HUMAN “I Already Bought You” RIGHTS Abuse and Exploitation of Female Migrant Domestic Workers WATCH in the United Arab Emirates “I Already Bought You” Abuse and Exploitation of Female Migrant Domestic Workers in the United Arab Emirates Copyright © 2014 Human Rights Watch All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America ISBN: 978-1-62313-1586 Cover design by Rafael Jimenez Human Rights Watch defends the rights of people worldwide. We scrupulously investigate abuses, expose the facts widely, and pressure those with power to respect rights and secure justice. Human Rights Watch is an independent, international organization that works as part of a vibrant movement to uphold human dignity and advance the cause of human rights for all. Human Rights Watch is an international organization with staff in more than 40 countries, and offices in Amsterdam, Beirut, Berlin, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Goma, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Nairobi, New York, Paris, San Francisco, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto, Tunis, Washington DC, and Zurich. For more information, please visit our website: http://www.hrw.org OCTOBER 2014 978-1-62313-1586 “I Already Bought You” Abuse and Exploitation of Female Migrant Domestic Workers in the United Arab Emirates Summary ........................................................................................................................... 1 Main Findings .......................................................................................................................... 2 Key Recommendations ....................................................................................................... 7 To the Government of the UAE ................................................................................................... 7 To Governments of Labor-Sending Countries ............................................................................. 7 Methodology ...................................................................................................................... 8 I. Labor Migration to the Gulf and the UAE ......................................................................... 11 Migration to the UAE ............................................................................................................... 11 Migration of Domestic Workers to the UAE .............................................................................. 12 Reforms in the Gulf and Beyond for Domestic Workers ............................................................ 14 II. Immigration and Recruitment Policies and Practices ..................................................... 18 The Kafala System .................................................................................................................. 18 Recruitment Agency Practices ................................................................................................ 20 Recruitment Costs and Guarantees ................................................................................... 21 Employment Contracts and Sending Country Requirements ..................................................... 22 Employment Contracts ..................................................................................................... 22 Poor Coordination between Sending Countries and the UAE .............................................. 24 III. Labor Law Exclusion .................................................................................................... 27 Exclusion from Labor Laws and the Labor Ministry’s Purview ................................................... 27 Draft Law on Domestic Workers .............................................................................................. 29 IV. Abuses against Domestic Workers ............................................................................... 31 Physical, Sexual, and Psychological Abuse ............................................................................. 32 Physical Abuse ................................................................................................................. 32 Sexual Violence and Harassment...................................................................................... 33 Psychological and Verbal Abuse ....................................................................................... 35 Wage Abuses, Excessive Work, and Lack of Rest ..................................................................... 36 Wage Abuses ................................................................................................................... 36 Excessive Work and Working Hours without Rest Periods or Time Off ................................. 37 Passport Confiscation, Restricted Communication, and Confinement ...................................... 38 Passport Confiscation ...................................................................................................... 38 Restricted Communication .............................................................................................. 40 Isolation and Forced Confinement .................................................................................... 41 Denial of Food, Healthcare, and Adequate Living Conditions ................................................... 42 Denial of Adequate Food .................................................................................................. 42 Denial of Adequate Healthcare ......................................................................................... 43 Inadequate Living Accommodations ................................................................................. 44 Forced Labor, Trafficking, and Slavery ..................................................................................... 44 Forced Labor and Slavery ................................................................................................. 45 Trafficking ........................................................................................................................ 51 V. Lack of Shelter and Support for Abused Domestic Workers ........................................... 56 Lack of Shelters for Abused Domestic Workers ........................................................................ 56 Mistreatment of Abused Workers by Recruitment Agents ......................................................... 58 VI. Charges and Penalties against Domestic Workers ........................................................ 62 “Absconding” ........................................................................................................................ 62 Criminal Charges against Domestic Workers ........................................................................... 63 VII. Barriers to Redress ..................................................................................................... 66 Immigration Department ........................................................................................................ 66 Police .................................................................................................................................... 68 Judicial Redress ...................................................................................................................... 70 Access to Lawyers and Interpreters ................................................................................... 71 Lengthy Court Proceedings ............................................................................................... 72 Recommendations ............................................................................................................ 73 To the Federal National Council and Ministry of Interior ........................................................... 73 To the Ministries of Interior and Labor ..................................................................................... 74 To the Ministry of the Interior .................................................................................................. 75 To the Ministry of Justice ......................................................................................................... 76 To Governments of Labor-Sending Countries ........................................................................... 76 To Members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) ................................................................. 78 Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................... 79 Summary The work wasn’t what I expected it to be. It was totally different. I would wake up to start cooking, then cleaning, washing clothes, and then cooking again. No rest, there was just no rest… Because she kept yelling, I cried and asked to go back to agency, but madam said “I already bought you”… —Farah S., a 23-year-old Indonesian domestic worker, Dubai, December 7, 2013 At least 146,000 female migrant domestic workers—and possibly many more—are employed in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Labor recruiters in their home countries, mostly in Asia and Africa, entice many of these women with promises of high wages and good working conditions. Recruiters convince them that this could provide a route out of poverty and the means to obtain an education, homes, medical care, and other essentials for their families. Sadiyah A., a 36-year-old Filipina domestic worker, told Human Rights Watch that she saw a job in the UAE as a “golden opportunity.” Migrating for work can certainly provide an opportunity,