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87% Of Indian-worker exploitation complaints from Gulf nations

  •   Tue, Aug 02 2016 03:08:08 PM

By Chaitanya Mallapur

Aug 2 (IANS): As thousands of laid-off Indian workers in Saudi Arabia were said to be without food, 87 per cent of complaints received from Indian workers at Indian missions across nine countries were from six Gulf countries, with nearly half of those from Qatar and Saudi Arabia, according to government data.


Indian missions across nine countries received 55,119 complaints of ill-treatment and "exploitation" of Indian workers over the last three years, according to data tabled in the Lok Sabha by the Ministry of External Affairs.

Of these, the Indian mission in Qatar received 13,624 complaints, followed by missions in Saudi Arabia (11,195), Kuwait (11,103) and Malaysia (6,346).

On July 30, 2016, Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj acknowledged the hunger facing laid-off Indian workers in Saudi Arabia.

"The number of Indian workers facing food crisis in Saudi Arabia is over Ten Thousand. It is not 800 as is being reported," she tweeted.

Sushma Swaraj promised, through a series of tweets, "that no Indian worker rendered unemployed in Saudi Arabia will go without food".

The complaints received from Indian workers include "non-payment/delayed payment or underpayment of salaries, long working hours, inadequate living conditions, physical harassment, non-renewal of visa and labour card on time, refusal to pay for medical treatment, denial of leave and air-ticket to home town on completion of contract period, forcible custody of passport and visa and refusal of leave or exit/re-entry permits", the ministry said in its reply to parliament.

No specific complaint of sexual abuse was reported, the ministry added.

Twenty-four per cent of Indians jailed aboard in Saudi prisons

Saudi Arabia has more Indians in prison than any other country: 1,697 of 7,213, according to another Lok Sabha reply.

Saudi Arabia is followed by United Arab Emirates (1,143). The six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries -- Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Bahrain -- account for half of all Indians jailed abroad and 87 per cent of mis-treatment complaints received from Indian workers.

The Indian mission in Saudi Arabia registered 1,676 complaints during the first half of 2016.

Poor working conditions put an Indian living in Saudi Arabia or Kuwait at 10 times the risk of death compared to an Indian living in the US, IndiaSpend reported in August 2015.

Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman and Kuwait report between 65 and 78 deaths per 100,000 Indian workers.

An average of 69 Indians die every year in the six Gulf countries. The corresponding figure for the rest of the world is 26.5, almost 60 per cent lower.

(In arrangement with IndiaSpend.org, a data-driven, non-profit, public interest journalism platform, with whom Chaitanya Mallapur is an analyst. The author can be reached at respond@indiaspend.org)
  

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Comment on this article

  • Yeshavanth G Shetty, Mangaluru

    Wed, Aug 03 2016

    The problem is the Embassies established for helping needy citizens in difficulty are sleeping over problems-a true Asian attitude exhibiting educated ittiteracy.I too am fighting a lone battle since 2005 without a ray of hope in sight.Ache Din...?Kiske?Ig Rulers have Guts & determination nothing is impossible.Airlift movie & Gen.V.K.Singh Sir(Retd.) is showing the cxapabilities again & again.If he can,why not all for every needy,helpless looking for support without any delay?

    DisAgree Agree [1] Reply Report Abuse

  • Lawrence, USA

    Wed, Aug 03 2016

    "Poor working conditions put an Indian living in Saudi Arabia or Kuwait at 10 times the risk of death compared to an Indian living in the US, IndiaSpend reported in August 2015".

    What kind of comparison to USA vs Saudi/Kuwait. Even illegal aliens and the refugees are getting more than enough food and other benefits from the government and these illegal aliens from India are well fed and taken care of by the US govt. betten than their own country.

    IndiaSpend should compare death ratio by hunger by Indians living in Saudi/Kuwait to Indians living on the street of Calcutta and not to US. It is better that the IndiaSpend should tighten its screws little bit.

    DisAgree Agree Reply Report Abuse

  • Vincent Rodrigues., Frazer Town,Bangalore

    Wed, Aug 03 2016

    This is quite serious matter and this issue need to be discussed and taken up in the international forum as well.

    DisAgree Agree [1] Reply Report Abuse

  • Rita, Germany

    Tue, Aug 02 2016

    True,life in foreign Country is hard.Specially I pity who are working in Gulf in hot sun and have no good education,have to suffer a lot.Many agents too cheat them taking Money and promises,which realizes later als fake.Once you are there,without pass cant comeout,loan at home,powerty otherside,no Money too make them stick to whatever they get.No freedom,no religious freedom till late,no legal advice is possible ,no Union makes difficult.Even our own People who take maids to GCC countrys too have not paid well or harassing them ,is not to Forget.why then blame others.Now Gcc has to comedown from their stuhl because of oil Price,ordinary People suffer.But many have already found their luck and luxury in GCC and must be thankful to God and should who suffer there help them now when possible.

    DisAgree [2] Agree [18] Reply Report Abuse

  • Jossey Saldanha, Nashville

    Tue, Aug 02 2016

    Thanks to Gulf, some Indians have seen Acche Din ...

    DisAgree [13] Agree [18] Reply Report Abuse

  • Amin Bhoja, Patte / Riyadh

    Tue, Aug 02 2016

    People think Gulf job is like raining money from the tress!!!No sir it is the hard earned money with emotions and with difficulties!!!If one get a reasonable job in his country he will never leave his country or his family or his loved one's but time never waits for you but you have to go along with it !!!In this journey some are lucky and some unlucky !!!.

    DisAgree Agree [60] Reply Report Abuse

  • Robert, Mangalore

    Tue, Aug 02 2016


    Personally, I have been to all six GCC countries, had visited 3 out of six GCC countries Indian Embassies. This journey of mine to GCC countries started in 1979 and helped to earn and raise the family.

    We have been told by the Indian Embassy staff that except for UAE, less than 2 percent earn above $800 US Dollars per month. Our request for supporting data was either not readily available or records not well maintained.

    In UAE the many Indians have successfully started and build companies and doing very well. This is around 10 to 1 success ratio for Indians in other GCC countries.

    In general, Indian Citizens ae not well treated and accommodated by GCC citizens, unless you are a key business partner and Company utive. The number of complaints listed in the above article very small and you can multiply is 1,000 for each of listed complaint. People mostly swollen their pride and being humble to support their family and earn their living.

    Agree with Shankar Anna, UAE has better working conditions since 1980s, most of economy is supported at all levels by many Indian families with minimum support from locals. This is not true in other GC countries, where employee visa, sponsorship issue and commercial licensing without local citizen is very difficult and time consuming. There is no religious freedom in some countries as in UAE.

    We are and should be thankful for providing employment and business opportunities for millions of Indians in GCC countries, over the years lifestyle and things are getting better for Indians and all those who worked hard and toiled their labor in the period from 1960s to 2000 or so has helped millions of Indian families. There were no complaints and people suffered too much in those days.

    DisAgree [3] Agree [40] Reply Report Abuse

  • Francis, Dubai

    Tue, Aug 02 2016

    Atleast, Gulf countries are giving us jobs so that we can earn our daily bread. However, what about exploitation of minority in India from majority, which is happening everyday?

    DisAgree [36] Agree [62] Reply Report Abuse

  • Nawaz, Udupi, Kuwait

    Wed, Aug 03 2016

    @ Francis, you are corrrct if you say " self d representatives of majority community" instead of majority community.

    DisAgree Agree [3] Reply Report Abuse

  • Shankar, Mangalore

    Tue, Aug 02 2016

    I think working conditions in UAE is far better than any other GCC countries.
    The number of Indian prison inmates are more because Indians tend to break the law and the policing is stricter in UAE.

    DisAgree [13] Agree [54] Reply Report Abuse


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