Recent Mall Fire in Qatar Highlights Human Trafficking Abuses

On 20 July 2016, a fire broke out at the construction site of Tawar Mall near Al Duhail, Qatar. Hundreds of construction workers, most of them migrant workers, evacuated the site. While the Qatari Ministry of Interior reported no casualties, it remains unclear whether the thick, black smoke that billowed from the scene affected any[…]

Kuwait First in GCC to Implement Minimum Wage for Domestic Workers

On 14 July 2016, the Kuwaiti government set a minimum wage for the over 660,000 domestic workers within the country. The Ministry of Interior published the notice, which specifies the new minimum wage as 60 Kuwaiti dinar per month. Before the implementation of the minimum wage law, domestic workers in Kuwait earned less than 20[…]

A Victim’s Crime: Forced Prostitution in the UAE

The majority of women working as prostitutes in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are victims of human or sex trafficking; some are victims of both. Prostitution is an established and growing industry in the country, with the Guardian reporting in 2010 that an estimated 30,000 prostitutes worked in the emirate of Dubai alone. There are[…]

Worker Bans Not Enough to Stop Human Trafficking in the UAE

Despite domestic worker labor bans, abuse against Indonesian women is still widespread in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Less than one week ago, an Emirati court sentenced three human traffickers to prison. They will each spend three years in jail for forcing an Indonesian women into prostitution. Instead of protecting female Indonesian domestic workers in[…]

US Department of State Releases Trafficking in Persons Reports, Remains Critical of GCC Governments

Yesterday, the US Department of State released the 2016 Trafficking in Persons country narratives. Reports revealed that none of the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states have attained a Tier 1 status indicating compliance with minimum standards in eliminating human trafficking. Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) welcomes these thorough reports[…]