Solidarity call to help workers
By GEOFFREY BEW
Published: 19th December 2006
A CALL to acknowledge the contribution of foreign workers across the GCC went out yesterday as the world marked International Day of Solidarity with Migrant Workers.
Human rights activists said only then could the working conditions of expatriates in the Gulf be improved.
According to the now-dissolved Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR), more should be done to improve the health of migrant communities in the region.
This includes giving them access to services whatever their financial status and stopping expatriate workers from undergoing compulsory health tests related to sexual and reproductive health.
Solidarity call to help workers
By GEOFFREY BEW
Published: 19th December 2006
A CALL to acknowledge the contribution of foreign workers across the GCC went out yesterday as the world marked International Day of Solidarity with Migrant Workers.
Human rights activists said only then could the working conditions of expatriates in the Gulf be improved.
According to the now-dissolved Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR), more should be done to improve the health of migrant communities in the region.
This includes giving them access to services whatever their financial status and stopping expatriate workers from undergoing compulsory health tests related to sexual and reproductive health.
The organisation made the call in a joint statement released with the Co-ordination of Action Research on Aids and Mobility in Asia (CARAM Asia), a regional network on migration and health issues spanning 15 countries.
“Recognising the contribution of migrant workers should foster a better understanding between migrant and worker communities,” the statement said.
“This in turn can improve conditions for the hardworking expatriate community and improve the Gulf’s position as a host region.
“Countries such as (those in) the Gulf region receive millions of migrant workers seeking employment as a result of poverty, unemployment, conflict or even natural disasters.
“International migration is being seen as contributing to development.
“Many migrants reinvest in their home country, which improves the local economy and can contribute towards poverty reduction.
“Host countries benefit from the products of migrant workers’ labour, including vital infrastructure such as the construction of roads and buildings and essential services such as sanitation, domestic help and healthcare.
“Unfortunately, migrants face class, race and gender discrimination, and have emerged as the most vulnerable group in today’s globalised world.
“Vulnerability to HIV infection is greatest when people live and work in conditions of poverty, social exclusion, loneliness and anonymity.”
The activists say migrants should be given special attention in national health and Aids action plans and fees should not be imposed on workers, irrespective of their nationality.
The statement argues that recognising migrant workers’ right to health would benefit both the origin and host countries.
“Gulf countries should not withhold healthcare and benefits or deny the health rights of the migrant communities because of financial constraints or legal status,” it says.
“Subjecting migrant workers to compulsory health tests related to sexual and reproductive health violates their basic human rights to freedom, privacy and dignity, and contributes to discrimination and stigma against them.
“These mandatory tests should be removed.
“Migrant workers should enjoy a life of dignity brought about by the highest standard of health attainable as is laid out in International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.”
According to Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB), there are 249,534 non-Bahrainis employed in Bahrain out of a total workforce of 355,794.
The country’s total population is around 724,645.
© Gulf Daily News