"Gulf Countries: Bid to Protect Migrant Workers - Construction Firms Should Adopt New Guidelines"

Human Rights Watch today issued a set of guidelines to protect migrant construction workers. International and domestic companies operating in Gulf Cooperation Council countries should adopt the standards to ensure that they and their contractors and sub-contractors respect the rights of migrant workers on their projects and to protect workers from serious abuses, including trafficking and forced labor.

“In the face of rampant abuse and exploitation of worker’s rights in GCC countries, construction firms need to step up to protect their workforce,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director. “These guidelines outline how companies can guarantee workers’ basic rights under international law and would make a huge difference in ending worker exploitation."

The “Guide to Doing Ethical Business in the GCC” outlines specific standards that companies should address when working in the GCC states of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman,Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates to safeguard workers’ rights and minimize the risk of abuses in their labor supply chains. The new guidelines reflect key problems in the construction industry in GCC countries.