UAE is an odd man out among Islamic countries. Though Islamic laws rule it, it allows more freedom of expression and living to tourists and expatriates compared to other Muslim states. However, is it the same for unskilled, migrant workers? Or is the hidden truth behind its liberalism a pretence?

UAE blows its own trumpet when it comes to open-mindedness and the role of migrant workers in shaping the country’s economy. Even if it is far from true, UAE has not made any fruitful efforts to lay a blanket on the scorching conditions its migrants workers are facing. The slavery trade has not slowed down and with passing years, there is yet another influx of slaves from poor, Asian countries seeking for pennies in an allegedly wealthy kingdom of UAE. Traversing from India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Philippines and nearby African nations to ‘share’ a part of their wealth, these labourers end up as modern-day slaves in a land of no return side by side grappling with human trafficking and sexual abuse.

Many of these labourers have confessed to a respected life in their home country despite living in poverty and on empty stomachs. Hungry agents track down such people promising a pot of gold at the end of rainbow. They are easy prey’s who want to change their unsustainable lifestyle even though it means living away from their family and toiling away in harsh conditions, sometimes even in temperatures that reach 50°C.

Never have they imagined in their wildest dreams that the country they have looked up to as their saviour is a safe bet for modern-day slavery. Human Rights Watch has submitted their reports on migrant workers’ conditions in Dubai and other Emirates, but instead of responding positively UAE has stepped up harassment of rights defenders.

Together with its oil wells, Dubai forms a major driving force behind UAE’s economy. Duty free shopping, free zone industrialization and over imaginative architectures attract thousands of tourists and expatriates every year. A flight that boards an educated citizen also includes hundreds of unskilled migrants, both dreaming about a happy life in Dubai. As the year progresses and constructions slow down, the situation has deteriorated for the migrant workers. Stranded in unliveable labour camps without electricity and water for days, they are the worst affected section of society. The employers or agents confiscate their travel documents leaving them without an option of returning to their origins. Furthermore, women labourers are facing a dreadful reality of human trafficking, physical and sexual abuse.

UAE is trying to cover up the topic of exploitation by providing shelters and hotlines for women, return packages for workers, and summer season mid-day break, but its intentions are doubtful. Torture and suspicious deaths of workers, harassment of human right defenders and refusal to abolish sponsorship system has put UAE on the pedestal of injustice.

It is ironic that a country that is heavily dependent on migrant workers is doing nothing to care of their basic needs. Accumulated guilt, fears, resentment, disappointments, and grudges are taking the toll on slaves of UAE. Although the naked truth about UAE’s thought process is exposed, it is defied by the country. The efforts by Human right workers are worth applause, but reports from World Bank and Human Rights Watch are showing inconsistent improvement.

The common saying, Man proposes, God disposes holds so true in the case of slavery of migrant labourers.