Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Coronavirus leaves the Gulf's migrant workers
in limbo, with no income and no easy way out
Oil-rich Gulf nations, such as the United Arab
Emirates, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia have been relying heavily on millions
of migrant workers to develop and sustain their economies. There are as many as
20 million migrant workers administered in the region. In fact, foreigners outnumber
national citizens by a large degree in these countries. Those workers came from
South Asian countries like India, Pakistan, Indonesia, and the Philippines where
well-paid job opportunities are limited for uneducated or unskilled workers.
Now, because of the Covid-19 pandemic, most
of these migrant workers are stranded and quarantined in labor camps unemployed
and unpaid. These overcrowded compounds are thought to be hotbeds of the
pandemic as many workers share small rooms, toilets, showers, and kitchens. They
are now hoping to be repatriated to their homes, but chances are slim as very
few commercial flights are flying in the region. They have no choice but to sit
and wait to be sent home or employed again with little to eat.
They repatriated money to their homes but now
they are waiting to be repatriated.
Read the article and watch the video to learn
about the migrant workers who had been helping and sustaining the economy and
prosperity of the gulf nations.
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