Stories of Origin

In the concluding instalment of the Stories of Origin series from Uganda, MRRORS.org speaks to those who facilitate migration and those who deal with the consequences of irregular migration. In the first part, we spoke to Ugandans scarred by their experiences in the Gulf and those who have made a success of it, despite the hardships.

In a two-part Stories of Origin from Uganda, MRRORS.org looks at how the recent spate of migration to the GCC is igniting dreams of the East African country's citizens. In this first instalment, we explore the lives of those who have had a taste of the Middle East, those left behind, and those who aspire to go abroad, regardless of the cost.

In a two-part series, MRRORS.org visits the environment from which domestic workers migrate in Sri Lanka. In the first part we explore how the women are caught in the cross-hairs of aggressive recruitment agencies and stifling government policies.

In the second of a two-part series, MRRORS.org speaks to women at different stages of the migration cycle. Serial migration seems to the be the only way they can get out of and stay out of poverty.

Bal Krishna Gautam endured two years of humiliation and avoidable illness in Qatar, with no access to a bathroom and spoilt food for lunch. His agonizing tale is an indictment of Gulf labour practices.

The all-pervasive kafala, or sponsorship system, allows Gulf citizens and employers to exercise complete and absolute power over migrant workers. Moving from Saudi to Qatar to Kuwait, Mobeen Ahmed’s story is but one amongst a few million migrant experiences across the GCC region.

In the concluding part of the series on migrant fishermen, we look at the systemic failures in countries of origin and employment, that leaves them vulnerable to vagaries of more than just the sea.

Stories of Origin is a series that explores the lived experiences of both returning and potential migrants and their families. This is the second of a three-part piece on migrant fishermen from southern India. In the first part we spoke to families left behind in a village in the deep south of India.