Racism, Discrimination & Gender

Access to justice at both destination and origin remains elusive

When this is all over, what will the fabric of Gulf societies seem like? Can the ever-widening schisms be mended?

When we write of racism in the region, it’s often about individuals who take to various platforms to spew venom on foreigners. What is rarely acknowledged is that the discourse finds deep roots in the very way in which these Governments build and run the countries. This Covid-19 pandemic demonstrates that even if the virus doesn’t discriminate, the system will.

In one-to-one interviews and focus groups, female migrant workers in Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain recounted their experiences with violence in the workplace and how they navigated formal and informal grievance mechanisms. Through their insights, we aim to provide a better understanding of the current status quo and offer recommendations to prevent and improve government response to gender-based violence. Using Feminist Participatory Action Research methods, the report’s findings and recommendations are predominantly those of the participants.