With the month of Ramadan underway, domestic workers across the Gulf remain highly vulnerable to labour exploitation and abuse. As working hours increase even more during the month, many juggle round-the-clock responsibilities – preparing meals, providing care, and managing household cleaning, often without adequate rest or compensation.
Despite their labour forming the backbone of households during Ramadan across the region, Gulf governments continue to prioritise the protection of employers’ rights over strengthening safeguards for domestic workers, reflecting a pattern observed in previous years.
As MRRORS has previously reported, Gulf governments tend to focus their efforts on awareness campaigns warning employers about fraudulent recruitment agencies and workers absconding rather than promoting domestic workers’ rights. Last week, UAE’s Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation announced - Opens in new tab the closure of 230 social media accounts promoting domestic worker recruitment services without a licence.
In Bahrain, the Recruitment Offices Association recently issued a statement - Opens in new tab to prospective employers stating that a Philippine government circular raising the minimum wage for Filipino domestic workers to US$ 500 is optional, and that any wage increase must be approved by the employer. The statement added further that recruitment agents are not authorised to unilaterally raise salaries and pass additional costs on to citizens.
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD) shared multiple social media posts - Opens in new tab in the last few days urging employers to verify the credibility of recruitment agents and published a list of accredited recruitment agencies. The ministry also announced - Opens in new tab that employers can now terminate contracts and file absconding cases against domestic workers who are absent from work via the Musaned platform.
In 2024, the MHRSD introduced regulations allowing domestic workers with absconding charges to either change sponsors or exit the country within 60 days (depending on whether they had been in Saudi Arabia for less than two years or longer). This process is now handled online through the Musaned platform.
It is common for the number of cases of domestic workers running away (‘absconding’) to spike during Ramadan, as many struggle to keep up with gruelling workloads and extended working hours. While in the past, some governments occasionally published awareness messages about legal working hours during the month, they failed to ensure compliance with domestic worker laws. Due to the lack of inspections and the isolating nature of live-in domestic work, many end up working excessive hours without adequate rest.
In Bahrain, there are still no regulations governing working hours in the domestic work sector. Following Oman’s recent Domestic Workers law, Bahrain now remains the only country in the region without a maximum working hour limit, leaving working conditions largely at the mercy of employers.
It is important that regional governments raise awareness about domestic workers’ rights before and during Ramadan among employers and workers. However, as reported by MRRORS, awareness alone is insufficient when domestic workers are excluded from labour laws, work in strict live-in arrangements, and are subject to the lack of effective enforcement mechanisms to ensure working regulations are upheld.
