As recent Kuwait fire shows, we need to demand reforms in Gulf labour laws, and replace Emigration Act, 1983 with a comprehensive rights-based emigration policy
We are reeling from the massive fire accident at a mid-tier labour-housing facility in the Mangaf area of Kuwait’s Al Ahmadi municipality on June 12 that claimed a total of 49 lives, including 45 Indians. The rest were Pakistani, Filipino, and Egyptian nationals.
The six-storey building, owned and operated by the 1977-established NBTC Group, had 24 apartments housing over 200 migrants, who were blue-collar labourers working for the same company.
The fire is understood to have been caused by an electric short circuit on the ground floor of the building.
Action taken
The Kuwait authorities suspended the municipality officials, the concerned company announced compensation for the bereaved families of the deceased and injured, and the ‘home’ country governments recorded their shock and extended support to those in hospitals.
Swift arrangements were made to bring back the mortal remains to India for last rites.
However, nothing could replace the loss of those migrant families. With the death of their son, brother and husband, they lost a part of their happiness, dreams and hopes forever, too. And, that is the human side of this tragic incident.
Not an isolated incident
This should not be viewed as an isolated incident, nor can we be certain that similar tragedies will not occur again in the Gulf and other regions where Indians migrate for work and study.
It's crucial to acknowledge that such accidents have happened in the past and often went unreported just because there were no death tolls, fortunately.
Tellingly, another fire incident occurred in Mahboula in Kuwait two days after the Mangaf fire, and many, including seven Indians, sustained severe injuries. It only came to light as it happened amid the heightened attention on the Mangaf tragedy.
Systemic faultlines
These incidents point to serious systemic faultlines in the migration governance of sending and destination countries. They emphasise the collective responsibility we all share in addressing the issues Indian emigrants face at all stages of their migration.
After all, the Gulf migration has not only helped the migrant households attain higher levels of income and assets but also bolstered the Indian economy.
India’s Gulf migration gained momentum following the demand for labour caused by the oil boom of the 1970s and the concomitant massive infrastructure development in the region.
Since then, this migration has continued uninterrupted, but with occasional shifts in overall numbers and trends.
Mere commodities
What makes Gulf migration disparate from going to the West or Europe is the temporary nature of the movement. No matter how long they reside and work in the Gulf, migrant workers are not offered citizenship.
They are devalued as mere commodities, thereby snatching away their dignity and rights and pushing them to the confined bunker-bed spaces of labour camps often located in the city outskirts.
To reduce the accommodation overhead costs, contractors often violate the norms, forcing the workers to live in cramped conditions in the labour camps.
There is no privacy in the overcrowded rooms, compounded with poor ventilation, which takes a toll on the hygiene and mental well-being of the occupants in the long term.
Poor quality of life
Recreational facilities are not provided, and the quality of life is harrowing, especially when factoring in the harsh weather conditions in the Gulf.
The labour accommodations are often poorly maintained, and no proper electrical wiring or fire safety equipment is installed. When fire or other accidents occur, evacuation becomes difficult due to the absence of fire exits and safety provisions.
Though one can argue that there are variations in the quality of labour-housing facilities depending on the employers and hence generalisations would be misleading, examining past accidents proves otherwise.
The same argument can be made about the varied experiences of Gulf migrants belonging to different strata of employment – high-skilled, semi- and low-skilled.
Exploitative set-up
Migrant workers, particularly those in low- and semi-skilled jobs, are subjected to unjust conditions at their workplaces. They are often compelled to work without proper protection gear, enduring harsh conditions.
The sponsorship-based Kafala recruitment system, which manages and regulates the lives and labour of migrant workers in the Gulf states, perpetuates this injustice.
Much criticised as modern-day slavery, this contractual labour apparatus ensures a steady supply of cheap labour, but it also creates a situation where migrants are entirely dependent on their sponsors/employers.
This dependence leads to a highly exploitative set-up where their labour and human rights are constantly violated, with little to no recourse for grievance redress, a matter that demands immediate attention.
Job insecurity
Denying the right to form and join labour unions further adds to this injustice, as the legal frameworks either favour employers or are not adequately complied with.
The fear of losing their jobs and the uncertainty inherently tied to their temporary migrant status forced them to bear abusive practices of contract substitutions, salary withholdings, wage thefts, deportation threats, and even confiscation of passports by sponsors/employers.
They also have to navigate the language and cultural barriers as well as the social isolation in Arab societies, which are deeply hierarchical and segregated.
Added pressures of financial strains, health problems, and constant worry about the family left behind impact their mental health.
Furthermore, they are often reluctant to share their struggles with their families or friends, fearing judgment and the perceived inability to meet the societal expectations of being a ‘successful’ pravasi.
Alarming suicide rates
The alarming suicide rates among Indian migrants in the Gulf serve as a stark reminder of the harsh realities they face in their adopted countries.
Despite India's efforts to improve conditions through Labour Mobility Partnerships with the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Bahrain, the situation for these migrants has seen little improvement, highlighting the urgent need for more effective measures.
None of this is new or unknown to us. But it is only when there is an accident or an emergency that the public, the media, and the authorities pay attention to the trials and tribulations of our migrant populations.
Need for action
Then we speak about the need to reform the labour laws in the Gulf and other destinations and the urgency of replacing the four-decade-old Emigration Act (1983) with a comprehensive rights-based emigration policy.
We pledge to strengthen the grievance redressal mechanisms for migrants and regulate the fraudulent recruitment agents. We guarantee social protection and welfare schemes for migrants and their families and promise to put reintegration and rehabilitation policies in place upon their return.
But, just as the life span of any news is short, we move on to the next issue until another accident occurs.
This is how we, as a collective, failed generations of our migrants and their contributions to the society.
(The Federal seeks to present views and opinions from all sides of the spectrum. The information, ideas or opinions in the article are of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Federal.)
