Prompted by international scrutiny of working conditions on flagship projects in Qatar and the UAE, in 2016, the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre surveyed construction companies on their approach to safeguarding migrant workers’ rights in both countries.
Two years on and with a second survey, the findings show that while a consistent but small group of construction companies demonstrate real commitment to tackling the risks to migrant workers in their operations, the overwhelming majority operate with high risks to human rights and continued disregard for workers’ welfare. In both years, more than 70% of surveyed companies did not respond and over 60% did not have a public commitment to human rights.
This briefing analyses the survey responses and public human rights commitments of construction companies with current projects in the region and makes recommendations to companies, clients and governments to advance the rights of migrant workers.
An overview of the risks to migrant workers on construction projects across the Gulf. Migrant workers make up between 60% and 90% of the workforce in the six countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Low-wage construction workers are at...
Business & Human Rights Resource Centre has quizzed 100 construction companies operating in Qatar and the UAE on the measures they are taking to stop exploitation of migrant workers. Only 22 responded, indicating a shocking level of inaction. Despite increasing...
This report gives an insight into the link between corporate practices in the Arabian Gulf’s engineering and construction sector and the recruitment – in South Asian countries like India and Bangladesh – of many of the migrant workers who staff the industry’s projects.
The authors are a group of investors working to help end modern slavery, which currently affects an estimated 40 million people globally, with 70% of that number estimated to be in the Asia-Pacific region. IAST APAC was established in 2020, based on...Read More
This Verité study consists of desk research (including academic literature, government reports, civil society reports, statistical analysis of previous studies, and a legal review) and two weeks of field research in Côte d’Ivoire in November –...Read More
From seafood from Thailand and electronics from Malaysia and China, to textiles from India and wood from Brazil, modern slavery exists in all corners of the planet. It is a multibillion-dollar transnational criminal business that affects us all thro...Read More
This briefing provides information on the risks and implications of forced labour in company operations and supply chains. It highlights the role for investor engagement in addressing this global problem. ...Read More
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