Delhi must do more for Indian migrant workers
While it is heartening to see Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj seriously take up the case of Ms Kasthuri Munirathinam, who's hand has been reportedly chopped off by her Saudi employer, the incident also serves as a brutal reminder of the appalling conditions under which tens of thousands of Indian workers continue to toil, not just in Saudi Arabia but across West Asia and North Africa. The Gulf countries, in particular, employ a large number of Indian migrant workers — some of whom are in well-paying, highly skilled professions but many are blue-collar workers, doing dangerous jobs that require back-breaking labour. It is well known that these men and women are not just treated poorly but often abused by their employers, as the authorities turn a blind eye to the situation.
There are horror stories galore, from employers refusing to pay salaries to labourers being holed up under oppressive conditions in dilapidated housing to workers being beaten and raped. Many lose their lives in the process but there is no justice or accountability, as the matter is easily swept under the carpet. Many others, unable to bear the tremendous pressure, commit suicide but that too goes unreported. Even the unprecedented number of deaths and suicides among labourers working in Qatar for the FIFA World Cup has received little attention.
This is despite the fact that India has sent the largest work force, comprising 5,00,000 labourers, to Qatar for the World Cup alone. In fact, between the time that construction began in 2011 and May this year, 1093 Indians had died in that country, according to official data. The International Trade Union Confederation, which has labeled Qatar a “country without conscience”, has said that based on estimates from embassies of India and Nepal, an estimated 4,000 more workers will die in Qatar before the start of the 2022 World Cup. The situation is not better in the others countries of the region.
The Government of India must play a bigger role in this context — going beyond individual cases and putting significant pressure on the authorities to make large-scale systemic changes. Ensuring the safety and security of its citizens is the primary duty of the state, and the most basic objective of Indian diplomacy. To be fair, there have been some improvements in recent years. For example, sustained pressure to put in place minimum wages, at least on paper, has led to some positive results. Similarly, the foreign Governments themselves are also slowly putting instituting rules and regulations to protect the interests of the workers. However, these efforts, even when implemented properly, are far from enough. Finally, the workers also have to take some responsibility for themselves. Too often, they travel to foreign shores without proper paperwork or with the ‘assistance' of unscrupulous elements, who are just looking to make a quick buck. This makes them all the more vulnerable.