Plus our latest stories and news from across the Gulf

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** New Podcast Mini Series: Real Life w/ Missi
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Plus our latest stories and news from across the Gulf


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Missi is a returnee, survivor, and passionate advocate of fair migration and gender equality in Ghana. Drawing from her own harrowing experience of being trafficked for domestic work, she interviews other Ghanian women with similar experiences across the Middle East.

Three episodes are available now at Migrant-Rights.org and major podcast directories ([link removed]) . New episodes will be posted weekly. Start with the first episode ([link removed]) , where Missi shares her own story of being trafficked to Kurdistan and Iraq.
Listen Now ([link removed])
NEW
Stories of Origin: Ghana

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Part 1:
In Ghana, the ban that isn’t feeds corruption and desperation ([link removed])

Ghana halted recruitment of migrant workers to the Gulf following reports of rampant abuse in 2015 and 2016. But the “ban” was never actually established into policy, and recruitment via both registered and unregistered agents continued — only now with no pre-departure process in play. GCC states, unmindful of the ban and the role of illegal agents, continue to process domestic work and private sector visas.

قراءة باللغة العربية ([link removed])
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Part 2:
Everyone is involved but no one is responsible ([link removed])

The demand for domestic workers in the Gulf and the demand for jobs in Ghana are both on the rise. There aren’t enough qualified organisations to help the many women who eventually return in distress. Organisations without expertise step in and play the role, with the toolkit of faith and intuition replacing therapy and medical care.

قراءة باللغة العربية ([link removed])
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Part 3:
Ill-prepared and uninformed, Ghanaian women risk it all for jobs in the Gulf ([link removed])

Many women were told they were going to the Gulf or to Kurdistan, and ended up in Iraq. All of them went through a ‘connection man,’ having paid between US$250-350 for the job. Those who went where they were promised didn't know much about the place.

قراءة باللغة العربية ([link removed])
Find more compelling stories at Migrant-Rights.org.
Here are our latest articles you might have missed:
Across the region, detention and deportation campaigns are on the rise ([link removed]) , targeting workers with irregular status, for undefined “violations of the labour law,” and even traffic violations. Thousands of migrants have been deported so far this year, from Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Saudi in particular.

Bahrain
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In Bahrain, the rising cost of living is putting migrant workers in more vulnerable situation.
Bahrain to support "Labour Registration Program" workers filing civil lawsuits online ([link removed])
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Loan Shark Menace In Bahrain ([link removed])

An organised network of loan sharks are preying on Bahrain’s unsuspecting and vulnerable populations, driving them into deeper financial distress. A recent incident of a migrant worker who died of suicide because of his inability to pay back a loan shark has raised urgent questions about the depth of the problem in the kingdom.

قراءة باللغة العربية ([link removed]خطر-المرابين-يحاصر-المهاجرين-في-البحر/)

Kuwait
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In Kuwait, discrimination against migrants is on the rise and protection gaps for domestic workers spark heated debates.
Kuwait attempts to arm-twist the Philippines by imposing a total entry ban ([link removed])

قراءة باللغة العربية ([link removed])
Kuwait launches new electronic service for domestic labour disputes ([link removed])
قراءة باللغة العربية ([link removed])
Kuwait now requires non-nationals to renew their driver's licenses annually ([link removed])

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Jullebee Ranara’s murder is a failure of state and society ([link removed]) [link removed]

As the Philippines once again suspends recruitment of migrant domestic workers to Kuwait, Nourah Al Sulaiman reflects on the gaps in Kuwait’s protection mechanisms and the lack of intersectionality in civil society advocacy

قراءة باللغة العربية ([link removed]مقتل-جوليبي-رانارا-هو-فشل-للدولة-وللمج/)

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The Cost of Good Health for Kuwait’s Migrant Workers ([link removed])

In December 2022, Kuwait’s Ministry of Health began charging non-citizen residentsa medication dispensation fee ([link removed]) ranging from KD 5 to KD 10 at public hospitals and clinics. Doctors and community organisers fear the fees will pose yet another obstacle for migrant workers already struggling to access medical care.

قراءة باللغة العربية ([link removed]تكلفة-الصحة-الجيدة-لعمال-الكويت-المها/)

Oman
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In Oman, the push to expand nationalisation programs includes weekly deportation campaigns. The country has also come under scrutiny for several recent cases of sex trafficking.

Oman reduces the minimum salary required for family visa ([link removed])

Sex trafficking in UAE and Oman under spotlight ([link removed])

Oman detains hundreds of workers weekly for labour law violations ([link removed])

([link removed]) قراءة باللغة العربية ([link removed])


Qatar
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In Qatar, the World Cup spotlight fades as wage theft and access to justice issues remain acute.
Hostile Qatar judicial system forces Judith to give up her fight and return home ([link removed])
Judith Nyakangi was subjected to serious abuse by her employer while in Qatar as a domestic worker. The justice system failed her. Now back home in Kenya, her life-changing injuries make it impossible for her to make ends meet. Migrant-Rights.org is teaming up with Azadi Kenya to collect donations to support her rehabilitation and expenses for one year.
([link removed]) قراءة باللغة العربية ([link removed])

Rafeeq and Snoonu food delivery app riders stranded in Qatar ([link removed])
Unpaid for seven months and now homeless, four Kenyan men await justice months after filing a complaint, even as their employer continues to be a no-show at the labour hearings. The convoluted web of sponsorship and subcontracting in the Gulf’s gig sectors makes it easier for sponsors and employers to shirk contractual responsibility.

قراءة باللغة العربية ([link removed])
Hundreds of World Cup workers stage protest, remain unpaid and destitute ([link removed]) In the run-up to the World Cup, Qatar began recruiting workers under short-term visas to meet temporary needs for labour in construction, hospitality, and security. These visas were poorly managed and have spurred a number of protests from workers who were forced to return home early or not compensated their full due.
قراءة باللغة العربية ([link removed])


Saudi Arabia
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In Saudi, shortcomings in reforms to the Kafala system are becoming apparent, while efforts to recruit more domestic workers have involved to some tinkering with domestic worker regulations.

Saudi Arabia resumes recruitment of domestic workers from Ethiopia ([link removed])

قراءة باللغة العربية ([link removed])
Saudi Arabia introduces new domestic work categories in its Musaned platform ([link removed])

قراءة باللغة العربية ([link removed])
Saudi Arabia caps the cost of recruiting domestic workers of certain nationalities ([link removed])

قراءة باللغة العربية ([link removed])
Saudi Arabia doubles exit and return visa fees for migrants ([link removed])
قراءة باللغة العربية ([link removed])
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Crackdown on “azad” visa holders in Saudi Arabia ([link removed])

Migrants who work under “Azad” or “free visas” pay a sponsor a regular fee and cover all visa costs, in exchange for the freedom to work for other employers. Though illegal, the arrangement can be profitable for the sponsor and beneficial for the workers when things are going well. But intensifying crackdowns against migrants working for anyone other than their sponsor have made this strategy riskier than ever before.


قراءة باللغة العربية ([link removed]حملة-على-حاملي-تأشيرة-أزاد-في-السعود/)



UAE
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The UAE's employment reforms are settling in, while it comes under spotlight for trafficking issues.

While enrolment deadline looms, uncertainties still surround UAE’s unemployment scheme ([link removed])

Sex trafficking in UAE and Oman under spotlight ([link removed])
Follow us on Instagram @MigrantRights ([link removed]) and Twitter @MigrantRights ([link removed]) for our latest news and commentary.

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