Kuwait accused

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The human rights group Middle East Watch yesterday accused the Kuwaiti government of failing to punish rape, assault and mistreatment of Asian housemaids.

In the report, Punishing the Victim: Rape and Mistreatment of Asian Maids in Kuwait, the New York-based organisation said some 2,000 Asian maids had fled abusive employers since Kuwait was liberated from Iraqi occupation forces in March 1991.

It urged Kuwait to improve conditions for domestics. Of 60 cases reviewed, a third involved rape or sexual assault of maids by an employer or a man with access to the employer's house.