Human Rights Watch: Widespread Violations Faced by Migrant Workers in the UAE
Human Rights Watch has reported that migrant workers in the UAE are subjected to significant abuses, while the country continues to prohibit labor unions that could defend their rights.
The organization emphasized that the UAE’s sponsorship system gives employers excessive control over migrant workers, preventing them from changing jobs without their employer’s approval.
According to the group, employers can falsely accuse workers of “escaping” even when they flee from exploitation, placing them at risk of detention and deportation.
The report also highlighted that migrant workers face numerous violations, including wage theft, illegal recruitment fees, and confiscation of passports, which can push them into conditions akin to forced labor.
Additionally, Human Rights Watch noted that the UAE government’s continued ban on labor unions deprives workers of the ability to advocate for stronger labor protections. The country still lacks a universal, non-discriminatory minimum wage.
Migrant workers are crucial to the UAE’s labor market, but the government fails to protect them from climate-related dangers, the organization claimed.
Outdoor workers in the UAE, especially those exposed to extreme heat, are particularly vulnerable to heat-related illnesses and fatalities. Despite evidence that it is ineffective, the UAE continues to rely on the midday work ban during summer as its main heat protection measure.
Beyond inadequate heat protection, migrant workers also face serious labor abuses, such as wage theft and exorbitant recruitment fees, which hinder their ability to support families in countries vulnerable to climate change, like Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Nepal, especially during extreme weather events linked to climate change.
Domestic workers, who are excluded from the UAE’s labor law, remain particularly at risk of exploitation, including being trapped in homes or recruitment offices, wage theft, and verbal, physical, and sexual abuse by employers and recruitment agencies. This is despite legal reforms that prohibit discrimination, violence, and recruitment fees.
Furthermore, the protections offered to domestic workers under the law are weaker than those granted to other workers and fail to meet international standards.
Human Rights Watch also criticized other governments for prioritizing trade and strategic interests with the UAE over human rights concerns.
The report also pointed to the UK’s recent announcement to resume negotiations on a free trade agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council, including the UAE, despite ongoing concerns about the lack of transparency, oversight, and the failure to include meaningful labor protections and human rights commitments for migrant workers.
