The Indonesian government now offers free attorneys to migrants in Malaysia facing particularly serious charges. This policy differs from the government’s standard practice in Saudi Arabia, under which state help is not provided until after migrants have been sentenced to …
Posted in Prison, Prisoners, Saudi Arabia | Leave a commentA Filipino migrants’ rights group in the Middle East today calls the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) to conduct an investigation over the reported death of an overseas Filipino worker who died while in …
Posted in Deportation, Gulf, Housemaids, Syria, Women | Tagged John Leonard, Migrant-Right, Migrante-ME | Leave a commentDomestic worker advocates have long argued that crimes committed by maids are almost always the product of abuse. Media across the Middle East, but especially in the Gulf, often report on domestic worker crimes without adequate context. Additionally, the rarity …
Posted in Housemaids, UAE, Working conditions | Leave a commentThis past year, we’ve witnessed radical change in the Middle East. As the power of the People fills the streets, a demand to reclaim basic human rights rings throughout the the region. But as change continues to take MENA by …
Posted in Abusive employers, Death, Documentation, General, Gulf, Israel, Libya, Racism, Working conditions | 1 CommentFilipino Senator Manny B. Villar is urging his government to evacuate OFWs in Syria before the crises further deteriorates. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) recently raised the crisis alert level in Syria to “4,” at which point the government …
Posted in Refugees, Syria, Workers | Leave a commentSaudi Arabia’s recent efforts to reduce the cost of recruitment for Bangladeshi migrant workers is not the mark of a new leaf turned. Rather, the nation’s endeavors – which manifest in the form of threats – reflect the complete rejection …
Posted in Recruitment Agencies, Saudi Arabia, Workers | Leave a commentRizana Nafeek is a Sri Lankan woman on death row in Saudi Arabia. She was convicted of murdering her employer’s four-year-old child in 2005, but has consistently maintained that the child choked to death. As with many migrant workers, she …
Posted in Housemaids, Legal cases, Saudi Arabia | 1 CommentThe first month of the new year has concluded with a number of tragic incidents involving migrant domestic workers. Suicide is often the last resort for migrants subjected to abusive conditions, often the only mechanism of change migrants feel is …
Posted in Housemaids, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Suicide | 3 CommentsA Filipino migrants’ rights group in the Middle East expressed doubt in the recent bilateral accord signed by the Philippine government represented by the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) with the Lebanese and Saudi governments, respectively, on providing protection …
Posted in Gulf, Legislation | Tagged John Leonard, M-ME, Migrant rights | Leave a comment