KUWAIT CITY, June 26 : The Kuwaiti Cabinet has cautioned against the perils of rumor-mongering and disinformation, urging social media and news services to ensure professionalism, credibility and national interest. The Cabinet gave the warning during its weekly meeting held at Bayan Palace Tuesday under the chairmanship of His Highness Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah. It lashed out at some social media sites and news services for having recently published ungrounded reports on measures taken by ministries and governmental bodies.

Calling on everybody to shoulder responsibility for publishing or republishing fake news stories, the Cabinet warned that legal action would be taken against anyone involved in rumormongering and disinformation. During the meeting, First Deputy Prime Minister, Interior Minister and Defense Minister Sheikh Fahad Yousef Saud Al-Sabah apprised the Cabinet of the outcome of his meeting with Philippines Department of Migrant Workers Undersecretary Bernard Olalia, which ultimately found a breakthrough to lift the ban on domestic employment from the Philippines. He added that both sides had also agreed to form a joint committee pertinent to domestic labor affairs, one that would convene routinely to address any sticking points that could potentially emerge slogan, ‘The evidence is clear… let us continue prevention’; Al-Awadhi affirmed “there is an integrated system in Kuwait that primarily aims to intensify efforts to combat drug addiction and rehabilitate young people who have fallen into this scourge, so they can be effective and positive members of society.”

He disclosed the Council of Ministers issued a directive for the concerned ministries to coordinate their efforts in confronting this devastating scourge, which is a major challenge to societies. He cited the efforts of the ministry, specifically the Addiction Treatment Center, which is working hard in the field of combating drug addiction and providing advanced services in the field of detoxification, as well as advanced rehabilitation and psychological treatments. He praised the work of various ministries and civil society institutions in addressing the problem. He pointed out that not only Kuwait is suffering from this issue, but also other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and the entire world.

He confirmed the ministry is keen on providing the necessary healthcare and rehabilitation for those who suffer from this scourge; citing as an example the expansion of the Addiction Treatment Center, which has 155 beds, and provides services to women and adolescents. He then stressed that the celebration aims to educate communities about the danger of drugs, how to recognize the symptoms of addiction among drug users, and list the means to avoid falling into the danger of this scourge through proper socialization and meeting the needs of young people at an early stage in line with their intellectual and physical development

(KUNA)