Kuwaiti MP : Protecting rights of foreign labor 'vital' issue in Asia

Protecting the rights of foreign labor in Asia is an issue of vital importance for Asian nations, said a Kuwaiti lawmaker here on Wednesday. Head of the Kuwaiti parliamentary delegation to the international conference on principles of friendship and cooperation in Asia MP Saleh Ashour said, during the meeting for the special committee on foreign labors' rights, that the increasing numbers of foreign labors in hosting countries has led to negative outcomes such as human trafficking and maltreatment. As for Kuwait, Ashour said, the GCC country had signed on international conventions that regulated the relationship between employers and employees. He revealed that in February of 2010, Kuwait has issued a new law that ensured the rights of foreign labors. Ashour called for national campaigns in Asian countries to ensure the rights of labor, local or foreign, stressing that it was important to commit to principles announced by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in regards to the protection of foreign labor rights. The current conference in Solo, which kicked off yesterday and will last till September 29, is held on a proposal by the Executive Committee of the Asian Parliamentary Assembly (APA).