Detention, Deportation & Justice

It was his first visit to a Gulf country, and one made with the great hope that he could earn a little bit and provide a better living for his family.

Explicitly excluded from the labour law and often working in isolation, the shepherds and farmworkers who help feed Saudi Arabia endure dangerous working and living conditions.

Kuwait continues to use the amnesty to push irregular workers out of the country, circumventing just resolutions to the problems these migrants face. The majority of workers enter the country legally but are often forced into irregularity due to unfair employment practices.

In the first of a four-part series, Stories of Origin studies the environment from which Ethiopians are forced to migrate, while disregarding bans and words of caution.

Abuse of migrant workers, especially female domestic workers, is rampant across the Gulf countries. Most of these cases are ‘resolved’ by paying a nominal settlement and repatriating the victim. In recent months, however, there seems to be more vigilance on trafficking cases by Kuwait’s General Attorney office. MRRORS.org speaks to two recent victims.