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…
Archive for the ‘Working conditions’ Category
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...
Saudi Arabia: Filipino Maid Abused, Discriminated for her Faith
January 1st, 2010
Abusive employers Housemaids Saudi Arabia Working conditions
AsiaNews carried a story yesterday about a Filipino maid who was abused and discriminated for her Catholic faith. Because of this abuse, the maid recently returned to the Philippines, before the end of her work contract. Norma Caldera worked in Saudi Arabia for seven months as a domestic worker and ...
Saudi Kidnaps and Enslaves Indian Worker
December 30th, 2009
The Arab Times reported today about the case on an Indian worker in Saudi Arabia who was kidnapped by a Saudi man and brought to the desert to tend to his herd of camels. The worker, Noushad (28) tried to contact his sponsor but his abductor threatened to kill him as he took him 180 kilometers away...
The dreams of foreign maids in Lebanon turn into nightmares
December 25th, 2009
Abusive employers Housemaids Lebanon Legal cases Slavery Suicide
The following is a translation on an article that appeared in the pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat last week. The dreams of foreign maids in Lebanon turn into nightmares The rise of suicide rates to one case a week due to maltreatment, and humanitarian organizations ring the alarm bells Friday, 18 De...
Abusive Employer to be Tried in the UAE
December 25th, 2009
Abusive employers Housemaids Legal cases Slavery UAE
A Filipino maid who was abused by her employer will testify before a court in Ajman, UAE in two weeks, the National Newspaper reported today. According to the report, the 25-year-old maid, Marilyn Vinluan, was repeatedly slapped, kicked and beaten with an electrical wire by her female employer, whil...
Lebanese woman sentenced to prison for beating her Filipino maid
December 12th, 2009
Abusive employers Housemaids Lebanon Legal cases Working conditions
On 9 December 2009, a criminal court judge (single judge) in Batroun sentenced a Lebanese woman who beat the Filipino maid who was working at her home to 15 days of prison, to a fine of fifty thousand Lebanese Pounds, and to payment to Jonalin Malibago, the Pilipino maid, of ten million and eight hu...
CNN reports about wave of suicides of migrants in Lebanon
December 3rd, 2009
Documentation Lebanon Suicide Working conditions
Olivia Sterns of CNN reported Wednesday on the suicides and deaths of 10 migrant domestic workers in Lebanon between October-November, saying the deaths show the government is “doing too little to protect migrant domestic workers from severe abuse.” “In August, the Philippines Emba...
Nepal Struggling to Prevent Trafficking of Women to the Gulf
November 30th, 2009
Abusive employers Gulf Housemaids Kuwait Slavery Trafficking UAE
The UN’s IRIN News recently published a report about the difficulties Nepal’s government is having with preventing its women from traveling to the Gulf to work there in the domestic labor sector. According to Nepali activists, there is a growing problem of trafficking of women to the Gul...
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