Sondos Alqattan, a Kuwaiti influencer and makeup artist, is under fire for criticizing the recent OFW protection deal between Kuwait and the Philippines. Under the deal, Filipino maids are allowed to have one day off per week, and their employers are barred from confiscating their passports.
In a video translated by TRT World, a Turkish news channel, Alqattan is heard ranting about the law. “How can you have a ‘servant’ in your house who gets to keep their passport with them? If they ran away and went back to their country, who will refund me?” she says, adding, “What’s worse is they have one day off every week.”
Alqattan immediately received heavy criticism online, from both Filipinos and her fellow Arabs. She has not responded to the backlash, and has since posted new photos on her Instagram account. (Don’t bother going to the comments section to bring up the video. She’s disabled new comments)
If you remember, the deal was set in place after President Duterte, angry over the mistreatment that a lot of OFWs receive from their employers in Kuwait, temporarily banned Filipinos from working in the state. Also, it came in the heels of a murder case involving a couple brutally murdering their Filipina maid, which just makes her statements even more disgusting. Maybe xenophobia isn’t the best makeup look to put on.
Watch the video here:
What did you think about Alqattan’s comments? Do you agree that what she said was racist? Let us know.
Featured photo courtesy of Unsplash.
Get more stories like this by subscribing to our weekly newsletter here.
Read more:
How to treat your kasambahay according to the law
Netizens react to 3 Filipina tourists denied entry to Hong Kong
Writer: ZOFIYA KARENINA ACOSTA
