Let’s listen to cries of our migrant workers
Some Ugandans wait to be cleared at Entebbe International Airport before they take a flight from Uganda to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for work. The number of people forced to work or in a marriage against their will has surged in recent years to around 50 million on any given day, the UN’s International Labour Organization (ILO) said on Monday upon releasing its modern slavery report. PHOTO | FILE
What you need to know:
The issue: Migrant workers
Our view: Critically, Uganda needs an engaged and informed citizenry on the issues affecting migrant workers. This cannot be left to the authorities who, unfortunately, have historically let the people down
In the past few months, individuals trying to highlight the gross human rights abuses of Ugandans working in the Middle East have been brutally arrested and denied an opportunity to raise their grievances. Some have also been jailed.
We urge the government to ensure that all voices are heard as part of efforts to find solutions to the challenges faced by fellow countrymen and women in the Middle East.
Government is responsible for every Ugandan whether they left the country through a proper recruitment process by licensed labour externalisation companies or they were trafficked.
Under the 1995 Constitution, every person has the freedom to assemble and to demonstrate together with others peacefully and unarmed and to petition the government. Uganda also has international obligations to facilitate the enjoyment of the right of peaceful assembly.
Freedom of expression should be at the heart of our attempts to build a democratic society. Every person, whether they are a direct victim or not, should have the freedom to express themselves freely.
We believe that allowing people, aggrieved with what is happening to their fellow human beings in the Middle East, to protest and petition the relevant authorities will inspire positive social change and improve the protection of human rights.
If the authorities foster this, we believe, there shall be positive and constructive discourse on labour migration issues. Rights to freedom of speech and assembly should be upheld. More than 140,000 Ugandans are reported to live and work in the Middle East countries including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The crimes against some of them have been widely documented by this publication and others. They are very many including unpaid wages, inhumane living conditions, beatings, and rape among others.
The focus of the government should not just be the billions made in exporting labour or maintaining good relations with partner countries. Government should actively deal with human trafficking as some examples have exposed. The young people who leave the country in search of employment should have safe housing, access to health care, receive their wages, and have all their labour and human rights protected.
Critically, Uganda needs an engaged and informed citizenry on the issues affecting migrant workers. This cannot be left to the authorities who, unfortunately, have historically let the people down. Ugandans seeking a living abroad, especially in the Middle East should not have to return in coffins, they should not have to return traumatised or missing a body organ. They should be adequately compensated, and their labour and human rights respected. The government has a duty to ensure the same. The political will to act is missing. How many must die? How many must suffer?
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