International festival in Germany denounces prevalence of slavery in the UAE
European activists denounced the prevalence of slavery in the United Arab Emirates on the sidelines of the Neuschwanstein Castle Festival in Germany.
Activists participating in the Neuschwanstein (Disney) Castle Festival in the Alps in Germany wrote big slogans calling for an end to slavery in the Emirates and forcing Abu Dhabi to amend its laws to stop the shameful phenomenon.
The posters and slogans received interaction from passersby, knowing that the famous German castle is visited by millions of people annually, and it hosts the Callegraffity Art Festival with the participation of more than ten artists.
The festival activities include drawing paintings that express humanitarian issues in Munich, Kempten and Nuremberg, and Neuschwanstein.
Neuschwanstein Castle dates back to the nineteenth century and is located on a rugged hill above the village of Hohenschwangau near the town of Füssen in southwestern Bavaria and was built by order by Ludwig II.
The castle was built in the late 1800s for defence purposes. It consists of rooms, suites, wonderful chandeliers and beautiful paintings that decorate its rooms. It was opened to the public after the king’s death in 1886 and is now one of the most important tourist destinations in Germany.
Recently, the European Anti-Slavery Campaign launched an awareness-raising initiative on rejecting slavery and human trafficking in the United Arab Emirates.
Under the initiative, slogans were written in the heart of the French capital, Paris, bearing the text (Stop slavery and human trafficking in the Emirates).
The initiative’s activities extend to other European capitals and cities to highlight the international criticism directed at the UAE against the background of its record in slavery and human trafficking.
The campaign against slavery, according to its organizers, aims to mobilize widespread and civil efforts to pressure governments to take adequate measures against the UAE to stop the practices of slavery on its lands.
The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) recently announced the launch of an international campaign against slavery for migrant workers in the UAE in the latest condemnation of Abu Dhabi’s grave violations.
The union highlighted that business leaders in the UAE have enormous power while workers have few or no rights.
Migrant workers make up 90% of the workforce in the UAE, working under working conditions that many call “modern-day slavery.”
According to the International Federation, the UAE is also a haven for companies that attack the rights of migrant workers and force them to reside in poor conditions.
The International Federation affirmed its solidarity with migrant workers subjected to abuse in the UAE, calling for an end to the reality of their being besieged through mistreatment, confiscating passports, and requiring the employer’s permission to change jobs or leave the country.
The UAE has a black record of human trafficking violations confirmed by dozens of international reports and testimonies against the background of bringing girls from war and conflict areas to work in prostitution, mistreatment of migrant workers and crushing of their rights.
In this context, the Daily Mail revealed warnings that Ukrainian women and children are being smuggled to the Emirates with the aim of human trafficking and exploitation as sex slaves during the war Russia is waging on the country.
A report by the newspaper said experts have warned that vulnerable Ukrainian women and children are likely to be trafficked into sexual slavery and domestic servitude in the UAE.
The report noted that millions of Ukrainians had fled the war-torn country since Russia began its brutal advance last February, raising concerns about refugees being trafficked.
Some have reportedly been targeted in Polish refugee camps, but experts believe a large proportion of those forcibly deported to Russia is also being contacted.
A new report from the Washington Institute for Defense and Security and the New York Center on Foreign Affairs revealed that some of these “missing” women and children might be smuggled into the United Arab Emirates.
