Kuwait fire: It’s time we stop invisibilizing migrant workers

Relevance: GS Paper I

Why in News?

The death of 45 Indian workers in a fire in Kuwait is a reminder of the dismal working conditions of a large, and often ignored, section of the Indian Migrants

More About News:

• Most of those who died in the Kuwait fire were aged between 20 and 50 years old. 
• This incident has brought attention to the lack of safety and deplorable living conditions of migrants in destination countries.
• It is not an isolated event in the Gulf countries. Two years ago, during the World Cup in Qatar, news reports highlighted rising migrant deaths, harsh working conditions, and severe human rights violations. 
• Similar issues were reported during the Dubai Expo, which heavily relied on migrant labor for rapid infrastructure development. 
• During the COVID-19 pandemic, Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health reported that migrants made up 75% of positive cases by May 2020, with cramped living conditions contributing to the virus's rapid spread among them.
• These tragic incidents are a result of chronic indifference towards addressing migrant rights, safety, and working conditions in destination countries. 
• The repetition of such incidents suggests that lessons have not been learned, and migrant issues are only in momentary focus during alarming situations.

Challenges faced by Indian migrants in Gulf countries

• The majority of these migrants work in the unorganized sector, such as construction sites and factories, where they often face dangerous working conditions.
• The availability of a large number of unskilled and semi-skilled workers in the Gulf reduces the bargaining capacity of migrants, despite the region offering significantly high salaries.
• Many migrants are recruited through the visa sponsorship or kafala system, which binds them to their employers and severely limits their capacity to seek better housing or occupational safety improvements.
• Although India has signed Memoranda of Understanding with West Asian countries, including Kuwait, to streamline recruitment procedures and provide legal protection, the legal redress process is prolonged and court processes are expensive.
• Migrants, who are already vulnerable, have to contend with the absence of legal assistance and a shortage of interpreters in an alien country.
• Migrants in Gulf countries do not have the option of permanent residency, are not adequately protected, and have few rights.
  • The lack of citizenship rights can lead to exploitative labor conditions, similar to what was observed in Qatar before the World Cup.
• One major challenge in addressing these issues is the lack of data on migrants, both at their origin and destination countries.
  • Even when migrant worker deaths were reported in Qatar due to rapid construction work, there was no concrete data from the Ministry of Public Health or embassies of Asian countries regarding the health status of migrants, the reasons for their deaths, or possible redressal actions sought.
  • The lack of clarity and uniformity in data from different agencies indicates the grave invisibilization of migrants, especially those employed in low-skill, low-paying job profiles.
• While sources like the KMS provide regular updates on emigration, return migration, and remittances in Kerala and other states, India still has a long way to go in systematically studying migration.
  • The Kerala Migration Survey (KMS) 2023 estimates that 2.2 million people from Kerala have migrated, with 80% of them residing in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.

Way Forward

• There is an urgent need, especially given the large number of migrants from India to various parts of the world, to systematically study the conditions of their migration and their lives in the destination countries.
• With a large Indian diaspora, especially in the migration corridor with West Asia, India needs well-thought-out and effective policies to ensure the safety and well-being of its migrants.
• A national-level migration database is recommended as a necessary step forward to adequately understand the various sections of migrants from India and the increasing trend of return migration.
• The article states that it is high time that India is known as the country with the most efficient infrastructure for ensuring safe migration and life at the destination for migrants, not just the highest migrant-sending country that receives the most remittances.
• Although India has signed Memoranda of Understanding with almost all of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries on mobility and migration, 
• The article suggests that India has not yet been fully successful in tapping the potential of being one of the strongest migrant-sending countries to ensure the well-being of its people in the destination countries.
• Regulate and monitor the recruitment practices of agencies to prevent exploitation and ensure fair treatment of migrant workers.
• Expedite the process of updating the Emigration Act to provide better legal protection and safeguards for migrant workers. India's 40-year-old Emigration Act leaves migrant workers at risk.