Tariq A. Al-Maeena
Over the years I have received a fair number of letters from residents in the Kingdom complaining about how they were being marginalized by their respective diplomatic missions. In many, but not all cases, the writers felt neglected by their country’s diplomatic representatives.
Many complained about the treatment they were being subjected to by their sponsors and complained that their embassies and consulates were often not interested in their welfare. Among those frustrated with their government representatives, there were a few North American and European individuals, but the majority of those who chose to share their frustrations with me were from Asian or African countries.
With eight million plus guest workers in the Kingdom, we often read about brazen acts of worker abuse by employers. These workers are not simply performing a service to our nation but are an important source of foreign capital to their own countries through their monthly remittances to their loved ones back home. In some countries, that amounts to a sizable proportion of the nation’s GNP.
These workers are often recruited with promises of income and benefits that fall woefully short once they arrive in the Kingdom. And for the unskilled recruits, who are by far the largest segment of the victimized, the only sordid options are to put up with it or to be immediately imprisoned and eventually deported. The uneducated or the unskilled are hesitant or afraid to turn to the authorities for relief. They have heavy financial obligations back home and have to make do with the little that is offered. Unscrupulous employers are well aware that these are often the only options available to the lower stratum of migrant workers, and thus they prey on their defenseless employees.
As I am not a lawyer, a government official or a diplomat, I find myself often lacking the tools to address such social injustices short of highlighting them in my columns. But I do feel that such incidences must be acted upon by the relevant authorities. I have on several occasions also challenged the heads of the concerned diplomatic missions on their duties to preserve the rights of their citizens on this soil. Have they responded to individual cases to ensure that justice is served and that the rights of these workers are preserved in accordance with established laws? After all, aren’t the workers through their collective remittances to their countries paying for the diplomats’ salaries?
Shouldn’t the government representatives in this country of those workers who are primarily affected be more actively involved in addressing individual cases of worker abuse with their respective Saudi counterparts? Should they not alert their governments to corrupt recruiting agents back home who feed off the skin and bones of these workers? Shouldn’t every company or individual here known to have maltreated workers be blacklisted from seeking fresh recruits?
Should these diplomats not collectively call for a meeting with the ministries of labor, interior and foreign affairs and the Saudi Human Rights Commission to address this distasteful issue and come up with solutions? With such a sizable workforce upon whom the Kingdom heavily depends, don’t they feel that they have some clout with Saudi authorities?
It was refreshing to note the activities of the Pakistani Consul General in Jeddah who was recently involved in trying to clear the residency status of 3,080 detainees languishing in prison in order to expedite their return to Pakistan. Such personal interventions by a leading diplomat of the country go a long way in addressing the misfortunes of many and bringing matters to an expeditious conclusion.
By his activities, Mr. Aftab Khokher, the Pakistani CG in Jeddah, understands that the job is not just about attending festivities or focusing on commercial affairs; his actions signify a moral obligation to do much more for his countrymen here. Hopefully, others will join him on the bandwagon to address the plight of mistreated workers.
— The author can be reached at talmaeena@aol.com. Follow him on Twitter @talmaeena
