KUWAIT: Fe (not her real name) from the Philippines has five children. They were all legally born in Kuwait with her Pinoy husband. But none of them have iqamas, so they are considered illegal in the country. They cannot move freely, and are mostly locked up inside a small room which Fe rents. Obviously, the kids are deprived of schooling, socializing and a normal life. Fe’s husband has married anew. According to Fe, her husband comes home once in a while to give some cash. In May, Fe was fortunate to receive KD 20 from her husband. The last time he came was in June, when he left a kilo of fish and KD 3 at her doorstep and went back to his new family. After that, she has not heard from him. Now Fe wants to get rid of her husband and send her five kids to the Philippines. But sending them back without valid visas is not permissible, although the Kuwaiti government is lenient on the matter. And Fe too cannot leave the country, according to Annie Mendoza, embassy attache and head of the department taking care of cases like Fe’s. “Fe cannot even accompany her kids because she has a criminal liability and is barred from leaving the country,” Mendoza asserted. Fe explained the ban was placed when she guaranteed a friend for a bank loan, who left Kuwait for good. “How I wish I could accompany my children back home, but I have outstanding liability at the bank, and they have blocked me so I cannot not leave the country,” she told Kuwait Times, wiping tears. Fe was a restaurant manger when she got married in 2004. Because of her outstanding case, her iqama was not renewed. To sustain her five kids, Fe rented a flat and accepted boarders to make some extra amount so that her five kids survive. She also accepted babysitting so she could cope with life in Kuwait. “If I ever send my children home, it will help me a lot financially, but being away from them bothers me a lot,” she admitted
News source : Kuwaittimes