Nepali Slaves in the Gulf: Short Film by Anti Slavery

Anti-Slavery - Opens in new tab has just released this short film on Nepali  labourers in the UAE, as part of a campaign against bonded labour in the Gulf States - Opens in new tab. We commend Anti Slavery and ITUC - Opens in new tab(the video's funding partner) for making such a clear and hard-hitting film about this much under-reported issue.

Each year tens of thousands of Nepalis migrate to the Middle East in search of work, but a growing number are making the ultimate sacrifice for their attempts to make a better life for themselves and their families. Each day at least one or two coffins arrive at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, containing the bodies of Nepalis who have died while working in the Middle East.

We have already blogged about how the Gulf is becoming a death trap for Nepali migrants. Stress and dangerous working conditions appear to be the leading cause of death for Nepali migrant labourers, and 800 lost their lives in the Gulf and Malaysia in 2010 alone, according to data compiled by Nepali embassies. However, given the high rate of undocumented/illegal migration, the real figure may be even higher.