Migrant Workers in the Middle East: Not an In Shah Allah Situation

The Middle East is seen by many developing nations as a region of opportunity and prosperity. With the cost of living spiralling, coupled with mass unemployment, most Indian families are left economically strangulated. Education, healthcare, rent, fuel, electricity and other essential commodities are becoming unaffordable to the ordinary masses. In lieu of a better future for their families, most workers migrate to the Middle East in search of well paying jobs. Although the workers are paid as promised, their lives are burdened with many obstacles. Immigrants are discriminated against and made to endure strenuous working conditions. These workers are met with harsh realities, both during the course of employment and otherwise. With a poor dispute redressal mechanism and forcefully signed indemnity agreements, these workers are left neglected and abused. Although free trade agreements have been entered into, the discrimination and hostility has persisted. Religion and nationality are often used as a ground to discriminate. Wages below minimum wages, restriction on job applications, heavy taxation on foreigners, etc. are often used tactics to propagate nepotism towards locals. The international community has warned the Gulf States and surrounding States of the same. Yet, there has been no visible change in the system. The paper seeks to identify, through primary and secondary sources of information, a suitable mechanism to help protect these migrant workers from such inequalities.