Kuwait is set to deport expatriates engaging in begging during Ramadan 2025. The Ministry of Interior has arrested 11 individuals involved in this practice and plans legal action against their sponsors. The campaign targets both individuals and companies, particularly addressing the exploitation of minors.
In preparation for Ramadan 2025, Kuwait has announced a campaign aimed at deporting expatriates engaged in begging, as part of broader efforts to curb this illegal practice. The Interior Ministry has reported the recent arrests of 11 beggars, consisting of eight women and three men from various Arab and Asian nationalities, caught soliciting in public places such as mosques and markets.
Many of those apprehended arrived in Kuwait on visit visas or family residency permits, while others are unofficial workers lacking stable employment. Legal actions are being pursued against companies that neglectfully facilitated the employment of these individuals, contravening local laws.
According to ministry officials, the General Department of Residence Affairs Investigations will oversee the deportation of all violators. Expatriates holding dependent residency permits will be deported along with their sponsors, while those with private sector work permits will face deportation and corresponding penalties for their employers.
Domestic workers found begging will similarly be expelled from Kuwait, with their sponsors prohibited from acquiring labor visas in the future. The ministry also emphasized that severe action would be taken against those exploiting children for begging purposes, labeling this as “exploitation of minors.”
Furthermore, legal consequences will extend to instances of online begging. Traditionally, beggars tend to exploit the charitable nature of Ramadan, prompting authorities to deploy teams to actively pursue and detain those soliciting alms in surrounding neighborhoods during Iftar and in market areas.
Kuwait’s proactive measures to address begging by expatriates during Ramadan highlight a commitment to maintaining legal and social order. The deportation of violators, particularly those exploiting minors, underscores the seriousness of the initiative. With legal repercussions extended to sponsors and companies facilitating such activities, the Ministry of Interior aims to discourage unlawful begging, ensuring the sanctity of the holy month is preserved.
Original Source: gulfnews.com
