A damning book has described the lives of migrant workers in Saudi Arabia as being akin to slavery, and in some instances brutality.
Slaves of Saudis: Terrorisation of foreign workers, written by an Indian journalist Joy C Raphael, tells the story of 17 workers who claim to have suffered exploitation by their Saudi employers.
“The book exposes what’s happening in Saudi Arabia to migrant workers. I have seen it all,” Raphael claims in an interview with Indian newspaper DNA.
Raphael claims many expat workers have fled their Saudi employers after suffering brutality or not being paid for months on end. Some are now seeking repatriation home under the kingdom’s six-month amnesty period for illegal workers.
Published by Zen Publications, it is Raphael’s second book depicting an element of life in Saudi Arabia. He said his first, Mutawas: Saudi Arabia’s Dreaded Religious Police, exposes the infamous religious police’s “foul behaviour with expats and even Saudis”.
He said the Indian government was struggling to protect its citizens in Saudi Arabia and often turned a blind eye to avoid upsetting the oil-rich kingdom.
“The Indian government is clearly not equipped to deal with the problems faced by over two million Indians in Saudi Arabia,” Raphael said.
“The embassy cannot handle all the issues. Moreover, the Indian government wants smooth relations with Saudi Arabia for several reasons, such as oil and the Muslim votebank, and so looks the other way.
“Of course, [foreign minister] Vyalar Ravi and others pay lip service to the problems Indians face, but nothing much is ever done. So the problems linger on and on and get bigger and bigger.”
Despite calls to boycott the Gulf kingdom, India, a country of 1bn people, relies heavily on exporting labour to oil-rich states such as Saudi, Qatar and the UAE.
Raphael said there were “a good number” of Indian being treated well and earning money.
“We need them more than they need us,” he said.
“A good number of Indians are getting their salaries and are being treated well. They need the jobs. I don’t think they will leave.
“And there are thousands waiting to come as the rupee is sinking — 58 to a dollar.
“If Indians don’t go, others are there to take up jobs. Countries like Saudi Arabia will need expats for a long time, and there are enough Filipinos, Pakistanis, Sri Lankans ready to go.”
Saudi Arabia’s treatment of low-paid migrant workers has become notorious and led to several countries banning their citizens from applying for work visas in the kingdom.
Most recently, Ethiopia banned workers from going to Saudi Arabia after the kingdom initiated an investigation into what it said was a spate of child murders by Ethiopian maids.
Earlier this month, Saudi Arabia passed a new law outlining the rights and responsibilities of employers and domestic workers including maids and drivers.
There were mixed reactions to the legislation, which provides workers with nine hours off per day but fines employers only SR2,000 ($533) for breaching the law.
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