HRW calls for SAARC initiative to protect migrant workers in Gulf

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) should leverage their countries' collective bargaining power to seek greater protection for their nationals working in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries from abuse, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said.

In a letter to the SAARC secretary general dated December 18, 2013 marking the International Migrants' Day, HRW said a SAARC regional protection initiative could significantly enhance the living and working conditions of workers in low-paid sectors from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bangladesh, who routinely face violations of international labor standards and human rights law in the six Gulf states.

Asia director HRW Brad Adams said South Asian governments should join forces to press for reforms to end the terrible abuses against migrant workers that have gone on for far too long.

HRW claimed that abuses in many sectors persist in Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates, despite reports of hundreds of deaths of South Asian workers in Qatar.

Migrant workers in these countries typically have their passports confiscated and are forced to work under the highly exploitative "kafala" system of sponsorship-based employment, which prevents them from leaving employers.

Employers are rarely, if ever, prosecuted for violations of labor law, HRW said.

Migrant workers in the Gulf frequently experience hazardous working conditions, long hours, unpaid wages, and cramped and unsanitary housing.

SAARC should urge GCC countries to respect non-discrimination and equal treatment of migrant workers and their right to join trade unions and bargain collectively, HRW said.