Migrants employed to work as farmers and domestic staff are stuck in Saudi Arabia after their Qatari bosses were ordered out of the kingdom amid a major regional crisis, a rights group has said.
According to the Ali Bin Smaikh al-Marri, chairman of Qatar's National Human Rights Committee (NHRC), the workers from countries such as Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Nepal have been left without accommodation and money.
Usually the workers travel with Qataris - many Qataris employ farmers and travel with their domestic workers and drivers but in changed scenario The workers were not allowed to travel into Qatar and now they are living illegally in Saudi Arabia and do not have basic needs. They have no shelter and cannot access money.
This is notable that on June 5, Saudi Arabia, along with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt, ordered all Qataris, many of whom own properties and businesses in these countries, to leave and their own nationals to return home.
Foreign workers amount to around 88% of the population, with Indians being the largest community numbering around 650,000. As of an unofficial 2017 report, there were a further 350,000 Nepalis, 280,000 Bangladeshis, 260,000 Filipinos, 200,000 Egyptians, 145,000 Sri Lankans and 125,000 Pakistanis among many other nationalities. The treatment of these foreign workers has been heavily criticized in recent years, with living conditions suggested to be exploitative and abusive.
But Qatar’s kafala system, which is used to recruit the majority of its workforce from countries including India, Nepal and Sri Lanka, has prompted international outcry because it prevents workers from changing jobs or leaving the country without a permit. It is alleged to have resulted in modern-day slavery for some workers.