Martindale Center- Policy Briefs on the Future of Work

Empowering Domestic Workers in the Gulf States: First Steps Toward Organizing 24 24 in the Gulf have made progress in this area, there are signif- icant problems with existing hotlines. In a 2020 report, Am- nesty International noted that Qatar’s hotline is not toll-free, a barrier tomany domestic workers who cannot afford to call. It also revealed that the hotline is not anonymous. Consider- ing thatmany domesticworkers live in their employer’s home, this is a serious barrier, for without anonymity workers could face retaliation from employers for filing complaints (Am- nesty, 26). For hotlines to be most effective, we recommend that the Gulf States further promote their hotlines to ensure domestic workers know they exist and feel entitled to use them. Additionally, all hotlines should be anonymous, toll- free, operational 24/7, and available in multiple languages. Follow-up should be quick, reports of abuse should be inves- tigated thoroughly, and remedial action carried out fully so workers are not left for long periods without wages and fear- ing retaliation from employers (Amnesty, 71). Qatar’s abolition of the kafala system and implementation of the Domestic Workers Law in 2020 represents a strong first step in addressing legal barriers, and we recommend that the other Gulf countries adopt similar legislation. Qatar’s new legislation allows domestic workers to freely change employ- ers and freely leave the country without explicit permission fromtheir employers (ILOa). The government also addressed employers’ concerns by setting up a system in which a new employer is required to reimburse any recruitment costs to a previous employer, thereby protecting the latter’s “invest- ment.” The new legislation implements a nondiscriminato- ry minimum wage to all migrant workers and requires that employers provide themwith decent housing and food. Addi- tionally, the government requires employers to pay allowanc- es to domestic workers of at least QAR300 ($82) andQAR500 ($137) to cover costs not provided directly (ILO b). The legis- lation also ensures workers have a maximum 10-hour work- day, a weekly day off, and three weeks off annually, protecting workers from many common forms of exploitation. Another recommendation is for governments to allow domestic work- ers to set up their own organizations, whether formally or informally, in order to connect them to law enforcement and the judiciary (Rullo). Signing on to these structural changes will signal the Gulf States’ commitment to sustainable devel- opment (Everist). We recommend that Gulf States invest in behavioral change campaigns encouraging employers to respect domestic work- ers’ rights. My FairHome is a global IDWF initiative that aims at changing the behavior and attitudes of employers; how- ever, of the 936 employers who have signed theMy Fair Home pledge, only 1% are from the Gulf States (My Fair Home). The initiative should increase promotion in the Gulf States, rep- licating best practices from promotion in Lebanon as 22% of signatories of the pledge were Lebanese. Additionally, the Gulf States should invest in campaigns educating youth (the next generation of employers) to respect people regardless of nationality, gender, or class, as researchhas shown these types of discrimination often motivate employers’ misperceptions of their domestic workers (Kagan, 7). We further recommend an increase in awareness programs hosted by both civil soci- ety groups and labor-sending and labor-receiving countries to help eradicate migrant workers’ barriers to organization. In the Philippines, the Technical Working Group on the Pro- motion of Decent Work for Domestic Workers, a coalition of labor-related organizations, hosts “educational workshops, national-level summits, and tripartite consultations with workers and employers aimed at educating workers on their rights while abroad” (Rullo). Governments should also invest inmass-media campaigns using television, SMS, and embassy outreach aimed at educating domesticworkers in languages of the migrant domestic workers in the region (Begum). Conclusion and Recommendations Thekafalasystemmustbeeliminatedsothatdomesticworkers can change employers and have freedomof movement, helping them to avoid becoming victims of forced labor, and govern- ments in the Gulf should also pursue stronger enforcement and labor inspections. Hotlines need to be fully operational 24/7, free, anonymous, and advertised and accessible to do- mestic workers. Public awareness and predeparture training programs, supported by the governments and NGOs, should teach those considering becoming domestic workers abroad, as well as employers in the Gulf States, about the harms of forced labor and how to seek protection. Technology like mo- bile phones and the internet are integral to exposing forced labor and to facilitate informal organizing amongst domestic workers to prevent it from occurring. Governments need to make this technologymore accessible to domesticworkers and to allowworkers to organize freely and collaborate with estab- lished organizations for their protection. References 1. Almendral, Aurora. “For Domestic Workers, Apps Pro- vide Solace—But Not Justice.” Rest of World , 4 August 2020.