Ethiopian Maid Attempts Suicide After Killing Sleeping Kuwaiti Woman
An Ethiopian maid is facing manslaughter charges in Kuwait for allegedly killing the daughter of her sponsor by slitting her throat while the victim was asleep.
According to reports, the gruesome incident happened this week in Andalus. The deceased, 24-year-old Fatima Al-Otaibi, was killed while she slept in her family’s residence.
The Ethiopian maid, whose name and age has not yet been disclosed, reportedly tried to commit suicide by slitting her own throat after the incident. She has since been transported to the hospital for treatment.
The maid is reported to have been planning to visit Ethiopia. The Kuwaiti family had reportedly purchased plane tickets for her.
On Wednesday, Ethiopia’s Ambassador to Kuwait Mohammad Gudeta said the embassy has been provided very little information about the case. He revealed that representatives of the embassy have been sent to the Kuwaiti Ministry of Interior to gather more information. Delegates were also sent to the hospital where the maid is being treated.
The Ethiopian embassy in Kuwait has expressed regret over the incident and sent condolences to the family of the deceased.
The motive behind the gruesome attack has not yet been established. However, there have been several cases of domestic workers being abused and mistreated by their employers in Kuwait.
Kuwait is the largest employer of domestic workers in the Middle East. The country hosts about 666,000 domestic workers – many of whom are from Africa and Asia. Maids have repeatedly made headlines in the country and around the region for perpetrating violence against their employers and their relatives.
According to experts, these crimes could be triggered by depression and other psychological disorders caused by inhumane working conditions. Some foreign domestic workers in Kuwait are reported suffer abuses including long working hours without rest, non-payment of wages as well as physical and sexual abuse.
There are over 74,000 Ethiopians in Kuwait and many of them are domestic workers. According to Kuwait’s Kafala sponsorship system, these workers, who sometimes suffer terrible abuse, are not allowed to leave or change jobs without the consent of their employers. They are considered ‘illegal’ if they flee from their employers.
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