Migrant-Rights.org Newsletter

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Migrants in limbo: the Covid19 fallout continues
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New video: GBV in the World of Work: Lived Experiences of Migrant Women in the Middle East

In a participatory research project convened by the Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women (GAATW) and nine organisations in countries of origin and destination, over 200 migrant women shared experiences of physical, psychological, and sexual abuse and violence.
Reports
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Mecca’s migrants face economic uncertainty as religious tourism continues to be suspended ([link removed])

With COVID-19 measures still in place in Riyadh, many workers relying on the Hajj and Umrah seasons for income are losing out on much-anticipated business.

قراءة باللغة العربية ([link removed]مهاجرو-مكة-يواجهون-الغموض-الاقتصادي-ف/)

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“Prestigious” construction company in Bahrain leaves workers in despair ([link removed])

Following a trend that is now all too common in Bahrain, several hundred workers of Fundament SPC are owed up to 8 months of unpaid salaries and final settlement and are struggling to survive.

قراءة باللغة العربية ([link removed]شركة-إنشاءات-مرموقة-تترك-عمالها-على-حا/)

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Driven to despair: Male domestic workers in Saudi ([link removed])

Since lockdowns were implemented in late March across several parts of the country, job security and accommodation have become uncertain for the Kingdom’s two-million private drivers, who account for half of the country’s domestic worker population.

قراءة باللغة العربية ([link removed])

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“We Are All Going To Die Here” ([link removed])

150 workers from Orlando construction company in Bahrain, victims of wage-theft, now contend with Covid-19 infections.

قراءة باللغة العربية ([link removed])

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G4S employees in UAE live on food donations ([link removed])

At least a thousand employees of the security giant G4S, a British multinational company, are relying on community donations for food and basic necessities in the UAE, as workers go months without pay.

قراءة باللغة العربية ([link removed]موظفو-شركة-g4s-يعيشون-على-التبرعات/)


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Qatar sets up a new office to implement rulings in labour cases ([link removed])

A new office to implement the rulings in labour cases has been established in Qatar. The office meets one need of the complaints process, but several barriers to justice remain.

قراءة باللغة العربية ([link removed]قطر-تنشئ-مكتباً-لتنفيذ-الاحكام-في-القض/)

News Reports and Updates
* UN official presents report on structural racism and ‘de facto caste system’ of Qatar: ([link removed])
The UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, raised concerns on the structural and systemic forms of racism in Qatar.
قراءة باللغة العربية ([link removed])
* UAE’s revised visa extension rules place migrants in precarity ([link removed])
The UAE Cabinet announced resident permit holders now have only a three-month grace period to renew their visas and documents starting from July, after which they shall incur fines. The sudden reversal has thrown many workers into instability.

قراءة باللغة العربية ([link removed])
* Bahrain must not retain its Tier-1 status in TIP report: ([link removed])
Despite achieving an excellent Tier-1 status in its Trafficking in Persons Report, the realities on the ground in Bahrain are at odds with the qualifications for Tier-1 status, putting to question the legitimacy of the evaluation process.

قراءة باللغة العربية ([link removed]البحرين-يجب-أن-لا-تحتفظ-بالفئة-الأولى-ف/)
* Despite authorities being aware, on-site World Cup workers go months without pay: ([link removed])
Workers employed on a World Cup project in Qatar have not been paid for months, according to a recent report by Amnesty International. Salary delays began in early 2019, with many receiving no salary at all between September 2019 and March 2020.

قراءة باللغة العربية ([link removed]برغم-علم-السلطات-عمال-مشروع-كاس-العالم/)


Op-Eds
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How Qatar Can Learn From Qatar Foundation ([link removed])

Read one worker’s attempts at being heard, and how Qatar Foundation listened.

قراءة باللغة العربية ([link removed]كيف-تتعلم-قطر-من-مؤسسة-قطر-وكيف-لمؤسسة-ق/)

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Where are the voices of workers?: ([link removed])

Government policies affect migrant workers heavily, yet their voices are excluded in the process of policy-making.

قراءة باللغة العربية ([link removed])


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Op-Ed: The Absent Voices of Second-Generation Migrants in the Gulf States ([link removed])

Nadeen Dakkak, a third-generation migrant in Kuwait, reflects on questions of identity and belonging that can disorient children and grandchildren of the GCC's long-term migrants.

قراءة باللغة العربية ([link removed]الصوت-الغائب-للجيل-الثاني-من-المهاجري/)

Latest News

Oman steps up nationalisation scheme in its private sector ([link removed])

Following the pandemic-driven economic downturn and plummeting oil prices, Oman has stepped up its Omanisation policy. Part of the decision stipulates that valid permits for the non-Omani workforce in certain professions shall be valid until the date of their expiry, suggesting impending job loss for the expatriate workforce.

قراءة باللغة العربية ([link removed])

Oman fines businesses that violate Covid-19 precautions ([link removed])

The decision stipulates that the Ministry of Manpower shall have the authority to shut down businesses that violate Covid-19 precautions upon the recommendations of the epidemiological investigation team formed by the Ministry of Health.

قراءة باللغة العربية ([link removed])

Saudi Arabia renews free extension of migrant visas ([link removed])

Saudi Arabia has renewed an automatic extension of expired visit visas and residency permits (iqama) for foreigners both inside and outside of the country. The extension scheme will also include migrants who have been issued a final exit visa or exit/re-entry visa but could not leave or return due to travel restrictions.

قراءة باللغة العربية ([link removed]السعودية-تجدد-التمديد-المجاني-لتأشير/)

Kuwait’s Parliamentary Legislative committee approves quota bill for migrant workers ([link removed])

Kuwait’s Parliamentary Legislative and Legal Affairs Committee has approved a draft law proposal which would set a foreign residence quota for every nationality.

قراءة باللغة العربية ([link removed]لجنة-الشؤون-التشريعية-والقانونية-الب/)

Kuwait drops all “absconding” cases reported during Covid-19 crisis ([link removed])
Kuwait’s Public Authority for Manpower (PAM) has annulled all “absconding” cases lodged during the Covid-19 crisis. The decision comes after investigations revealed that many absconding cases were false, with employers attempting to sidestep their legal obligations to pay wages, provide food and accommodation, and pay for repatriation.

قراءة باللغة العربية ([link removed])

UAE’s compulsory mental health checks for domestic workers is an exercise in victim-blaming ([link removed])

The new ruling ignores the fact that migrant domestic workers are disproportionately at the receiving end of abuse by their sponsors. No mental or criminal checks are required for employers, who hold significant power over domestic workers.

قراءة باللغة العربية ([link removed]فحص-الصحة-العقلية-الإلزامي-لعاملات-ال/)


Kuwaiti Prime Minister announced plans to reduce the expatriate population from 70% to 30% ([link removed])

In response to the drop in oil prices and economic recession driven by the COVID-19 crisis, several Gulf states are implementing austerity measures, including cuts in public sector wages.

قراءة باللغة العربية ([link removed]قطر-تخفض-أجور-الأجانب،-والكويت-تجمّد-ت/)


Qatar’s Ministry of Finance to cut employment costs of non-nationals by 30% ([link removed])

In response to the drop in oil prices and economic recession driven by the COVID-19 crisis, several Gulf states are implementing austerity measures, including cuts in public sector wages.

قراءة باللغة العربية ([link removed]قطر-تخفض-أجور-الأجانب،-والكويت-تجمّد-ت/)

Nearly 500 AMB-Hertel workers stage strike in UAE ([link removed])

Nearly 500 workers of Emirates-based AMB-Hertel protested against months of non-payment in May, according to reports by the Kathmandu Post and Le Monde newspaper.


Oman eases restrictions on sponsorship transfer ([link removed])

Previously, non-Omanis were banned from re-entering the country for two years if they left their employer without permission. Today, migrant workers in Oman can now transfer sponsorship without permission.

قراءة باللغة العربية ([link removed]عمان-تحفف-القيود-على-تحويل-الكفالة/)


Migrant-Rights.org ([link removed]) is closely monitoring the situation and updating our coverage regularly.

Follow us on Twitter @MigrantRights ([link removed]) for our latest news and commentary.

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