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| Arabia |
| Compassion for Expatriate Labor |
| 2004-07-24 |
| What a human rights organization said about the abusive treatment of laborers in Saudi Arabia deserves contemplation and appreciation, regardless of the fact that some news media limited themselves to mentioning only Saudi Arabia though the situation and problem are similar in other countries in the region. Even though the report by the New York-based Human Rights Watch released on July 15 may be unacceptable to some here in the Kingdom, especially among influential classes, we all must take notice and take a stand. The trade in foreign servants and laborers has reached a stage almost equivalent to slavery. The slave trade originates in many cases in expat worker's home countries where unscrupulous individuals collect huge amounts of money from poor job seekers in exchange for a job and work visa. In the Kingdom, similar "slave trade" companies collect such large sums of money from the imported laborer that nothing is left for him. These poor people have come to Saudi Arabia in search of the means to provide the daily bread for their families back home. But they are often left struggling for survival and remain at the mercy of their employer. The stories are horrific and embarrassing, detailing the transformation of those who came as laborers into beggars on the streets, jobless and with no means for a living. Some are fortunate enough to collect a hundred dollars a month, a pathetic amount for most of us, but to the desperately poor, food for their loved ones. The Saudi authorities must put an end to this inhumane phenomenon. It has become a curse on the country just because a minority that has no compassion in their hearts is trading laborers' visas with few restraints. |
| Posted by:tipper |