Abuse of Ghanaian domestic workers in the Gulf should earn our serious concern

This article is written against the backdrop of the increasing cases of human rights violations of Ghanaians, particularly, female domestic workers in the Gulf States. The violations have become so alarming that it should be deemed necessary for us to make a commitment to change the situation if not to end the suffering and flight of our unsuspecting young females to the Gulf States. Hardly a week passes by without sordid tales of inhuman treatments and even murder of Ghanaians working as domestic servants in the Gulf States in the news and on social media. This article thus focuses on abuse of young female Ghanaian domestic workers in the Gulf States since they appear to be among the highly vulnerable.

These young women travel to the Gulf States after having been recruited by licensed and unlicensed agencies with mostly fraudulent offers of jobs in the domestic service or hospitality industry, only to be subjected to forced labour. Forced labour often means unpaid wages, excessively long working hours without rest days in sub-standard or unsafe conditions, confiscation of passports, little freedom of movement, deception, intimidation and physical abuse as well as sexual violence. Eye witnesses describe the situation of some of the ladies as equivalent to ‘modern day slavery’, disguised as international migration, because some of these ladies are sold like slaves on a slave market in an American movie.

Even though exact official statistics about the population of Ghanaian domestic workers in the Gulf States are not available, the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) has observed an increasing number young women travelling to the Gulf States in recent past. But as the number of Ghanaian women being trafficked increases so are complaints of inhuman treatments and cries for help from exploitation becoming plentiful and louder. Not only are these individual experiences tragic but these cases cast a slur on the image of the country as a whole. There is also a potential security threat to Ghana should migrant youth fall into the hands of terrorists and religious fundamentalists.

It must, however, be mentioned that Ghana government over the years has done its bid to prevent human trafficking in general. It has, for instance, among others, legislated the Human Trafficking Act 2005, amended in 2009, issued a legislative instrument to implement the human trafficking act, signed several international conventions on domestic workers, established Human Trafficking Management Board (HTMB) and an Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) in the Ghana Police Service.

These measures, however, appear not sufficient given that complaints about human right violations of domestic workers in the Gulf seem to be increasing. It is for this reason that I call on my fellow Ghanaians to assist in mobilizing State and non-State actors for a joint action against human trafficking along the lines of the demands United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking (UN.GIFT) aimed at prevention of trafficking in persons, protection of victims of human trafficking, and prosecution of trafficking offenders

In addition to preventing trafficking in unsuspecting persons to the Gulf States and protecting those already working there, it is important to raise awareness about fraudu¬lent recruitment agencies and about the dangers of such travels. This would also require estab¬lishing proper structures to educate and document all citizens before they leave abroad for work. In this connection the government and all other stakeholders should join forces with media houses to provide public awareness campaigns to save lives.

In the wake of numerous reports of deplorable working conditions, human rights violations, exploitation and abuse at the workplace of Ghanaian domestic workers it would not be farfetched to demand a total ban on the export of domestic workers or prevent trafficking in domestic workers, even if temporary, so as to allow space for other permanent sanguine measures to be explored. Several other countries have already tried this measure before, and their citizens seem to have benefited somehow from it. This can also be enforced with the need for exit permits, e.g. from the labour department, and police reports, as a pre-requisite for visa acquisition, especially, for those traveling to work in the domestic and hospitality industry in the Gulf States. We also recommend effective management of labour migration to weed out unscrupulous agents through fresh vetting and accreditation of all recruitment and employment agents hiring workers for jobs in these countries. Our parliament should also help to develop a policy document that will outline the standard measures required to safeguard Ghanaian migrant workers before they leave the country and while abroad.

Violations of human rights of domestic workers in the Middle East are not isolated cases limited to Ghanaians alone. Citizens of other countries, including Ethiopia, Bangladesh, the Philippines, India, Kenya, etc., working as domestic workers in the Gulf have also had cause to complain about their maltreatment. Consequently it is time for the government of Ghana to liaise with these countries for a concerted approach by raising it at international fora, for instance, at the international human rights council. This is to achieve the object of getting the Gulf States to commit themselves to a genuine political will to protect – in law and practice –vulnerable migrant domestic workers in their societies.

In addition to that the Ghanaian Foreign Minister should be prevailed upon to engage her counterparts in the Gulf States in bilateral agreements and negotiations in addressing complaints about the poor working conditions and abuse of the human rights of Ghanaian domestic workers. We also want to call on the government to open up labour attaches in key receiving countries with re-occurring issues in need of regular monitoring and assurance.

It is also important for the state to complement its prevention efforts with measures aimed at prosecuting trafficking offenders with stiff punishments to deter other potential offenders. There is also the need on the part of the government to put in place measures to facilitate the rehabilitation and reintegration of trafficked victims as well as provide decent jobs for all. It is also necessary for the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection to develop action plans for the operationalization of the various laws concerning human trafficking and domestic service as well as conventions that Ghana has signed and ratified. There is indeed a dire urgency for serious action against human trafficking in the country.

As the saying goes a country that is committed to its citizens inspires patriotism and sacrifices on their part. The female domestic workers suffering from abuses in the Gulf States are Ghanaians who deserve not only our sympathies but also our readiness to defend for ever the cause of their freedom and of rights.

kojoappiah@gmail.com