Popular Emirati influencer and vlogger Khalid Al Ameri has taken to Facebook to defend the rights of Filipino domestic workers in response to Kuwaiti social media star Sondos Al Qattan’s controversial criticism of legislation designed to protect their rights.
In a video posted to Facebook, Ameri – who has more than 1.27 million followers on Facebook – slammed Qattan’s seeming disapproval of the fact that Filipino domestic workers in Kuwait must be given one day off each week and that employers are forbidden from retaining their passports.
“How would you feel if you worked for someone that didn’t only not give you a day-off, but disagreed with the very ideology that you deserve a day-off?,” he asked. “If I’m not mistaken, almost every job in the world, barring a few security jobs and military jobs, have a day off. A day of rest, a day to go out, a day to enjoy life.”
Ameri added, “We’re not robots at the end of the day. We’re all humans and expect to have time to rest and time for ourselves.”
Ameri also expressed disapproval of what he termed Qattan’s “rant” in which she said she feared that giving workers access to their passports may lead to them fleeing the country.
“If I worked for you, I would run so far away, the CIA wouldn’t be able to find me, I would dig a hole so deep, you wouldn’t be able to smell my scent,” he said.
“I would disappear. I would cease to exist. I would never show my face in this world again out of fear you might find me and might ask me to work for you again.”
Thank domestic workers
The Emirati ended the video by saying that he believes all people want to “be happy, grow old with people we love, take care of our families and be at peace.”
“Anyone that gets in the way of that is a serious problem,” he said. “On behalf of my country and on behalf of my family, I want to thank every single domestic worker in this part of the world for helping us and for being part of our families.”
Faced with a growing public backlash regarding Qattan’s comments, a number of brands with which she’s previously had relationships – including Max Factor Arabia and French perfume brand M. Micalle – have severed ties with her.
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