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UAE’s Human Rights Report

The decision to prepare a National Report, with a thrust on migrant workers, child rights and human trafficking — issues that have attracted international attention, and volley of questions on hiring children as child jockeys and protection of foreign works, is indeed commendable.

The UAE has the distinction of being only the second GCC nation, after Bahrain, to declare the actions it has taken to improve the human rights situation in the country and the human rights obligations it has fulfilled.

Even before the presentation, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Dr Mohammed Anwar Gargash, had admitted, to the local media, to international criticism on labour issues, which have resulted in a number of corrective measures. Gargash and his delegation had also braced themselves for further questions pertaining to human rights and its explosive migrant workforce. This openness — a departure from tradition, only reflects the nascent nation’s willingness and commitment to accept it has problems and importantly to deal with it.

The past few years has seen the government taking a tough stand on labour violations like non-payment of wages, improper accommodations and exploitations. Rehabilitating child camel jockeys has also been one of the important steps taken by the UAE.

These measures, however, have not come without a reason. The country realises that with the global spotlight on its growth and construction boom, it can no longer afford to ignore its 3.1 million foreign workers. Rights of individuals have to supplement progress for universal acceptance and real measure of its accomplishments. On its part, the Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review assessed, reviewed, questioned and even made recommendations directing the UAE to strengthen its labour laws, increase protection of its migrant workers and amend press laws to give the Fourth Estate more freedom, among other changes. These will again be reviewed after four years to ensure all countries do implement the promised changes.

The recommendations have now resulted in the government announcing plans to set up a National Human Rights Commission and draft a new law to protect its domestic workers and tackle human rights issues head-on.