“Kuwait’s Labor Ministry Deports Complaining Migrants,” resigned labor...
Migrant-Rights.org previously interviewed Mr. Abdulrahman al-Ghanim, former head of the Kuwait Trade Union Federation’s expat office, about his involvement in labor reform. Since our last interview...
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From officials to citizens, policing of migrants borders on abuse in GCC
A one-sided narrative on migrants in the GCC criminalises an already voiceless majority. Migrant-Rights.org looks at the deep-seated mistrust of migrant workers, and the severe abuse they face at the...
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In 2014, GCC Promise for domestic work reform falls short once again
Contrary to initial GCC media statements confirming the adoption of new model contract for domestic workers, sources say no new changes were discussed at the November 2014 meeting The media fanfare...
View ArticleKuwait scapegoats, criminalizes Ethiopian domestic workers
Kuwait's low-income migrants endure daily discrimination but local media and authorities tend to particularly criminalize Ethiopian domestic workers. The March 2014 murder of a Kuwaiti woman by an...
View ArticleKuwait Deports Lankans for Protesting Killing of Muslims at Home
In mid-June, 14 Sri Lankan migrants held a peaceful, silent demonstration in front of their embassy to protest the murders of Muslims in Sri Lanka; on June 15th, lynch mobs organized by the Bodhu Bala...
View ArticleLiterature as a Language for Migrants – an interview with Kuwait’s Pluma
Less than a year old, Kuwait-based Pluma is a literary migrant guild focused on migrant narratives. The group endeavors to bridge the citizen-migrant divide by encouraging informed discourse on...
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Residents not Occupiers, an interview with Kuwait’s Equait
Equait (Equality x Kuwait) is a youth initiative launched 3 years ago to tackle racism among young Kuwaitis. The project aims to encourage dialogue and show solidarity with migrants through public...
View Article“The Kafala is a System of Slavery,” an interview with the Kuwait Trade Union...
Abdulrahman al-Ghanim is the general secretary of the Kuwait Trade Union Federation. He is also in charge of the Expat Workers Office, which operates under of the federation. This office, despite legal...
View ArticleUnderstanding Kafala: An archaic law at cross purposes with modern development
When reading about conditions of migrant workers in the Middle East, you will inevitably come across criticism of the kafala, or sponsorship system. Human rights groups say the migration management...
View ArticleThree Filipina Domestic Workers Flee Abuse and Forced Labor in Kuwait
A year ago, three Filipina women arrived in Kuwait to work in a house in the Qurtuba area. Their employer, a Kuwaiti matriarch, immediately took away their passports. She woke them up each morning with...
View Article7 years in Kuwait with no leave: Indian migrant forced to disappear
A middle-aged Indian migrant, “SG,” arrived in Kuwait to work for a shipping company in 2004. In India, SG had signed a contract to work as manager of the company’s research and development department....
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Rampant Corruption puts Kuwait’s 186,000 Construction Workers at risk
Kuwait's estimated 186,000 constructions workers account for 17% of the migrant workforce, not including the thousands of undocumented migrants working in the industry. The majority of construction...
View ArticleSexual Assault and Physical Abuse at Kuwait’s Shelter for Domestic Workers
In November 2014, a Ghanian woman named Gloria saw an advertisement for a job in Kuwait. Holding an associate’s degree in Human Resources, she decided to contact the agency for more details on the...
View ArticleKuwait’s Migrants Protest State-Contracted Companies That Don’t Pay on Time
Unpaid wages spark strikes and sit-ins month after month in Kuwait; as the Kuwaiti government continues to favor corporations over workers’ rights, migrants are forced to carry the burden of the...
View ArticleJaykar: the cheeky video scene of the Gulf
Earlier this year, a spoof hip-hop video “I’m not afraid of my sponsor” by Saudi filmmakers Telfaz11 spread through the internet like wildfire. The clip showed South Asian construction workers rapping...
View ArticleTIP report sheds some light on why majority of Indian complaints come from...
Of the 60,608 complaints made to Indian missions around the world, the majority come from Gulf states. Complaints included breach of contract, non-payment of salaries, harassment, abuse, and other...
View ArticleAnother Look at Kuwait’s New Laws for Domestic Workers
Kuwait’s parliament recently approved two laws on migrant domestic labor; one establishes a public-sharing company that organizes the recruitment of domestic workers and the second regulates workers,...
View ArticleUAE announces reforms to labor rules; Kuwait and Qatar move forward on...
Three Gulf States in the past weeks have announced reforms to labour management, focussing primarily on contracts. One of the main problems faced by lower-income migrant workers in the region is...
View ArticleA baby outside wedlock lands mother in Kuwait Prison
A 32-year old Ugandan woman is being detained in Kuwait after having a baby in her sponsor’s home in Kuwait City. Fatuma Nambi is being held at Sulaibiya central Jail and faces charges of adultery...
View ArticleKuwait Plans Visa Exit System for Migrant Workers
Following the examples of Saudi Arabia and Qatar, Kuwait announced plans to adopt an exit-visa system that would require migrants to gain written permission from their sponsor/employer in order to...
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