Migrant workers in UAE exploited, abused: HRW

Migrant domestic workers from countries such as the Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Bangladesh and Ethiopia in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are beaten, exploited and trapped in forced labour situations, Human Rights Watch said in a report released Thursday.

Vancouver Desi South Asian news reported that the UAE government, about to take up an influential new role in the International Labour Organization (ILO), has failed to adequately protect female domestic workers – many of them from the Philippines – from abuse by employers and recruiters, it said.

Domestic workers, mostly from Asia and Africa, cannot move to a new job before their contracts end without the employer’s consent, trapping many in abusive conditions, the US-based rights body said.

Human Rights Watch sent letters to 15 UAE ministries and bodies in January, April and August to seek information, request meetings and present its findings but received no response.

The UAE government did have a short meeting with Human Rights Watch representatives in September but did not address any domestic worker issues.

The worker said she remained there, hoping to be paid, but never was.

At least 146,000 female migrant domestic workers – possibly many more – from countries such as the Philippines, Indonesia, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Ethiopia work in the UAE.

Some embassies or consulates in the UAE do not have shelters or adequate staffing to deal with abused domestic workers.

In June 2014, the UAE authorities revised the standard domestic worker labour contract to require a weekly day off and eight hours of rest in any 24-hour period.

However, the contract does not address other issues such as limits on working hours and is weaker than labour law protections for other workers that are enforceable by judicial authorities.