Protecting the Rights of Migrant Workers in the Gulf Countries

Do Bold carry out their work in the Gulf region, which comprises Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman. Working in collaboration with governments, NGOs and other organisations, Do Bold are trying to change the systemic issues that affect migrant workers by working directly with the communities involved. Running for just over 10 years, they have reached over 3,500 individuals through their various projects.

There are three strands to Do Bold’s work. Firstly, they look at community engagement, specifically addressing exploitative working conditions and providing safe repatriation routes where requested. Their second strand is the collection of data. Absolutely imperative, this means that they have the statistics to back up their work and can use this to build data-driven policies and monitor the policies implementation and impact. Finally, they carry out advocacy work to raise awareness of these issues, both with the public and with the people in leadership positions who have the power to make meaningful and lasting changes. 

"Thank you very much, I know God will give us another chance to meet again you too are strong because you made [.....] release me, I was to die but you came to my rescue, for that reason I will live to love, respect and missing you all the days of my life" - Kenyan migrant domestic worker repatriated from Saudi Arabia speaking about her experience with Do Bold

Unfortunately it is all too easy to end up in a vulnerable situation. Once signed up to an agency and in a new country, all power lies with the recruiter and employer. It is common for passports to be taken from workers and the initial terms of their employment turning out to be built on lies. Expecting well-paid jobs in the hospitality industry, they may instead be made to work as maids or other domestic staff with only a small stipend each month and no way of repaying the agency for the placement fees they were charged in the first place.

A lot of these workers are victims of human trafficking. They are taken from their homes under false pretences and made to work to ‘earn’ their freedom. It is a horrifying situation to consider, but one that Do Bold hopes to improve. Many of their projects focus on raising awareness of this issue and helping to stop further exploitation. In 2022 they used a journey map from a victim of human trafficking to conduct training in 16 African countries to demonstrate certain mechanisms that can be used for workers’ protection. These workshops help to raise awareness of the routes into modern slavery and how they can be spotted and stopped. Another project is aimed more at the workers themselves than at bystanders, supporting women migrant workers to obtain the birth certificate for their newborns. Because of their social, economic or civil status, birth certificates are often denied, so Do Bold are empowering women to challenge this status quo.

Working conditions are a particular area of concern for Do Bold. Two of their projects, 52px and Give One Day Off, were campaigns to encourage employers to give employees at least one day off a week. Not having time for rest and relaxation can lead to serious mental and physical health problems and so it is vital that workers are given adequate breaks from their work. These two projects from Do Bold were very different in their pursuit of the same goal. While Give One Day Off was a simple petition, 52px consisted of workshops for domestic workers where they were trained to use a camera and assured time off to take pictures. This was an opportunity for workers to find their voice, have their work shared in an art exhibition and was also a chance to change society’s perception of these workers, showing them as people with legitimate interests, skills and hobbies.

Do Bold have found that domestic workers from Sierra Leone working in Oman are highly affected by severe labour violations. Many have also experienced gender-based violence. Do Bold’s project, Freedom for Our Sisters, has created one of the largest data sets on domestic workers in the Gulf and has mapped the life cycle of a woman migrant domestic worker from recruitment to repatriation. This has been combined with support on the ground for the women in question. You can read the full report on their website. All of these projects work to make fundamental changes in the Gulf region and, hopefully, this positive impact will also spill out into other countries. We asked Ekaterina Porras Sivolobova, Founder and Director of Do Bold, about their plans for 2024: 

"Our focus for 2024 is to further increase our understanding of how migrant workers are being affected by policy gaps and social practices through primary data collection. Among different things, this includes information on detention of migrant workers, investigation practices to identify victims of human trafficking and why "release money", or money asked by employers to release migrant workers, continues to be an accepted practice and how it can be challenged. As far as projects we will release two reports, one focusing on forced labour and businesses and the second one is on detention of migrant workers, and will be providing important information on the countries that we work in to be shared for the U.S. Trafficking in Person Report. Throughout 2024 we will continue creating communities and supporting victims of human trafficking to return home as well as increasing our efforts in fundraising as it is crucial for us to help those affected by modern slavery to return home."

For a team of only three, it is incredible to see the difference they have made to many individuals in just over a decade, and we hope that they will continue to campaign, raise awareness and bring about much needed systemic change to the region.