The Globe and Mail published a report today about migrant rights in the Gulf region. While we welcome the attention the issue of migrant workers’ rights received by such a widely-read publication, it is important to challenge the narrative of the story that attempts to show how attitudes towar…
Archive for the ‘Legislation’ Category
On the Globe & Mail’s Optimistic Report about Migrant Rights in the Gulf
August 10th, 2010
Bahrain Gulf Housemaids Kuwait Legislation Sponsorship
Rights Group Urges ILO to Bring Out Guidelines for Domestic Workers
June 12th, 2010
Housemaids Legislation News Women
Migrants Forum Asia has called on the ILO to set specific guide lines for domestic workers. The majority of Asia’s 60 million migrant workers are women, and many of them work as housemaids and nannies. MFA believes that existing international conventions do not adequately protect their right...
Migrant Domestic Workers in the Middle East: Exploited, Abused and Ignored
April 30th, 2010
Abusive employers Bahrain Housemaids Jordan Kuwait Lebanon Legislation Racism Rape Saudi Arabia Sponsorship Suicide Trafficking UAE Working conditions
A new Human Rights Watch (HRW) report about the rights of migrant domestic workers focused heavily on the Middle East, and for a good reason: most regional governments do not include domestic workers under the protection of its labor laws, and the current regulations leave domestic workers open to e...
Kuwait Again Promises to Abolish the Sponsorship System, Set Minimum Wage for Migrants
April 2nd, 2010
Kuwait Legislation Sponsorship
Kuwait’s Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Dr. Mohammed Al-Afasi announced this week the government’s intention to set a minimum wage for expatriate workers. In addition, Al-Afasi said that his ministry is in the process of creating an independent labor authority, which will eliminate...
Kuwait Doesn’t Allow Migrants to Form Labor Unions
March 31st, 2010
Migrant workers in Kuwait are not allowed to form labor unions or work syndicates, while Kuwaiti employers were granted this right in the emirate’s new labor law. Much criticism has been leveled against Kuwait’s new labor law, which was passed late last year, for not going far enough and...
Top 5 Migrants’ Rights Stories in the Middle East for 2009
January 2nd, 2010
Bahrain Housemaids Kuwait Lebanon Legislation MR Site Sponsorship Suicide UAE Working conditions
After spending another year documenting abuses of migrant workers in the Middle East, it’s time that we look back at the most significant, influential and important stories that we’ve covered. 1. Death of Domestic Migrant Workers in Lebanon This story is significant not just because of t...
HRW Overview of Migrant Workers Rights in the Middle East in 2009
December 20th, 2009
Egypt Housemaids Israel Jordan Kuwait Lebanon Legislation Saudi Arabia Sponsorship Suicide UAE
Human Rights Watch (HRW) published last week a summary of the reports and research they’ve conducted over the last year on migrant rights. The end-year report highlighted the lack of protection of migrant workers in many Middle Eastern countries. In Kuwait, the report focused on the Sponsorshi...
List of proposed solutions to insure the rights of foreign maids in Lebanon
December 17th, 2009
Housemaids Lebanon Legislation Sponsorship
The following is a listing solutions and measures meant to secure the fundamental rights of female migrant domestic workers in Lebanon. These proposals have been collected in reports, studies and press releases from Human Right Watch, the International Labour Organization and Caritas-Lebanon. They a...
Kuwait’s Parliament to Vote on a New Labor Law that Grants Migrant Workers More Rights
December 5th, 2009
Kuwait Legislation Sponsorship
Kuwait’s parliament is expected to vote this week on a new labor law for the private sector. The draft of the law significantly increases the rights of most migrant workers in Kuwait. It included limiting the working hours of workers to 40 per week, prolonging maternity leaves and vacations, a...
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