Earlier this month, social media celebrity and makeup artist Sondos Al Qattan sparked global outrage after saying domestic workers shouldn't get days off.
On Monday, the social media star remained unapologetic over her comments, despite the backlash. According to AFP, Al Qattan said the backlash was "unjustified and did not require an apology."
"All I said was that the employer was entitled to keep the servant's passport, and that many Kuwaitis and Gulf nationals agree with me," she stated.
A number of international brands have since cut ties with the influencer, including Max Factor Arabia.
"Max Factor Arabia is taking this incident very seriously and have immediately suspended all collaborations with Sondos," a spokesperson told Gulf News.
In a video that was widely shared on Twitter, Al Qattan criticized the new employment contracts which included reforms to laws that would enhance the rights of Filipino domestic workers who live and work in the Gulf state.
"For people who want to go get a Filipino domestic worker, what are these ridiculous work contracts you've got to sign?" she said in the video.
"Even worse, is that they get a day off every single week! What's left? Honestly, with this new contract, I just wouldn't 'get' a Filipino 'maid.' She'd only work six days a week and get four days off a month," she added.
The reforms came weeks after the Philippines' president, Rodrigo Duterte, asked nationals to return back home after learning of the ill-treatment of workers in the country.
"But, how can you have a 'servant' in your house who gets to keep their passport with them? Where are we living? If they ran away and went back to their country, who'll refund me?" Al Qattan said.
Social media users were quick to hit back at Al Qattan, criticizing her for having such a perspective ... and for not backing down.
"It's normal that she gets to keep her passport!! And you're surprised she gets a day off, that's the least she should get," one user wrote.
Domestic worker rights are practically non-existent across the Arab world
Millions of domestic workers across the Arab world are forced to fight for basic rights, due to the fact that they're governed by the kafala system.
The system exists in different forms in the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Iraq, and Lebanon.
According to Human Rights Watch, it's a form of legislation "that gives sponsoring employers substantial control over workers and leaves workers vulnerable to situations of trafficking and forced labor."
The kafala system, which has been called "modern-day slavery" by rights groups, legally binds domestic workers to their employers, giving them very limited legal protection.
Under it, domestic workers across the region are left exposed to human rights violations.