

Kenya’s Foreign ministry officials are pushing for measures to ensure effective protection of migrant workers. They want equal pay for equal work and measures to enhance transparency in the terms of work to avoid rampant abuses.