UAE // Current TV

Israel Waging Covert Middle East War

Israel is waging a covert assassination campaign across the Middle East. Israeli... more

The_Global_Report
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Watch CCTV Footage: Chilling assassination plot on tape of Senior Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Mabhouh

Watch Full CCTV Footage: the assassination of Mahmoud al Mabhouh in Dubai

ekawaaz
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For Many Migrants, the United Arab Emirates is Not What It Seems, pt. 2

Continued from part 1.

The global economic recession and deflation in oil and natural gas prices substantially slowed the UAE’s economic growth. As the country’s energy industry suffered, so did its urban development – approximately 45% of construction workers were laid off. (Agence France-Presse) In addition, many maids and nannies were laid off in to attempts to save money. As of now, thousands of Filipino migrants are jobless in the UAE. These unemployed immigrants cannot find new jobs unless their old contracts are terminated – a process that takes weeks. (Agence France-Presse) Most Filipinos wish to return home, but have insufficient funds and no passports to travel with. These workers are now living off little to nothing as vagrants in slums, without their families or freedom.

The UAE has a bad track record of supporting immigrant workers – beforehand, only a few laborers received aid out of the thousands that requested it. (Migrant Rights) In addition, not many immigrant-protective laws existed – not even a minimum wage policy. In response to the UAE’s dearth of help towards immigrants, philanthropic groups such as the Center for Migrant Advocacy have taken matters into their own hands – usually by aiding migrant workers to retrieve their passports or helping negotiate debts to employers. These organizations also have lobbied for the government to address the dire situation at hand. (Center for Migrant Advocacy) As a result, the UAE is attempting to place new immigrant-beneficial policies into effect - such as quicker employment contract terminations. (Ross) In the April of 2009, the government of the UAE presented their goal of providing 200,141 new jobs for Filipino immigrants to Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo – the president of the Philippines. (Libo-on) Macapagal-Arroyo and her government claim to be working with the UAE to introduce “immigrant-friendly laws” – however, both governments do not provide clear information surrounding these new policies. Even though the UAE and the Philippines seem to be trying to aid unemployed immigrants, no significant changes in their lifestyles are visible. (Migrant Rights)

The UAE is being denounced by countless humanitarian organizations and migrant rights advocates for claiming to help immigrants, but not creating any real improvements in the immigrant’s lifestyles. Johann Hari, a freelance journalist, claims that the mass layoff of immigrant workers is similar to what occurred to African slaves centuries before, who worked in harsh conditions and then were left in destitution with no opportunities to go home. He even labels the UAE as a “slave society.” However, the UAE defends these layoffs. Khalfan Al-Kaabi, a member of Abu Dhabi’s chamber of commerce, claimed that, “It is only but natural for the industry to cut those jobs.” (Agence France-Presse) In addition, The Human Rights Watch (an international welfare group) criticizes the country for “not taking any steps to put an end to [passport confiscation].” However, the Philippines has not been criticized by any philanthropic organizations as of yet, as the UAE has more responsibility over the situation, and thus, more liability.

Continued in For Many Migrants, the United Arab Emirates is Not What It Seems, pt. 3: http://current.com/items/91979053_for-many-migrants-the-united-arab-emirates-is-not-what-it-seems-pt-3.htmContinued from part 1. The global economic recession and deflation in oil and... more

Fishdish
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For Many Migrants, the United Arab Emirates is Not What It Seems, pt. 3

Continued from part 2.

This quandary over unemployed immigrants will become worse if no extra action is taken. It seems that as more Filipino workers wish to return home, the more false goals towards migrant aid are set. In spite of the UAE’s introduction of “new” (but vague) migrant-beneficial policies, nearly nothing is improving the jobless immigrants’ lives. Also, the consulate of the Philippines in the UAE is not providing enough help for its citizens, choosing instead to spend time protesting that they are already inundated by requests for assistance, as opposed to lobbying for their people’s rights. The Filipino government supports emigration as a means of alleviating their country’s high amount of poverty, but is not putting enough effort into ending the suffering of migrants in countries like the UAE. Sympathy must be felt towards these immigrants – they dream of better lives, but live with hardship. In the future, it is presumable that tensions will mount throughout the migrant worker community as they request for help and are essentially ignored by their respective governments. This could lead to possible protests and further rights activism by immigrants themselves.

The UAE indeed has the façade of a financially flourishing nation – but as immigrant laborers lose their jobs and live poorly, this outward appearance may begin to unravel. Filipinos remain trapped in the UAE, with hardly any opportunities to return home, but most of the world continues to be unaware of the grim situation at hand. This unfortunate situation affects not just Filipinos, but migrant workers from other poverty-ridden countries such as Bangladesh. Hopefully, governments will collaborate to support unemployed immigrants and introduce laws that can prevent another predicament similar to this from occurring again.

Works Cited
Agence France-Presse. “Massive layoffs in UAE: Report.” My Digital Financial Chronicle. N.p., 24 Dec. 2008. Web. 9 Oct. 2009. .
Asis, Maruja. “The Philippines’ Culture of Migration.” Migration Information Source. Migration Policy Insitute, Jan. 2006. Web. 9 Oct. 2009. .
Castles, Stephen. The Age of Migration 4th Edition. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2009. Print.
Center for Migrant Advocacy. “Initial Submission to the UN Committee on Migrant Workers.” Center for Migrant Advocacy (Nov. 2008): n. pag. Web. 9 Oct. 2009. .
Gomez, Margarita. “The Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo Legacy.” Action for Economic Reforms. N.p., 28 Jan. 2008. Web. 9 Oct. 2009. .
Hari, Johann. “The Dark Side of Dubai.” The Independent. N.p., 7 Apr. 2009. Web. 9 Oct. 2009. .
Human Rights Watch. “Building Towers, Cheating Workers.” Human Rights Watch (Nov. 2006): n. pag. Web. 9 Oct. 2009. .
Hylton, Hilary. “Goodbye, Houston. Hello, Dubai.” Time 14 Mar. 2007: 14-15. Print.
Irin. "Domestic Workers Face Abusive Employers." Irin. The United Nations, 2 July 2006. Web. 9 Oct. 2009. .
Libo-on, Lily. “200,141 New Jobs for Filipinos Confirmed.” Khaleej Times 13 Apr. 2009: n. pag. Web. 9 Oct. 2009. .
Migrant Rights. “Interview with Nick McGeehan from Mafiwasta.” Migrant Rights. N.p., 18 Jan. 2009. Web. 9 Oct. 2009. .
Philippine Migrants Society of Canada. “Filipino Migration: A Brief History.” Philippine Migrants Society of Canada. Philippine Migrants Society of Canada, n.d. Web. 9 Oct. 2009. .
Ross, Brian. “Dark Side of Dubai’s Boomtown.” ABC News. N.p., 13 Nov. 2006. Web. 9 Oct. 2009. .
Schuman, Michael. “On the Road Again: The Global Recession Scatters Workers.” Time 27 Apr. 2009: 27-28. Print.Continued from part 2. This quandary over unemployed immigrants will become worse... more

Fishdish
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For Many Migrants, the United Arab Emirates is Not What It Seems, pt.1

This essay didn't fit into one post, so I've split it into multiple ones.

Most people envision the United Arab Emirates as a prosperous country, populated by some of the wealthiest people in the world. The gleaming buildings of Dubai, however, present a dark reality – they were built and are maintained by poor economic migrants who live difficult lives. Due to the global economic recession, these workers are now losing their jobs. This topic is of interest as the media rarely examines the serious effects of the global recession on immigrant workers. Filipino immigrants, for example, who make up the largest portion of migrant workers, are stranded in the UAE with little money, no passports, and virtually no help from the UAE’s government or their own consulate. Is this so different than the plight of African slaves that were trapped in a foreign land several centuries ago?

People have been voluntarily emigrating from the Philippines since the 1970s – a time when well paying jobs became scarce due to a growth in population and poor economic management by the Filipino government. (Asis) Poor uneducated citizens, concerned with push factors such as a lack of jobs, slow urban development, and uneven wealth distribution, emigrated overseas in search of better wages and better overall life quality. (Philippine Migrants Society of Canada) In fact, the Filipino government encouraged emigration, in an effort to alleviate the large amounts of domestic job-seeking citizens. (Castles, pg. 323) Immigration to the UAE first started when the country became wealthy due to the discovery of large pockets of crude oil and natural gas. (Time, “Goodbye, Houston. Hello, Dubai”, pg. 14) As the energy industry of the UAE made it an economic giant, employment-seeking Filipinos noticed. Attracted by the pull factors of massive urban development and the prospect of an improved lifestyle, Filipinos emigrated to the UAE en masse. However, imperfections in this emigration flow quickly surfaced. Many perspective migrants unknowingly signed contracts with dubious employment agencies and found themselves thrust into situations completely different from what they had expected. Workers were assigned to work in dangerous construction projects and abusive households for up to 17 hours a day. (Irin, "Domestic Workers Face Abusive Employers") In addition, employment firms coerced the immigrants to pay debts of thousands of dollars in order to pay for their travel – despite earning only on average $175 monthly. (Human Rights Watch, pg. 7) After the immigrants realized that promises of higher wages were fallacious, they had no opportunities of leaving the UAE – their passports were confiscated when they entered the country by those untrustworthy employment agencies. (Human Rights Watch, pg. 38) These immigrants could not depend on any type of aid from UAE or the Filipino consulate, as both claimed to be overwhelmed by requests for financial and legal assistance. Nevertheless, thousands of economic migrants still flock to the UAE out of desperation for money, unaware of the consequences, and many are too poor to gain access to electronic or written sources that could inform them of the poor life quality other migrants have. (Time, “On the Road Again: The Global Recession Scatters Workers,” pg. 28)

Continued in For Many Migrants, the United Arab Emirates is Not What It Seems, pt. 2: http://current.com/items/91979043_for-many-migrants-the-united-arab-emirates-is-not-what-it-seems-pt-2.htmThis essay didn't fit into one post, so I've split it into multiple ones.... more

Fishdish
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No Justice for Poor’s in United Arab Emirates: Sheikh Issa bin Zayed al-Nahayan Cleared of Torture

An injustice has been done. All this closed door trial and judgment of UAE court means... more

ekawaaz
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UAE sheikh cleared over torture

A member of the ruling family of the United Arab Emirates has been cleared of the... more

ras_menelik
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British woman arrested in Dubai after reporting rape

A British woman who made a rape complaint in Dubai has been arrested for having... more

micromermaid
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The Burj Dubai opens - Photos

The world's tallest building (or most elaborate Photoshop hoax) opened today: the... more

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Dubai banks given extra liquidity

The central bank of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has said it will provide banks with... more

Maryleaf
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Dubai Debt Woes Raise Fear of Wider Problem

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/28/business/global/28dubai.html?_r=1&hp Of the... more

UrbanGypsy
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World's first Arabic speaking robot constructed in UAE

"Ibn Sina is the first humanoid robot which actually can perform Arabic... more

vincius
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Conspiracy against the dollar?

Apparently the UAE is trying convince the likes of China, Japan, etc. to refuse the... more

AlexBush
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Paradise Lost

Its not just about Politics, though Politics is also important here. Its not just... more

Kazim
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Life Without Soul

Every morning while on the way to office or coming back in evening it’s not... more

Kazim
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Sans Papiers

Sans Papiers

The youth of our age, surrounded by a swarm of difficulties and problems is in search of a solution, but what he eventually finds is more and more of difficulties and disappointments. When unemployed and poverty numbs all his senses, paralyzes all his muscles, he feels life is nothing but a futile effort, a bottomless pit of poverty and indigence. According to one estimate, in past 10 years, around 10 thousand Pakistanis have been killed by security forces, crossing Greece-Turkey border illegally. In pursuit of an ever evading happiness, who are these ill-informed people and who are the traffickers involved in this heinous trade of human trafficking. The real issue is how come the educated ones of our country fall prey to these human traffickers. Poverty and related problems are the main reasons behind human trafficking and illegal immigration. Your pursuit of happiness can bring this much misery and suffering, one can only know by meeting the people under Custody of FIA, who have recently been deported from the Turkey Border. It seems an obvious enough advice to have a safe albeit simple life at home, than to a have risky prosperous life abroad. But mired deeply in the troubled waters, it’s only dreams of a happy living that make these people go through all sorts of troubles.

I just pray that my country Pakistan finds a leader, a person who can improve the situation in our country, so that no one thinks about leaving this country and going through this humiliation This heinous crime of Illegal immigration, despite efforts by the State, is flourishing. One obvious contributors of this crime are the people who become a victim of agents’ treacherous promises, lost their lives’ savings and became a victim of dark alleys.

The question that haunts us all is till what time these traffickers would dupe the gullible of their livelihoods and till what time the carcasses of the youth of our country would be feasted by the beasts in unknown wildernesses.

Directed and Produced By
Kazim Raza
Masmedia Productions
Pakistan
923333705114Sans Papiers The youth of our age, surrounded by a swarm of difficulties and... more