The issue of migrant workers in the Gulf (and to a lesser extent Lebanon) has been covered in many sources including K-fest (no relation to K-fed, we don’t want Brittany’s kids). Like many situations in the West, the problem tends not to be so much about the laws (which, are often surprisingly progressive) it is enforcement and equity under the law. Like our own immigration debate some see the foreign workers as taking jobs from locals whereas other see the low wage workers as being vital to the economy.

Recently there have been moves in several Gulf countries to address the situation, which is mired under the unwieldy (and unfair) kafala system. I feel wary of the recent proposal in Bahrain for a 6 year cap on migrant workers, not only is it couched in jingoistic terms, migrants are said to be “eroding” local culture, but for these workers to break even it usually takes upwards of 10 years. I doubt pay scales would adjust enough to make 6 year contracts worthwhile for the migrants. Additionally, many migrant workers are suckered into onerous contracts by unscrupulous recruiters in their home countries, even our very own Manpower.

The most striking parallel to our own immigration debate has been the amnesty program in the UAE, which helped that country to deal with a huge population of undocumented workers, but has had significant ramifications on the economy there.

It is much too easy to paint the Gulf with one brush. I was very happy to see a Kuwaiti Minister from the main Islamicist party pushing for increased protection of domestic workers. I can only hope that the pressure of the US State Dept., mentioned in the article, is in fact part of what has been encouraging the first steps of change. We should also not forget the brave work by many organizations in these countries working to help out these populations who have very little power. I think I posted it before, but this video is a great introduction to the issue:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmbXdtjI6bc]

Related posts:

1. Get Me Outta Here!
2. The Good Kind of Profiling
3. Ahlan Wa Sahlan
4. What Kind Of Zionuts Immigrate To Israel?
5. Zionuts vs. the UAE