Migrants’ group urges gov’t to declare Kuwaiti blogger ‘persona non grata’
Migrante International asked the government to declare Kuwaiti social media influencer Sondos Alqattan persona non grata after she condemned new laws giving Filipino household workers a weekly day-off and the right to keep their passports.
The migrant group also said Alqattan should be blacklisted and prohibited from hiring Filipino workers.
“Despite facing a barrage of online criticisms and backlash from her endorsers, Sondos Alqattan remains unapologetic and stands by her previous controversial remarks,” the group said in a statement on Thursday.
READ: Kuwaiti influencer loses ties with beauty brands after remarks vs OFWs
Armando Hernando, Chairperson of Migrante Philippines, said “Sondos is symptomatic of the long-standing impunity caused by the negligence of the government which is why Filipinos are continually being subjected to abuse and maltreatment.”
Earlier, Migrante urged Alqattan to apologize as they likened her comments to those of “a slave owner.”
Alqattan, known for her Internet make-up tutorials, faced criticism for a video posted on July 10 to Instagram.
She attacked Kuwaiti government measures introduced in May granting Filipinos working in the Gulf state one day off per week and allowing them to keep their passports.
However, Alqattan responded on Instagram by saying, “Don’t judge a person without full understanding of the situation. Just because you don’t agree, doesn’t mean that you’re right!”
/vvp
