The ‘virtual slaves’ of the Gulf states

The recession has worsened the plight of Asian workers in UAE and elsewhere. Their rights are only slowly being addressed

Nesrine Malik, The Guardian/UK, Nov. 16, 2009

The exploitation of migrant workers in the Gulf states has been worrying human rights groups for some time but now the recession is making their predicament even worse.

Usually employed in a semi-formal manner with large companies, Asian workers in United Arab Emirates fall within a vacuum of employment law and social welfare and hence become the first casualties of a recession. Usually indebted to their agents or “sponsors”, ie those who have purchased visas on their behalf, and bereft of passports or identification documents confiscated by their employers, they now inhabit a “grey economy”.

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Tags: Asian workers, Gulf states, Human rights, riote in Dubai, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, workers' abuse