Readers of Migrant Rights might be interested in this review of Drumbeat, a novel by Egyptian writer Mohammed Al-Bisatie. The novel, now available in English translation through AUC Publications deals with the lives of migrant workers in the UAE. The entire native population of a tiny, unnamed Emira…
Archive for the ‘UAE’ Category
Modern-Day Slavery in the UAE: Unpaid Filipino Maid Beaten and Starved for Years
March 2nd, 2010
Abusive employers Housemaids Slavery UAE
A Filipina housemaid was starved, abused, kept locked inside and not given salaries for three years by her employers in the UAE, Khaleej Times reported last month. The woman, Baina Mokalam (27) came to work for a Egyptian family in the UAE as a maid three years ago. Baina said that whenever she aske...
Maids Portrayed as Criminals in a UAE Paper
February 23rd, 2010
Abusive employers Housemaids Racism Suicide UAE
Migrant workers are often portrayed in regional media as criminals, unclean and dangerous, despite the fact that they are the weakest group in society and require protection and deserve gratitude for their hard work. The Khaleej Times recently published a rather skewed article about housemaids commi...
Migrant Responsibilities: UAE Publishes New Handbook for Guest Workers
February 14th, 2010
The UAE has just released a handbook for migrant workers which outlines their responsibilities while they are working in the country, according to this article in the Khaleej Times. The book, ‘The Worker: Rights and Duties’ is to be distributed to workers, NGOs and media outlets and will...
Chasing the ‘Dubai Dream’: New Novel on Indian Migrants
February 3rd, 2010
Indian author Shamlal Puri has just released a novel that follows that struggles of Indian migrants in the Gulf States. The novel, ‘Dubai Dreams: The Rough Road to Riches’ was released during the World Book Fair in New Delhi, and takes a human look at the impact of the financial crisis o...
HRW-NYU Coalition Protect Workers’ Rights In Abu Dhabi
January 28th, 2010
New York-based rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW) and the Coalition for Fair Labor at New York University (NYU) have launched a campaign calling on NYU to make migrant worker protection a priority in upcoming negotiations with Abu Dhabi authorities responsible for the development and construction...
New HRW Report Slams Gulf States for Migrant Abuses
January 26th, 2010
Bahrain Documentation General Gulf Kuwait News Saudi Arabia UAE
Human Rights Watch’s World Report 2010 is out now, and strongly condemns the Gulf states for failing to protect the rights of Migrant Workers. The full report is available here. The HRW report raises the issues of passport confiscation, abuses of domestic workers and bans on trade unions as ke...
UAE: Employer Blackmails his Former Indian Worker
January 23rd, 2010
Despite the fact that withholding of passports and blackmail are illegal in the UAE, it seems that there is a second set of rules when it comes to migrant workers. An Indian worker and his family are suffering greatly because the UAE doesn’t bother enforcing its own laws. Pravin (not his real ...
Behind the Glamorous Facade of the Burj Khalifa
January 4th, 2010
While we are not against progress, innovation and growth, we feel that during all the excitement about the opening of the the Burj Khalifa (formerly known as Burj Dubai), it is forgotten that those who built it, mainly south-Asian migrant workers, have paid a high price for this ambitious project. T...
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