The ranking was framed around the HSBC’s Expat Explorer Survey, which polls expats across 100 countries regarding their “ability to befriend locals, success in learning the language, integration into the community and ease of fitting into the local culture,” as well as personal economics, raising children, and overall experience.

Emirates and expatriates living in the UAE, shared their thoughts over the new label on twitter; critics and sympathizers alike used the hashtag #UAEFriendly to express their defense of the UAE, or of the article’s findings. Given the relatively limited access to internet by the average migrant worker in labor or domestic fields, the overall response is likely dominated by mid-to-upper class white collar migrant workers.

The UAE’s The National ran a feature criticizing the article’s methods and conclusion, but the response again appeared to only address top-tier expats, rather than migrants from undeveloped countries – who aren’t afforded the protections and courtesies that come with high paying employment and reliable consulates.

While some of the ranking criteria have their weaknesses, the polling questions do pinpoint an important aspect of migrant wellbeing: the social integration or marginalization of non-citizens. Marginalization is the precursor and the enabler of iniquitous labor laws, including the disparate standards of employment safety, maximum working hours, and minimum wage for citizens and migrants (or in the case of domestic workers – hardly any standards at all). The ‘unfriendly’ designation, while subjective, is consistent with a recent study that found 25% of Emirati migrant workers are clinically depressed.

Read a lively discussion which includes commentary from migrants across the socio-economic spectrum here.

The study also found that 6.3% of migrant workers entertain suicidal thoughts and 2.5% have attempted to take their own lives. The findings added to the growing collection of studies on the Emirate’s migrant workers; one such study conducted by the Dubai Police Department found the highest rates of suicide to be amongst Indians and other South Asians, who account for 90% of all suicides in Dubai. The conclusions corroborated an earlier study examining suicide patterns from 1992-2000, which found male expatriates to be the most likely to take their own lives.

The study was submitted to the Ministry of Labor with recommendations to legislate a minimum wage as well as a maximum 8 hour work day. Correlations between depression, wages and the number of hours worked, confirmed concerns voiced by migrant NGOs in the past. Given that long work days and low wages prevail throughout the Gulf, the consequences – as well as the proposed solutions – are likely pertinent across the region.

WIth his lens, Chancel captures the Gulf’s theoretical ‘underside’, the part so visible yet so often excluded from the glossy magazine features and brochures. Read more about his experiences in the UAE and see pieces of his work here.

The kafala or sponsorship system in the Gulf should be abolished, this is an absolute prerequisite for the full personhood and humanization of domestic workers. The Philippine government’s new standards for overseas domestic workers and tentative bans on 41 non-compliant host countries are praiseworthy but far from promising–it is highly doubtful that this cosmetically laudable “concrete plan” will make it far off of the pages of the government’s issuance.

The Philippines is a toothless government with no political clout. What leverage does a country that has sold every national possession from citizens to soil and depends on the continued internationally homelessness of its population to stay afloat financially? In the region, the Philippines’ only competition in terms of development is Burma. The country’s former colonial master, the United States, owns the Philippine military. Without the remittances from migrant workers, which now account for 11% of the GDP, the Philippine economy would crumble. Remittances raise foreign exchange reserves and allow for private consumption, which represents more than three-quarters of the country’s GDP.

Let’s put the news in perspective: domestic workers working within the Philippines do not receive benefits that are now being demanded by the Philippines from host countries although, contrary to popular belief, there exists specific legislation outlining the rights of kasambahay (the local term for household laborers which has a tellingly feudal etymology). The minimum wage for domestic workers, as stipulated by the Philippine Labor Code, is Php 800 (less than $19) per month. The Department of Labor and Employment plans to raise the compensation for domestic workers to Php 1,500 through a new bill is in the works; however, according to the same government agency, the cost of living PER DAY in urban areas for a family of four exceeds Php 800. Due to the absence of reproductive health legislation, most Filipino women live in fear of pregnancy and the average family size in the Philippines is between five and six members. Half of all Filipino families live in cities because livelihood opportunities in rural regions are scarce.

Today the Philippine government announced that it has blacklisted 41 countries that do not have bilateral agreements with the Philippines or domestic legislation that protect the labor rights of migrant workers and has already nullified several murky contracts for workers slated to exit the country. Before a round of applause, what is the Philippine government doing to provide adequate jobs or alternatives here for the desperate Filipinas whose last resort (risky, underpaid labor in the Middle East or elsewhere) has been effectively squashed?

By the numbers, almost all domestic workers are women who cannot find work in their own countries. How can a government whose own Senate President upholds the patriarchal notion that only men are fit for the public sphere and work outside of the home, claim to stand for the development of women as a productive force? If employment for women is not fully re/addressed on the home front, than any attempt to ameliorate the situation of Filipinas will be ineffectual and cosmetic.

Like a clogged roadway, economic refugees fighting for basic survival and those who exploit them, will find alternative routes to maintain a cash flow. As a result of the stoppage of workers, conditions may likely get worse for those already employed within the UAE.

The Philippine government’s ruling sounds hopeful and is technically “progress” but in reality is a vacuous demand and will remain unheeded unless and until UAE is externally strong-armed or internally motivated to adopt the guidelines for domestic workers.

The UAE deports individuals with active, new, or old pulmonary TB scars. Health officials claim to only deport newcomers, and not long-term residents. But this overzealous practice still disrupts the livelihoods of prospective employees and resident migrants.

Yanita is one of countless individuals unfairly affected by the GCC’s dated TB laws. Accepted to work for Qatar airlines, the 27-year old Bulgarian submitted to regulatory medical tests to obtain her visa. She then underwent a second set of tests in Qatar, where they found a small scar on her lung. She was deported after endless testing, but doctors withheld the findings of her exams:

Nothing was given to me [in the form of] medical documentation. The explanation was – “it’s [a] government secret.”

She returned to Bulgaria, fearing she had an incurable illness of some kind. But back home, doctors amusedly informed her that the scar was only the remnant of an old, healed TB infection. She was given preventative medication for six months and then accepted a job in the UAE, eager to join her Arab-born fiance. Yet, despite being medically fit and healthy, her visa was rejected.

But…even treatment and medical reports saying that I am medically fit, I cannot join my husband or even work. The…worst is that if I try to apply for [a] visa (non-tourist), they will reject me as unfit and banned me for life.

In cases involving healed TB infections such as Yanita’s, officials claim that deportation is necessary because old scars can be easily reactivated. However, the threat of old TB infections is contestable; relapse occurs in only 5 percent of cases. The law appears extreme in comparison to the minimal risk factor, rendering it an inefficient preventative measure. According to a study performed in the US, the practice of deportation may actually increase the spread of TB; the legal stigmatism discourages residents and illegals from reporting symptoms immediately, many citing fear of deportation as their rationale. This delay in treatment increase the opportunity for infection to spread.

Dr. Golub, a TB research specialist, performed the above-mentioned study evidencing the policy’s counter-effective repercussions. Golub and colleagues advised a different approach to treating and handling cases of TB, one which would encourage individuals to come forward and receive treatment before their condition worsens or their infection spreads. Doctors noted that Dubai’s large foreign work force renders the nation uniquely situated to affect total TB rates, adding that medication to cure the disease is inexpensive.

In 2010, the Ministry of Health intended to review the deportation law, but the practice, and the susceptibility to increased infection rates, remains. Yanita, along with other deportees, is pressuring rights organizations and GCC governments to reccaliberate their laws with the reality of TB.

In response to their outdated fears, Yanita asks policy makers: “Which century are TB doctors living in…?”

The AoS is a mere certification that an OFW dependent who will be entering UAE holding a visit visa has the support of his or her OFW relative working in the host country.

Only the PH embassy and/or consulate in the UAE is authorized to issue an AoS with a corresponding fee of 100 UAE dirhams (roughly equivalent to P1,200).

Migrante-Middle East (M-ME) regional coordinator John Leonard Monterona said based on his group calculation assuming that there are 15,000 OFWs dependents bound to UAE yearly, the PH govt. is extracting around P18-M from OFWs and their dependents for just a piece of paper.

Migrante-UAE and 11 other OFWs groups recently kicked off a campaign calling for the scrapping of the ‘Affidavit of Support’ (Aos), a requirement imposed by the PH diplomatic posts in abeyance to a regulation issued by the Bureau of Immigration and Deportation (BID) requiring out-bound passengers mostly OFWs dependents holding ‘visit-visa only’ to present such requirement notarized by the PH posts in the UAE so that they may be allowed to proceed on their trip.

The 12 OFWs groups headed by Migrante-UAE, Gabriela-UAE, Samahang Kababayan, Lingkod OFW Light form, Pilipino Nationalistic Association UAE, Impok Kapuso, Kapamilya at Kaibigan, Alpha Phi Omega, Filipino Digerati Association, Overseas Filipino Civil Engineers Association, and the St. Mary’s Filipino Community Choir protested the imposition of AoS as it is clearly a form of state exaction, which was arbitrarily imposed by the PH government to the OFWs and their dependents.

On Tuesday, the OFWs groups launched an online petition campaign calling for the scrapping of the AoS.

Full text of the online petition can be viewed from this link http://www.petitiononline.com/aos0710a/petition.html

“The online petition is part of our month-long campaign activities against the AoS requirement. We are determined to gather thousands of signatures,” said Nhel Morona, Migrante-UAE secretary-general.

A copy of the petition and signatures will be sent to President Benigno Simeon Aquino III, Department of Justice, the Philippine Congress, and the Bureau of Immigration and Deportation (BID) through Migrante International in the Philippines.

Monterona said he endorses the online petition to all Migrante chapters’, members and officers in the Middle East and urge friendly OFWs organizations to sign in the online petition.

“This fight (the scrapping of AoS) is not an exclusive fight of our fellow OFWs in the United Arab Emirates. The PH govt. through the BID could arbitrarily impose the same requirements to OFW relatives visiting their loved ones in other countries,” Monterona added.

Monterona calls on Vice President Jejomar Binay, also presidential adviser on OFWs concerns, to look into this and call the attention of the BID. “We urge VP Binay to arrange for the review of this AoS requirement and eventually scrap this anti-OFW dependents requirement,” he added.

“The arbitrary imposition of the AoS is another proof of the Aquino govt. insensitivity on the deplorable plight of OFWs and their dependents who are already overburdened by govt. left and right fees impositions and other forms of exactions sans protection and measly social and welfare programs for them,” Monterona ended. # # #

Written by:

John Leonard Monterona

Migrante-Middle East regional coordinator

They say their intention was not to kill her but she died.

Notice how we only see the initials of the people reponsible for the crime. Were they migrants, we would have definetely had the full names and highlited.

Commentary: Women Filipino inmates with children in Dubai prison

by John Leonard Monterona, Migrante-Middle East regional coordinator

Last week, Migrante-Middle East (M-ME), care of this writer, received reports about the more or less fifteen (15) women OFW inmates with children, in a jail in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

The report M-ME received was from a recently released female OFW inmate (who requested not to be named) that there are about 100 OFW inmates, 15 of them with children, languishing at Muraqabat prison for women in Dubai.

This report is quite disturbing. The innocent children have been exposed to the adversities and bitter realities of prison life.

An expatriate friend of mine who works as a reporter for a local media firm in Dubai corroborated the information about women OFW inmates with children in that Dubai jail.

In an email sent to me, she conveyed that she was in the women’s prison on another story few weeks ago when she noticed all these kids in a little courtyard area. “I assumed it was ‘family visiting day’ but when I asked the guard, she told me they live there. They don’t ever get to go out of the prison compound and receive no education,” she conveyed to me.

The children should not be in jail in the first place though their mothers are.

We came to know that some of the women OFWs were charged of illicit affairs. Unfortunately, they became pregnant and while serving their time in jail delivered a baby.

A number of them who claimed they were sexually abused and got pregnant, have ran away, but their employer charged them of absconding and other trumped up charges such as stealing and illicit affairs, thus they were sent behind bars.

Why the PH post in Dubai could not seek with the local authorities the release of OFW inmates and their children for humanitarian consideration or ask for clemency to shorten their jail term?

The PH diplomatic post could even arrange to talk with the OFW inmates and convince them to coordinate with their families in the Philippines so that the children will be sent home, after getting them the required documentation, and place the children under temporary care of their relatives in the Philippines.

We have already asked Migrante officers in Dubai to look deeply into this report and liaise with the PH consulate officials in Dubai to provide assistance to the OFW inmates and their children.

To ensure that they will be properly attended, Migrante-ME will coordinate with the PH post officials to arrange and prioritize attending their case and work for their immediate repatriation.

We know very well that the only entity that could verify the information is the PH consulate itself as they have the legal recognition by the local authorities. It could in fact arrange a jail visit and if they’re doing this then for sure they must have exact numbers/figures of children inside UAE jails. Now if they don’t have, they maybe are just sleeping on their job.

We raised this issue not as a matter of counting numbers/figures, but a serious concern since we have received corroborating statements from an OFW inmate who have stayed months inside the jail and a foreign reporter who was given a chance not only once but many times to visit various jails in Dubai.

If we will not raise this issue, who will do? Who will care these innocent children?

At 4pm on June 11, police rushed to a house in Ras al-Khaimah where a 29-year-old Ethiopian maid attempted to end her life by overdosing on pills. She was taken to the hospital in time. Just 12 hours following this suicide attempt, an 28-year-old Ethiopian woman jumped to her death from the third floor of a building in the Mussallah area in Sharjah. The report also mentions the death of a 50-year-old Indian man who “fell” to his death from the 11th floor of a building al-Khan area in Sharjah.

Recently the suicide of a migrant worker who jumped to his death from Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, has shed light on this alarming phenomenon. Among Indian migrants alone, 26 have committed suicide in 2011. Migrant workers are often driven to suicide as a result of poor working conditions, abusive employers and heavy debt due to exploitation of recruitment agencies.