Migrants, mostly of
South Asian origin, constitute the majority of the UAE’s workforce and have reportedly been subject to a range of human rights abuses. Workers have sometimes arrived in debt to recruitment agents from
home countries and upon arrival were made to sign a new contract in
English or
Arabic that pays them less than had originally been agreed, although this is illegal under UAE law. Further to this, some categories of workers have had their passports withheld by their employer. This illegal practice is to stop workers leaving the country. Although racial discrimination is prohibited by UAE law, there are some incidents where individuals have been ill-treated on the basis of their nationality or race by employers. • In September 2003 the government was criticised by
Human Rights Watch for its inaction in addressing the discrimination against
Asian workers in the Emirates. • In 2004, the
United States Department of State has cited widespread instances of
blue collar labour abuse in the general context of the United Arab Emirates. • The
BBC reported in September 2004 that "local newspapers often carry stories of construction workers allegedly not being paid for months on end. They are not allowed to move jobs and if they leave the country to go home they will almost certainly lose the money they say they are owed. The names of the construction companies concerned are not published in the newspapers for fear of offending the often powerful individuals who own them.". • In December 2005 the Indian
consulate in Dubai submitted a report to the
Government of India detailing labour problems faced by Indian expatriates in the emirate. The report highlighted delayed payment of wages, substitution of
employment contracts, premature termination of services and excessive working hours as being some of the challenges faced by Indian workers in the city. The consulate also reported that 109 Indian blue collar workers committed suicide in the UAE in 2006. • In March 2006,
NPR reported that workers "typically live eight to a room, sending home a portion of their salary to their families, whom they don't see for years at a time." Others report that their salary has been withheld to pay back loans, making them little more than
indentured servants. • In 2007, the falling dollar meant workers were unable to service debts and the incidence of suicides among Indian workers had reportedly been on the increase. • In January 2020, exploitative employers in UAE were reported to have been using
tourists visas to hire Indian nationals, a scam that left several workers open to
labor abuse. The visit visas were being preferred as they are quicker and cheaper than
work permits. • In May 2021, various rights group claimed that Transguard Group (which boasts of being UAE’s leading business solution’s provider) is involved in abusing migrant workers. As per Business and Human Rights Resource Centre, several reports claim that the firm had confiscated passports, offered employees’ salary below minimum wages, imposed forced contract changes and exercised other forms of abuse on migrant workers working on Expo 2020 project. • In July 2024, an Emirati court’s verdict led to long prison terms for 57 Bangladeshis over protests in the UAE against their own country’s government due to the unrest. Three of the defendants received life imprisonment, 53 were jailed for 10 years and one for 11 years. The defendants were to be deported after serving their sentences. The protests had no criminal intent as per the court-appointed defense lawyer.
Amnesty International criticized the Emirates’ harsh response to the protests, saying it indicated the country’s priority on suppressing any form of dissent in the country. Neha Vora, Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Lafayette College, said the challenges faced by immigrants are not particular to the Gulf region but suggest "broader trends in contemporary
global mobility and capitalism.”
Incident of domestic workers abuse In October 2014, Human Rights Watch estimated that there were 146,000 female migrant domestic workers in the UAE whose work visa was sponsored by employers in the UAE. In an interview with 99 female domestic workers, HRW listed abuses claimed by their interviewees: most had their passports confiscated by their employers; in many cases, wages were not fully paid, overtime (up to 21 hours per day) was required, or food, living conditions or medical treatment was insufficient. 24 had been physically or sexually abused. HRW criticized the UAE government for failing to adequately protect domestic workers from exploitation and abuse and made many recommendations to the UAE, including repeal or amendment of Federal Law No. 6 of 1973 on the Entry and Residence of Foreigners, so that domestic workers can decide on their own to change between employers without losing their immigration status. The act of confiscating passports is illegal and against UAE law.
The Guardian has shared interviews and documents describing the situation of women who search for job as domestic workers in the UAE. The report stated that these women are sold to household employers over online applications and social media platforms like
Instagram, TikTok and Facebook. The women are marketed in an “exploitative” way, which experts say is similar to slavery. Women domestic workers in the UAE are detained and kept in poor accommodations by recruitment agencies, often facing abuse. It was also revealed that the domestic workers are paid monthly according to the race, where Black workers are paid less. == COVID-19 pandemic ==