By NNN-KUNA
Kuwait : The role of women in modern society is no longer confined to raising children and caring for the family, but has extended to truly realizing “partnership” with men in their respective areas of work.
One such sector is that of the Commerce Ministry’s inspection department, where the ministry dispatches its inspectors to different businesses to make sure that regulations were being followed at all times.
In separate interviews by KUNA with the department’s female inspectors, they agreed that despite the difficulties they sometimes faced, their keenness for being of service to their country and the encouragement and support of their families helped them cope with whatever problems arose during the course of their duties.
They added that in the short time that they had come to work in this field, they realized the need for more local female inspectors, especially as many female business owners or businesses that dealt with products exclusively for women welcomed this.
Speaking to KUNA, Wafa Jameel, an inspector, said one problem was the lack of incentives and qualified staff, stressing that there was a need to increase the number of female inspectors.
She also hoped that the ministry would cooperate with the Interior Ministry when making inspecting rounds as their support was needed in light of lack awareness among the public of the authorities of the inspectors.
On her part, Fatima Al-Rashed said inspection rounds in local markets had made her well-aware of the violations to look out for, noting that the rule of law was above all else and that violations recorded against businesses were never personal as was claimed by some.
Meanwhile, Fatima Al-Darweesh said that although female inspectors visited all sorts of businesses, they focused on those catering to women such as health spas, gyms, salons and attire shops.
Most of the violations were related to over-pricing, selling unlicensed materials, failing to name a product’s country of origin, and practicing unlicensed activities, she said.
Al-Darweesh called on all citizens and expatriates to cooperate with the Commerce Ministry’s inspection department by reporting any violations on the hotline “135”.
As for Commerce Assistant Undersecretary for Inspection Affairs Ali Al-Baghli, he told KUNA that including women in the inspection teams aimed at enhancing the ability to control and monitor local markets and businesses.
He expressed the ministry’s confidence in the capabilities and efficiency of these women, noting that despite all obstacles, women had proven to be equal to their male counterparts in this area.
There are currently 10 female inspectors working in the department, he noted.
Abdulrahman Al-Mutairi, head of the Hawally inspection team, said that including women in inspection teams had proved most beneficial, noting the great enthusiasm with which they tackled their work and their dedication.