Sorry, not sorry.
That’s basically how Kuwaiti social media influencer Sondos Alqattan responded to those who slammed her controversial rant against providing Filipino domestic workers more rights.
In a statement posted on her Instagram Stories earlier today, Alqattan defended herself from critics and said that she actually treats her employees very well.
“We, employee/employer, reside in the same house and consume/share the same food and work is shared around the premise and I don’t impose long working hours. [O]n the contrary, the working hours are flexible,” she said.
“I have not on any circumstances in the present or past have mistreated, degraded, or in any way mistreated an employee of mine.
Still, Alqattan reiterated her thoughts against giving domestic workers days off. She said: “the condition differs from a household worker compared to a business worker.”
This supports her statement in an interview with AFP, where she said that she thinks the backlash against her was “unjustified” and did not require an apology.
“All I said was that the employer was entitled to keep the servant’s passport and that many Kuwaitis and Gulf nationals agree with me,” she said.
Alqattan, a beauty blogger with 2.3 million followers on Instagram, went viral last week after she posted a video on the social media platform ranting about providing Filipino workers rights — like being able to keep their passports and getting one day off a week.
“[H]ow can you have a servant in your house that gets to keep their passport with them? Where are we living? If they ran away and went back to their country, who will refund me?” she said.
Following a diplomatic conflict with the Philippines earlier this year, the Kuwaiti government recently exempted Filipino domestic workers from the controversial Kafala system that essentially gives employers “ownership” over employees, limiting workers’ rights.
Alqattan’s video was slammed on social media, with some calling out companies to drop sponsorship deals with her. And some brands have done just that.
Makeup company Chelsea Beautique has said that it would remove a video sponsored by Alqattan from its social media accounts, The Telegraph reported. Perfume brand M Micallef has also said that it would no longer work with Alqattan.
Sativa1953 says
When Sadam invaded Kuwait, they were crying human rights and asking for the worlds support. Wondering if this new generation of Kuwaitis truly deserved it.