"Explainer: Five reasons why it's hard to stop migrant abuse in the Gulf," 21 Oct 2021

African workers forcibly deported from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) earlier this year...

1) KAFALA SYSTEM

The lack of justice for migrants can be traced back to "kafala" sponsorship system that ties a worker's visa to their employer, seen by rights groups as modern-day slavery...

2) FEAR OF DEPORTATION

The risk of being sent home empty-handed makes most workers reluctant to speak up, said Malcolm Bidali, a Kenyan working as a security guard in Qatar until his deportation in August...

3) UNDEMOCRATIC REGIMES

Migrants in the Gulf work under largely undemocratic authorities that do not prioritise civic rights: many are monarchies that do not hold elections and do not tolerate public criticism...

4) FEW RIGHTS ADVOCATES IN COUNTRY...

"There's a hesitancy by local lawyers to take on cases. People who get detained en masse are low-income migrant workers - so lawyers know it's hard to reverse a ruling of deportation and it won't pay much," [Migrant-Rights.org researcher Ali] Mohamed said...

5) NO HELP FROM HOME

Migrants said their own embassies had not pushed hard enough to get them out of jail or prevent the deportations...

6) MONEY TALKS...

Money that workers send home from abroad is one of the largest sources of foreign exchange for many countries - vital for trading with the rest of the world.

"This is a power dynamic," said Begum of Human Rights Watch.

"Countries of origin simply don't have the same leverage when speaking to host countries, as they are quite reliant on remittances."