Kuwait imposes ban on recruiting Bangladeshi workers again

Kuwait has reinstated a ban on recruiting Bangladeshi workers following reports of some irregularities in recruitment and involvement in illegal activities.

The northern Arabian Gulf state's Interior Minister Shaikh Khalid Al Jarrah has ordered the ban, reports Gulf News on Monday quoting Kuwaiti daily Al Jareeda.

The decision was taken following remarkable increase of irregularities and abuses by traffickers in work and residency permits for Bangladeshis following the recent lifting of a ban on their recruitment in 2014.

The Kuwait government's security agency reports mentioned some abuses mainly related to the employment of domestic helpers despite the existence of strict regulations.

Sources at Bangladesh Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training said, Kuwait recruited around 480,000 workers from 1976 until 2007.

However, Kuwait stopped recruiting Bangladeshi workers in 2007 after getting reports of irregularities and involvement in illegal activities.

In 2014, Kuwait decided to lift the ban and allow Bangladeshis to work in the Gulf country.

But in May 2016, Kuwait imposed a ban on male domestic helpers following security reports that there were irregularities.