Filipino domestic workers have been banned from travelling to Kuwait.
The ban came into force on January 3 and exempts skilled workers or Filipinos who are already working in the country.
It comes following the death of domestic worker Jeanelyn Villavende.
A report by the Kuwait Times said the body of the deceased Filipina housemaid was brought to Sabah Hospital and contained bruises on various parts of the body. The housemaid’s sponsor admitted to police that his wife had beaten the Filipina until she fainted and died.
Announcing the ban, labour secretary, Silvestre Bello, said: “This should serve as a clear message to Kuwaiti authorities. The partial ban may ripen into total deployment ban if justice for Jeanelyn Villavende is not met.”
There are currently around 200,000 Filipinos living in Kuwait.
Kuwait and the Philippines in May 2018 signed an agreement to regulate domestic workers, after a dispute between the two countries led to a ban on Filipino workers in the Gulf state.
In February 2018, President Rodrigo Duterte imposed a partial ban on workers travelling to Kuwait after a Filipina maid was murdered and her body found in a freezer.
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