Human rights in the United Arab Emirates
Encyclopedia
Human rights are legally protected by the Constitution of the United Arab Emirates
, which confers equality
, liberty
, rule of law
, presumption of innocence
in legal procedures, inviolability of the home, freedom of movement
, freedom of opinion and speech
, freedom of communication, freedom of religion, freedom of council and association, freedom of occupation, freedom to be elected to office and others onto all citizens, within the limit of the law. The UAE is held to be one of the most liberal countries in the Middle East
, particularly if compared to its neighbors, Saudi Arabia
and Iran
.
Due to the rapid development of the UAE from a traditional, homogeneous society in the mid-20th century to a modern, multicultural one at the beginning of the 21st century, the concurrent development of legal provisions and the practical enforcement of existing laws has been challenging and, in consequence, problems exist mainly in regard to human rights of non-citizens, who make up around 80% of the population, with main issues including companies' and employers' non-compliance with labor laws, which for some are novel.
According to the U.S. Department of State annual report on human rights practices, the UAE is violating a number of fundamental practices. Specifically, the UAE does not have democratically-elected institutions and citizens do not have the right to change their government or to form political parties. In certain instances, the government of the UAE has abused people in custody and has denied their citizens the right to a speedy trial
and access to counsel during official investigations.
The government restricts freedom of speech
and freedom of the press
, and the local media practises self-censorship
by avoiding directly criticizing the government. Freedom of association
is also curtailed.
The UAE has not signed most international human-rights and labor-rights treaties, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
, the Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, and the Convention against Torture
.
and the press
, in practice these rights are very limited. By law, the Ministry of Information licenses all publications and approves the appointment of editors. Press content also is governed by law. Negative comments about Islam
, the government, ruling families, or UAE citizens (by expatriates) are punishable by imprisonment, although this regulation is rarely enforced, as the press practices self-censorship
. The Ministry of Information and Culture reviews imported printed material for content and imposes distribution limitations on material considered pornographic, excessively violent, derogatory to Islam, or contrary to government foreign policy.
stopped broadcast
of two major Pakistan
i satellite
news channels, uplinked from Dubai Media City
, which was initially marketed by Tecom under the tagline "Freedom to Create." The Dubai
government
had ordered Tecom to shut down the popular independent Pakistani news channels Geo News
and ARY One World
on the demand of Pakistan's military regime led by General Pervez Musharraf
. This was implemented by du Samacom disabling their SDI
& ASI
streams. Later, policy makers in Dubai permitted these channels to air their entertainment programs, but news, current affairs and political analysis were forbidden. Although subsequently the conditions were removed, marked differences have since been observed in their coverage. This incident has had a serious impact on all organizations in the media city with Geo TV and ARY OneWorld considering relocation.
based on religious belief or practice. There are, however, only seven recognised religions, including Islam, Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism and Bahaism.
Migrants, particularly migrant workers, make up a majority (approximately 80%) of the resident population of the UAE, and account for 90% of its workforce. They lack rights associated with citizenship and face a variety of restrictions on their rights as workers.
It is common practice, although illegal, for employers in the UAE to retain employees' passports for the duration of the employment contract to prevent expatriate
employees from changing jobs. On termination of an employment contract, certain categories of expatriates are banned from obtaining a work permit in the country for six months.
Migrants, mostly of South Asian origin, constitute for 42.5% of the UAE’s workforce and are subject to a range of human rights abuses. Workers typically arrive in debt to recruitment agents from home countries and upon arrival are often made to sign a new contract in English
or Arabic which pays them less than had originally been agreed. Visa and travel costs are typically added on to the original debt, and thus within hours of their arrival, workers often find that their debt-repayment time has increased significantly, possibly by years.
Achieving redress with the authorities, namely the Ministry of Labor, is hard for many workers as the majority hails from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, and cannot speak either Arabic and English. Also, claims can drag on in the labor courts for months by which time the unpaid laborers have little option other than acceptance of whatever settlement is given.
2006 Workers' riots
On 21 March 2006, tensions boiled over at the construction site of the Burj Khalifa as workers upset over low wages and poor working conditions rioted, damaging cars, offices, computers, and construction tools. A Dubai Interior Ministry official said the rioters caused approximately US$
1 million in damage. On 22 March most workers returned to the construction site but refused to work. Workers building a new terminal at Dubai International Airport
went on strike in sympathy.
Another strike took place in October 2007. Over 4,000 strikers were arrested. Most of them were released some days later and were then to be expelled and deported from Dubai.
Government action
In the past, the UAE government has denied any kind of labor injustices and has stated that the accusations by Human Rights Watch were misguided. Towards the end of March 2006, the government announced steps to allow construction unions. UAE labour minister Ali al-Kaabi said, "Laborers will be allowed to form unions."
The strikes and negative media attention provided exposure of this regional problem and in 2008 the UAE government decreed and implemented a “midday break” during summer for construction companies, ensuring laborers were provided several hours to escape the grueling heat. Illegal visa overstayers were assured amnesty and even repatriated to their home countries on governmental expense.
Labor laws generally favor the employer and are less focused on the rights of employees. The Ministry of Labor is criticized for loosely enforcing these laws, most notably late or no wage or overtime
payment for both blue collar
and white collar
employees.
Free Zone labor laws are friendlier to employees moving between companies unlike the Federal UAE labor law, which automatically bans employees for a period of six months up to a year for leaving a company before completing one year of employment. These kinds of laws discourage free labor movement, and give employers an unfair advantage in salary negotiations.
and Khaleej Times
, with statements such as ‘UK/US educated’ or ‘Arabs only’.
Salary discrimination is commonplace with the highest paid jobs going to Emiratis, a process supported by the Emiratisation
program forcing companies by law to hire a percentage of UAE citizens.
The second highest salaries go to people of Western origins; U.S. Americans, Western Europe
an nationals, New Zealand
ers and Australia
ns. People from developed regions in Asia such as Japan, Singapore, Korea, do also get comparatively high salaries. People from South Asia
, East Asia
and Africa
are offered and receive considerably less in various sectors of the UAE economy.
s as well as signing bilateral agreements with countries where majority of foreign labor originates. (Reference: UAE-US Relations)
As of April 2007, the UAE also established contract standards for domestic workers which regulate working conditions, salary, vacation, flight arrangements and medical care. These standards are to be verified and enforced by governmental agencies when providing new visas ensuring compliance on a case by case basis.
To ensure the country was addressing all major and relevant concerns in regards to labor issues, the UAE held a forum with Asian labor-exporting countries in January 2008. Part of a larger effort called the Colombo Process, the “Abu Dhabi Dialogue” was the first time a meeting was hosted by a destination for the foreign laborers, and included participants from other GCC states as well as a Human Rights Watch observer. Countries part of the Colombo Process included Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam.
Mean wages were $45.61 per manhour in 2009.
thrives in the emirates, where a large number of the workers are victims of human trafficking and sexual exploitation, especially in Dubai. This complements the tourism and hospitality industry, a major part of Dubai's economy.
Prostitution
, though illegal by law, is conspicuously present in the emirate because of an economy that is largely based on tourism and trade. There is a high demand for women from Eastern Europe
. According to the World Sex Guide, a website catering to sex tourists
, Russia
n and Ethiopian
women are the most common prostitutes, while Eastern European prostitutes are part of a well organized trans-Oceanic
prostitution network.
The Government has been trying to curb prostitution. In March 2007, it was reported that the UAE has deported over 4,300 sex workers mainly from Dubai.
Although a modern country, the UAE remains morally conservative with traditional values and has adopted significant measures to combat this regional problem. The government of the UAE has worked with law enforcement officials to build capacity and awareness through holding training workshops and implementing monitoring systems to report human rights violations. The system led to registration of ten human-trafficking related cases in 2007 and half as many penalized convictions. Businesses participating in exploiting women and conducting illegal activities have licenses revoked and operations are forced to close. In 2007, after just one year, the efforts led to prosecution of prostitution cases rose by 30 percent. A year later, an annual report on the UAE’s progress on human trafficking measures was issues and campaigns to raise public awareness of the issue are also planned. Internationally, the UAE has also led various efforts in combating human trafficking, particularly with the main countries of origin. The state has signed numerous bilateral agreements meant to regulate the labor being sent abroad by ensuring transactions are conducted by labor ministries and not profiting recruitment agencies.
In 2007, the UAE also took the unprecedented step in establishing a forum of countries, UN agencies, NGOs and governmental bodies. Known as the Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking (UN.GIFT), the government’s endowment of $15 million has generated significant cooperation among the union’s participants towards this common goal.
documentary accuses the UAE of illegally using child jockeys in camel racing, where they are subjected also to physical and sexual abuse. Anti-Slavery International
has documented similar allegations.
The practice is officially banned in the UAE since the year 2002. The UAE was the first to ban the use of children under 15 as jockeys in the popular local sport of camel-racing when Sheikh
Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs announced the ban on July 29, 2002. Announcing the ban, Sheikh Hamdan made it very clear that "no-one would be permitted to ride camels in camel-races unless they had a minimum weight of 45 kg, and are not less than 15 years old, as stated in their passports." He said a medical committee would examine each candidate to be a jockey to check that the age stated in their passport was correct and that the candidate was medically fit.
Sheikh Hamdan said all owners of camel racing stables would be responsible for returning children under 15 to their home countries. He also announced the introduction of a series of penalties for those breaking the new rules. For a first offense, a fine of 20,000 AED
was to be imposed. For a second offense, the offender would be banned from participating in camel races for a period of a year, while for third and subsequent offense, terms of imprisonment would be imposed.
The Ansar Burney Trust, which was featured heavily in the HBO documentary, announced that in 2005 the government of the UAE began actively enforcing a ban on child camel jockeys, and that the issue "may finally be resolved".
and the UAE Red Crescent Authority. Services offered include counseling, schooling, recreational facilities, psychological support and shelter. Mainly women and children receive assistance and in certain cases are even repatriated to their home countries.
The Sheikh Issa incident
A brother of the ruler of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Issa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
who holds no government post, is the subject of a lawsuit
accusing him of torture brought by businessman Bassam Nabulsi of Houston, Texas
, a former long-term adviser to the Al Nahyan
.
As part of the lawsuit, Bassam Nabulsi published a video, taken at some time in 2005, showing Sheikh Issa torturing a man with a cattle prod
and a spiked plank.
In April 2009, an abridged version of the tape was posted by ABC News
. According to Nabulsi's lawyers, Sheikh Issa had tortured the victim, Afghan grain merchant Mohammed Shah Poor, because he felt that Shah Poor had cheated him in a business deal.
In a statement to ABC News, the UAE Ministry of the Interior said it had reviewed the tape and acknowledged the involvement of Sheikh Issa bin Zayed al Nahyan, and stated, "The incidents depicted in the video tapes were not part of a pattern of behaviour." The government statement said its review found "all rules, policies and procedures were followed correctly by the Police Department."
Responding to the government statement, Sarah Leah Whitson of Human Rights Watch
stated "If this is their complete reply, then sadly it's a scam and it's a sham. [...] It is the state that is torturing them, if the government does not investigate and prosecute these officers, and those commanding those officers." US congressman Jim McGovern
called for a freeze on government aid to the UAE, and requested that Sheikh Issa be refused US visas
. Nabulsi has also alleged that previously he had brought the existence of the torture tape, along with the involvement and collusion of UAE police, to the attention of a US official assigned to train UAE police, with little effect.
The controversy over the torture tape has delayed recertification of a US-UAE nuclear power cooperation agreement.
On January 3 2002, the United Nations Group on Arbitrary Detention released their findings and placed Al -Ghussein in their highest category of human deprivation, category 1 'were manifestly there was no legal justification' and appointed a Rapporteur on Special torture. Al Ghussein was released in August 2002 after mounting international pressure led by the late Palestinian leader Haider Abdel Shafi and mediated by Canon Andrew White, Middle East envoy to Lord George Carey, Archbishop of Canterbury.
The case was raised at the House of Lords by Lord Clive Soley in November 2009 who questioned the lack of Rule of Law in Abu Dhabi.
The Government of Abu Dhabi continues to deny the family their rights and have refused to co-operate with International agencies.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/2236709/Jaweed-al-Ghussein.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jul/11/israelandthepalestinians.middleeast
http://www.ncfpeace.org/drupal/node/310
http://unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/7B874EAB39CFFE5D85256E6F004B90D3
http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/wgad/31-2001.html
http://services.parliament.uk/hansard/Lords/ByDate/20091110/mainchamberdebates/contents.html
http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storyCode=310704§ioncode=26
police opened designated departments in all emirate police stations that are mandated to protect the human rights of both victims and perpetrators of crime.
The "UAE National Human Rights Report", prepared by a committee comprising representatives from various ministries and government institutions, with the participation of representatives from civil society
and non-governmental organization
s (NGOs), and presented to the UN Human Rights Council on 4 December 2008 outlines efforts in the field of human rights observance and listed challenges facing the country, such as:
The UAE government is currently studying the establishment of a national human rights commission.
Constitution of the United Arab Emirates
The Constitution of the United Arab Emirates provides a legal and political framework for the operation of the United Arab Emirates as a federation of seven emirates. The Constitution came into effect on December 2, 1971 and was permanently accepted in May 1996. Authored by Adi Bitar, a former...
, which confers equality
Equality before the law
Equality before the law or equality under the law or legal egalitarianism is the principle under which each individual is subject to the same laws....
, liberty
Liberty
Liberty is a moral and political principle, or Right, that identifies the condition in which human beings are able to govern themselves, to behave according to their own free will, and take responsibility for their actions...
, rule of law
Rule of law
The rule of law, sometimes called supremacy of law, is a legal maxim that says that governmental decisions should be made by applying known principles or laws with minimal discretion in their application...
, presumption of innocence
Innocence
Innocence is a term used to indicate a lack of guilt, with respect to any kind of crime, sin, or wrongdoing. In a legal context, innocence refers to the lack of legal guilt of an individual, with respect to a crime.-Symbolism:...
in legal procedures, inviolability of the home, freedom of movement
Freedom of movement
Freedom of movement, mobility rights or the right to travel is a human right concept that the constitutions of numerous states respect...
, freedom of opinion and speech
Speech
Speech is the human faculty of speaking.It may also refer to:* Public speaking, the process of speaking to a group of people* Manner of articulation, how the body parts involved in making speech are manipulated...
, freedom of communication, freedom of religion, freedom of council and association, freedom of occupation, freedom to be elected to office and others onto all citizens, within the limit of the law. The UAE is held to be one of the most liberal countries in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
, particularly if compared to its neighbors, Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
and Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
.
Due to the rapid development of the UAE from a traditional, homogeneous society in the mid-20th century to a modern, multicultural one at the beginning of the 21st century, the concurrent development of legal provisions and the practical enforcement of existing laws has been challenging and, in consequence, problems exist mainly in regard to human rights of non-citizens, who make up around 80% of the population, with main issues including companies' and employers' non-compliance with labor laws, which for some are novel.
According to the U.S. Department of State annual report on human rights practices, the UAE is violating a number of fundamental practices. Specifically, the UAE does not have democratically-elected institutions and citizens do not have the right to change their government or to form political parties. In certain instances, the government of the UAE has abused people in custody and has denied their citizens the right to a speedy trial
Speedy trial
Speedy trial refers to one of the rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution to defendants in criminal proceedings. The right to a speedy trial, guaranteed by the Sixth Amendment, is intended to ensure that defendants are not subjected to unreasonably lengthy incarceration prior to a fair...
and access to counsel during official investigations.
The government restricts freedom of speech
Freedom of speech
Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship. The term freedom of expression is sometimes used synonymously, but includes any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used...
and freedom of the press
Freedom of the press
Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the freedom of communication and expression through vehicles including various electronic media and published materials...
, and the local media practises self-censorship
Self-censorship
Self-censorship is the act of censoring or classifying one's own work , out of fear of, or deference to, the sensibilities of others, without overt pressure from any specific party or institution of authority...
by avoiding directly criticizing the government. Freedom of association
Freedom of association
Freedom of association is the individual right to come together with other individuals and collectively express, promote, pursue and defend common interests....
is also curtailed.
The UAE has not signed most international human-rights and labor-rights treaties, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights is a multilateral treaty adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 16, 1966, and in force from March 23, 1976...
, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights is a multilateral treaty adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 16, 1966, and in force from January 3, 1976...
, the Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, and the Convention against Torture
United Nations Convention Against Torture
The United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment is an international human rights instrument, under the review of the United Nations, that aims to prevent torture around the world....
.
Freedom of speech
Although the UAE constitution provides for freedom of speechFreedom of speech
Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship. The term freedom of expression is sometimes used synonymously, but includes any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used...
and the press
Freedom of the press
Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the freedom of communication and expression through vehicles including various electronic media and published materials...
, in practice these rights are very limited. By law, the Ministry of Information licenses all publications and approves the appointment of editors. Press content also is governed by law. Negative comments about Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
, the government, ruling families, or UAE citizens (by expatriates) are punishable by imprisonment, although this regulation is rarely enforced, as the press practices self-censorship
Self-censorship
Self-censorship is the act of censoring or classifying one's own work , out of fear of, or deference to, the sensibilities of others, without overt pressure from any specific party or institution of authority...
. The Ministry of Information and Culture reviews imported printed material for content and imposes distribution limitations on material considered pornographic, excessively violent, derogatory to Islam, or contrary to government foreign policy.
2007 censorship of two Pakistani satellite channels
On 16 November 2007 TecomDubai Media City
Dubai Media City , part of Dubai Holding, is a tax-free zone within Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It has been built by the Dubai government to boost UAE's media foothold, and has become a regional hub for media organizations including news agencies, publishing, online media, advertising, production,...
stopped broadcast
Broadcast
Broadcast or Broadcasting may refer to:* Broadcasting, the transmission of audio and video signals* Broadcast, an individual television program or radio program* Broadcast , an English electronic music band...
of two major Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i satellite
Satellite
In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
news channels, uplinked from Dubai Media City
Dubai Media City
Dubai Media City , part of Dubai Holding, is a tax-free zone within Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It has been built by the Dubai government to boost UAE's media foothold, and has become a regional hub for media organizations including news agencies, publishing, online media, advertising, production,...
, which was initially marketed by Tecom under the tagline "Freedom to Create." The Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
had ordered Tecom to shut down the popular independent Pakistani news channels Geo News
GEO News
Geo News is a Karachi-based Pakistani news channel, fully owned and operated by Jang Group. The channel started its broadcasting in November 2005 and has millions of Urdu-language viewers around the world.- Popular Shows :...
and ARY One World
ARY One World
ARY News is a Dubai-based Pakistani news channel launched in 26 September 2004. A bilingual news channel in English and Urdu, it is a part of the ARY Digital Network, which is a subsidiary of ARY Group. It has a large audience and one main competitor in Geo News...
on the demand of Pakistan's military regime led by General Pervez Musharraf
Pervez Musharraf
Pervez Musharraf , is a retired four-star general who served as the 13th Chief of Army Staff and tenth President of Pakistan as well as tenth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. Musharraf headed and led an administrative military government from October 1999 till August 2007. He ruled...
. This was implemented by du Samacom disabling their SDI
SDI
SDI may refer to:*SDI, also known as MDI, or Mini Dental Implants* SDI , a range of diesel engines by the Volkswagen Group for use in cars and vans* SDI a shoot 'em up by Sega* S.D.I...
& ASI
ASI
-Names:* ASI Solutions, an Australian IT company* Asi, a Russian name for the Ossetians* Asi, another name for the Orontes River* Asi language, a language spoken by Bantoanons from the island of Banton, Philippines...
streams. Later, policy makers in Dubai permitted these channels to air their entertainment programs, but news, current affairs and political analysis were forbidden. Although subsequently the conditions were removed, marked differences have since been observed in their coverage. This incident has had a serious impact on all organizations in the media city with Geo TV and ARY OneWorld considering relocation.
Freedom of religion
The Constitution provides for freedom of religion in accordance with established customs, and the government generally respects this right in practice; however, there were some restrictions. The federal Constitution declares that Islam is the official religion of the country. There were no reports of societal abuses or discriminationReligious discrimination
Religious discrimination is valuing or treating a person or group differently because of what they do or do not believe.A concept like that of 'religious discrimination' is necessary to take into account ambiguities of the term religious persecution. The infamous cases in which people have been...
based on religious belief or practice. There are, however, only seven recognised religions, including Islam, Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism and Bahaism.
Migrant and labor rights
It is common practice, although illegal, for employers in the UAE to retain employees' passports for the duration of the employment contract to prevent expatriate
Expatriate
An expatriate is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country and culture other than that of the person's upbringing...
employees from changing jobs. On termination of an employment contract, certain categories of expatriates are banned from obtaining a work permit in the country for six months.
Migrants, mostly of South Asian origin, constitute for 42.5% of the UAE’s workforce and are subject to a range of human rights abuses. Workers typically arrive in debt to recruitment agents from home countries and upon arrival are often made to sign a new contract in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
or Arabic which pays them less than had originally been agreed. Visa and travel costs are typically added on to the original debt, and thus within hours of their arrival, workers often find that their debt-repayment time has increased significantly, possibly by years.
- In September 2003 the government was criticised by Human Rights WatchHuman Rights WatchHuman Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
for its inaction in addressing the discrimination against AsianAsian peopleAsian people or Asiatic people is a term with multiple meanings that refers to people who descend from a portion of Asia's population.- Central Asia :...
workers in the emirate. - In 2004 the United States Department of StateUnited States Department of StateThe United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
has cited widespread instances of blue collarBlue collarBlue collar can refer to:*Blue-collar worker, a traditional designation of the working class*Blue-collar crime, the types of crimes typically associated with the working class*A census designation...
labour abuse in the general context of the United Arab Emirates. - The BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
reported in September 2004 that "local newspapers often carry stories of construction workers allegedly not being paid for months on end. They are not allowed to move jobs and if they leave the country to go home they will almost certainly lose the money they say they are owed. The names of the construction companies concerned are not published in the newspapers for fear of offending the often powerful individuals who own them.". - In December 2005 the Indian consulate in Dubai submitted a report to the Government of IndiaGovernment of IndiaThe Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
detailing labour problems faced by Indian expatriates in the emirate. The report highlighted delayed payment of wages, substitution of employment contractEmployment contractA contract of employment is a category of contract used in labour law to attribute right and responsibilities between parties to a bargain.On the one end stands an "employee" who is "employed" by an "employer". It has arisen out of the old master-servant law, used before the 20th century...
s, premature termination of services and excessive working hours as being some of the challenges faced by Indian workers in the city. The consulate also reported that 109 Indian blue collar workers committed suicide in the UAE in 2006. - In March 2006 NPRNPRNPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
reported that workers "typically live eight to a room, sending home a portion of their salary to their families, whom they don't see for years at a time." Others report that their salary has been withheld to pay back loans, making them little more than indentured servantIndentured servantIndentured servitude refers to the historical practice of contracting to work for a fixed period of time, typically three to seven years, in exchange for transportation, food, clothing, lodging and other necessities during the term of indenture. Usually the father made the arrangements and signed...
s. - In 2007 the falling dollar meant workers were unable to service debts and the incidence of suicides among Indian workers had reportedly been on the increase.
2006 Workers' riots
On 21 March 2006, tensions boiled over at the construction site of the Burj Khalifa as workers upset over low wages and poor working conditions rioted, damaging cars, offices, computers, and construction tools. A Dubai Interior Ministry official said the rioters caused approximately US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
1 million in damage. On 22 March most workers returned to the construction site but refused to work. Workers building a new terminal at Dubai International Airport
Dubai International Airport
Dubai International Airport is an international airport serving Dubai, the largest city of the United Arab Emirates. It is a major aviation hub in the Middle East, and is the main airport of Dubai. It is situated in the Al Garhoud district, southeast of Dubai...
went on strike in sympathy.
Another strike took place in October 2007. Over 4,000 strikers were arrested. Most of them were released some days later and were then to be expelled and deported from Dubai.
Government action
In the past, the UAE government has denied any kind of labor injustices and has stated that the accusations by Human Rights Watch were misguided. Towards the end of March 2006, the government announced steps to allow construction unions. UAE labour minister Ali al-Kaabi said, "Laborers will be allowed to form unions."
The strikes and negative media attention provided exposure of this regional problem and in 2008 the UAE government decreed and implemented a “midday break” during summer for construction companies, ensuring laborers were provided several hours to escape the grueling heat. Illegal visa overstayers were assured amnesty and even repatriated to their home countries on governmental expense.
Labor Law issues
The UAE has four main types of Labor laws:- Federal Labor Law – Applies to all the seven EmiratesEmirates of the United Arab EmiratesThe United Arab Emirates is composed of 7 emirates :-References:...
and supersedes free zone laws in certain areas.
- JAFZA Labor Law – Applies to the Dubai Jebel Ali Free ZoneJebel Ali Free ZoneJebel Ali Free Zone is a free economic zone located in the Jebel Ali area at the far western end of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, near Abu Dhabi...
.
- TECOM Labor Law – Applies to all Dubai Technology and Media Free Zone properties: Internet CityDubai Internet CityDubai Internet City is an information technology park created by the government of Dubai as a free economic zone and a strategic base for companies targeting regional emerging markets. The economic rules of DIC allow companies to avail themselves of a number of ownership, taxation and custom...
, Media CityDubai Media CityDubai Media City , part of Dubai Holding, is a tax-free zone within Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It has been built by the Dubai government to boost UAE's media foothold, and has become a regional hub for media organizations including news agencies, publishing, online media, advertising, production,...
, Studio CityDubai Studio CityDubai Studio City is part of Dubai Media City in Dubai, UAE. Following in the footsteps of Dubai Media City, it will cater to the production needs of the region and has plans to build movie studios like Hollywood sound stages backlots for various production needs...
and International Media Production ZoneInternational Media Production ZoneThe International Media Production Zone is a free zone and freehold area that caters to media production companies. Spreading over an area of , it is located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates near Jumeirah Village South. The Dubai government has plans to convert this area into the next generation...
.
- DIFC Labor Law – Applies to all companies in the Dubai International Financial CenterDubai International Financial CenterThe Dubai International Financial Centre is a near-shore financial hub for the or Middle East and North Africa containing a capital market designated as a financial free zone in Dubai. The centre was designed by Eric Kuhne...
free zone.
Labor laws generally favor the employer and are less focused on the rights of employees. The Ministry of Labor is criticized for loosely enforcing these laws, most notably late or no wage or overtime
Overtime
Overtime is the amount of time someone works beyond normal working hours. Normal hours may be determined in several ways:*by custom ,*by practices of a given trade or profession,*by legislation,...
payment for both blue collar
Blue-collar worker
A blue-collar worker is a member of the working class who performs manual labor. Blue-collar work may involve skilled or unskilled, manufacturing, mining, construction, mechanical, maintenance, technical installation and many other types of physical work...
and white collar
White-collar worker
The term white-collar worker refers to a person who performs professional, managerial, or administrative work, in contrast with a blue-collar worker, whose job requires manual labor...
employees.
Free Zone labor laws are friendlier to employees moving between companies unlike the Federal UAE labor law, which automatically bans employees for a period of six months up to a year for leaving a company before completing one year of employment. These kinds of laws discourage free labor movement, and give employers an unfair advantage in salary negotiations.
Types of discrimination
Job discrimination based on ethnic origins is openly practiced and no law exists to prevent that. Job openings are advertised in major news papers, like Gulf NewsGulf News
Gulf News is a daily English language newspaper published from Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates with a December 2009 BPA audited circulation of over 117,036 qualified copies...
and Khaleej Times
Khaleej Times
The Khaleej Times is a daily English language newspaper published in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Traditionally perceived as the second most popular newspaper in the UAE, Khaleej Times has struggled to keep up its circulation and entered 2011 with a print run of just under 40,000 copies...
, with statements such as ‘UK/US educated’ or ‘Arabs only’.
Salary discrimination is commonplace with the highest paid jobs going to Emiratis, a process supported by the Emiratisation
Emiratisation
Emiratisation is an initiative by the government of the United Arab Emirates to employ its citizens in a meaningful and efficient manner in the public and private sectors....
program forcing companies by law to hire a percentage of UAE citizens.
The second highest salaries go to people of Western origins; U.S. Americans, Western Europe
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
an nationals, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
ers and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
ns. People from developed regions in Asia such as Japan, Singapore, Korea, do also get comparatively high salaries. People from South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
, East Asia
East Asia
East Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms...
and Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
are offered and receive considerably less in various sectors of the UAE economy.
Progress
The UAE has taken significant measures to alleviate the often difficult lives of migrant workers from the developing world who opt to seek labor abroad. Important steps taken include providing monthly electronic payments for workers, requiring safety and health standards for housing to limit unreasonable overcrowding, supplying a standard contract for domestic workerDomestic worker
A domestic worker is a man, woman or child who works within the employer's household. Domestic workers perform a variety of household services for an individual or a family, from providing care for children and elderly dependents to cleaning and household maintenance, known as housekeeping...
s as well as signing bilateral agreements with countries where majority of foreign labor originates. (Reference: UAE-US Relations)
As of April 2007, the UAE also established contract standards for domestic workers which regulate working conditions, salary, vacation, flight arrangements and medical care. These standards are to be verified and enforced by governmental agencies when providing new visas ensuring compliance on a case by case basis.
To ensure the country was addressing all major and relevant concerns in regards to labor issues, the UAE held a forum with Asian labor-exporting countries in January 2008. Part of a larger effort called the Colombo Process, the “Abu Dhabi Dialogue” was the first time a meeting was hosted by a destination for the foreign laborers, and included participants from other GCC states as well as a Human Rights Watch observer. Countries part of the Colombo Process included Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam.
Mean wages were $45.61 per manhour in 2009.
Human trafficking and prostitution
According to the Ansar Burney Trust (ABT), an illegal sex industryProstitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
thrives in the emirates, where a large number of the workers are victims of human trafficking and sexual exploitation, especially in Dubai. This complements the tourism and hospitality industry, a major part of Dubai's economy.
Prostitution
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
, though illegal by law, is conspicuously present in the emirate because of an economy that is largely based on tourism and trade. There is a high demand for women from Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
. According to the World Sex Guide, a website catering to sex tourists
Sex tourism
Sex tourism is travel to engage in sexual activity with prostitutes.The World Tourism Organization, a specialized agency of the United Nations, defines sex tourism as "trips organized from within the tourism sector, or from outside this sector but using its structures and networks, with the primary...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n and Ethiopian
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
women are the most common prostitutes, while Eastern European prostitutes are part of a well organized trans-Oceanic
Oceania
Oceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...
prostitution network.
The Government has been trying to curb prostitution. In March 2007, it was reported that the UAE has deported over 4,300 sex workers mainly from Dubai.
Although a modern country, the UAE remains morally conservative with traditional values and has adopted significant measures to combat this regional problem. The government of the UAE has worked with law enforcement officials to build capacity and awareness through holding training workshops and implementing monitoring systems to report human rights violations. The system led to registration of ten human-trafficking related cases in 2007 and half as many penalized convictions. Businesses participating in exploiting women and conducting illegal activities have licenses revoked and operations are forced to close. In 2007, after just one year, the efforts led to prosecution of prostitution cases rose by 30 percent. A year later, an annual report on the UAE’s progress on human trafficking measures was issues and campaigns to raise public awareness of the issue are also planned. Internationally, the UAE has also led various efforts in combating human trafficking, particularly with the main countries of origin. The state has signed numerous bilateral agreements meant to regulate the labor being sent abroad by ensuring transactions are conducted by labor ministries and not profiting recruitment agencies.
In 2007, the UAE also took the unprecedented step in establishing a forum of countries, UN agencies, NGOs and governmental bodies. Known as the Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking (UN.GIFT), the government’s endowment of $15 million has generated significant cooperation among the union’s participants towards this common goal.
Trafficking of children
A 2004 HBOHome Box Office
HBO, short for Home Box Office, is an American premium cable television network, owned by Time Warner. , HBO's programming reaches 28.2 million subscribers in the United States, making it the second largest premium network in America . In addition to its U.S...
documentary accuses the UAE of illegally using child jockeys in camel racing, where they are subjected also to physical and sexual abuse. Anti-Slavery International
Anti-Slavery International
Anti-Slavery International is an international nongovernmental organization, charity and a lobby group, based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1839, it is the world's oldest international human rights organization, and the only charity in the United Kingdom to work exclusively against slavery and...
has documented similar allegations.
The practice is officially banned in the UAE since the year 2002. The UAE was the first to ban the use of children under 15 as jockeys in the popular local sport of camel-racing when Sheikh
Sheikh
Not to be confused with sikhSheikh — also spelled Sheik or Shaikh, or transliterated as Shaykh — is an honorific in the Arabic language that literally means "elder" and carries the meaning "leader and/or governor"...
Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs announced the ban on July 29, 2002. Announcing the ban, Sheikh Hamdan made it very clear that "no-one would be permitted to ride camels in camel-races unless they had a minimum weight of 45 kg, and are not less than 15 years old, as stated in their passports." He said a medical committee would examine each candidate to be a jockey to check that the age stated in their passport was correct and that the candidate was medically fit.
Sheikh Hamdan said all owners of camel racing stables would be responsible for returning children under 15 to their home countries. He also announced the introduction of a series of penalties for those breaking the new rules. For a first offense, a fine of 20,000 AED
United Arab Emirates dirham
The dirham is the currency of the United Arab Emirates. The ISO 4217 code for the United Arab Emirates dirham is AED. Unofficial abbreviations include DH or Dhs. The dirham is subdivided into 100 ....
was to be imposed. For a second offense, the offender would be banned from participating in camel races for a period of a year, while for third and subsequent offense, terms of imprisonment would be imposed.
The Ansar Burney Trust, which was featured heavily in the HBO documentary, announced that in 2005 the government of the UAE began actively enforcing a ban on child camel jockeys, and that the issue "may finally be resolved".
Victim Support
Special funds to provide support for victims have been created such as Dubai’s Foundation for the Protection of Women and Children, Abu Dhabi’s Social Support Center, the Abu Dhabi Shelter for Victims of Human TraffickingHuman trafficking
Human trafficking is the illegal trade of human beings for the purposes of reproductive slavery, commercial sexual exploitation, forced labor, or a modern-day form of slavery...
and the UAE Red Crescent Authority. Services offered include counseling, schooling, recreational facilities, psychological support and shelter. Mainly women and children receive assistance and in certain cases are even repatriated to their home countries.
The Sheikh Issa incident
A brother of the ruler of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Issa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Issa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Sheikh Issa bin Zayed Al Nayhan is the son of the late United Arab Emirates President Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan; the brother of the present ruler of Abu Dhabi, the Emir Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan; and the brother of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.Issa is a prominent real estate...
who holds no government post, is the subject of a lawsuit
Lawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
accusing him of torture brought by businessman Bassam Nabulsi of Houston, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, a former long-term adviser to the Al Nahyan
Al Nahyan
Al Nahyan is a neighborhood of Abu Dhabi. It is named after the Al Nahyan family. It contains the Al Nahyan Stadium....
.
As part of the lawsuit, Bassam Nabulsi published a video, taken at some time in 2005, showing Sheikh Issa torturing a man with a cattle prod
Cattle prod
A cattle prod, also called a stock prod, is a handheld device commonly used to make cattle or other livestock move by striking or poking them, or in the case of a Hot-Shot-type prod, through a relatively high-voltage, low-current electric shock...
and a spiked plank.
In April 2009, an abridged version of the tape was posted by ABC News
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
. According to Nabulsi's lawyers, Sheikh Issa had tortured the victim, Afghan grain merchant Mohammed Shah Poor, because he felt that Shah Poor had cheated him in a business deal.
In a statement to ABC News, the UAE Ministry of the Interior said it had reviewed the tape and acknowledged the involvement of Sheikh Issa bin Zayed al Nahyan, and stated, "The incidents depicted in the video tapes were not part of a pattern of behaviour." The government statement said its review found "all rules, policies and procedures were followed correctly by the Police Department."
Responding to the government statement, Sarah Leah Whitson of Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
stated "If this is their complete reply, then sadly it's a scam and it's a sham. [...] It is the state that is torturing them, if the government does not investigate and prosecute these officers, and those commanding those officers." US congressman Jim McGovern
Jim McGovern
James Patrick "Jim" McGovern is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1997. He is a member of the Democratic Party....
called for a freeze on government aid to the UAE, and requested that Sheikh Issa be refused US visas
Visa (document)
A visa is a document showing that a person is authorized to enter the territory for which it was issued, subject to permission of an immigration official at the time of actual entry. The authorization may be a document, but more commonly it is a stamp endorsed in the applicant's passport...
. Nabulsi has also alleged that previously he had brought the existence of the torture tape, along with the involvement and collusion of UAE police, to the attention of a US official assigned to train UAE police, with little effect.
The controversy over the torture tape has delayed recertification of a US-UAE nuclear power cooperation agreement.
'The Abduction of Jaweed Al-Ghussein
CEO of the Cordoba Group and elected Chairman of the Palestine National Fund (PNF) by the Palestine National Council (PNC) the late Jaweed Al-Ghussein was escorted by Abu Dhabi Security police on the 19th of April 2001. Held for 3 days at the Bateen Police station, Al-Ghusein was denied his insulin, food and legal representation. No charges were made. On April 22 he was escorted under armed guards put forcibly on Yasser Arafats private jet and accompanied by the elite force 17 and flown to Arish Egypt and then across the borders to Gaza where he was held for 16 months. No legal procedures took place. Orders for his illegal removal were approved by Sheik Hamdan Bin Zayed. President of the Red Crescent UAE Released from captivity in November after International pressure, Al-Ghussein was abducted a second time from the Red Crescent Cairo Egypt while undergoing chemotherapy for cancer by egyptian National Security and the Palestine National AuthorityOn January 3 2002, the United Nations Group on Arbitrary Detention released their findings and placed Al -Ghussein in their highest category of human deprivation, category 1 'were manifestly there was no legal justification' and appointed a Rapporteur on Special torture. Al Ghussein was released in August 2002 after mounting international pressure led by the late Palestinian leader Haider Abdel Shafi and mediated by Canon Andrew White, Middle East envoy to Lord George Carey, Archbishop of Canterbury.
The case was raised at the House of Lords by Lord Clive Soley in November 2009 who questioned the lack of Rule of Law in Abu Dhabi.
The Government of Abu Dhabi continues to deny the family their rights and have refused to co-operate with International agencies.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/2236709/Jaweed-al-Ghussein.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jul/11/israelandthepalestinians.middleeast
http://www.ncfpeace.org/drupal/node/310
http://unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/7B874EAB39CFFE5D85256E6F004B90D3
http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/wgad/31-2001.html
http://services.parliament.uk/hansard/Lords/ByDate/20091110/mainchamberdebates/contents.html
http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storyCode=310704§ioncode=26
Government policies to protect human rights
The UAE authorities on the federal and local level have instituted a number of mechanisms and policies to improve the protection of human rights. For example, in 2004 the DubaiDubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
police opened designated departments in all emirate police stations that are mandated to protect the human rights of both victims and perpetrators of crime.
The "UAE National Human Rights Report", prepared by a committee comprising representatives from various ministries and government institutions, with the participation of representatives from civil society
Civil society
Civil society is composed of the totality of many voluntary social relationships, civic and social organizations, and institutions that form the basis of a functioning society, as distinct from the force-backed structures of a state , the commercial institutions of the market, and private criminal...
and non-governmental organization
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
s (NGOs), and presented to the UN Human Rights Council on 4 December 2008 outlines efforts in the field of human rights observance and listed challenges facing the country, such as:
- Providing more mechanisms to protect human rights, keeping up with national and international developments, and updating laws and systems
- Meeting the state's expectations with regards to building national capabilities and deepening efforts for education on human rights and basic freedoms through a national plan
- Striving to regulate the relationship between employers and workers in framework that preserves dignity and rights, and is in harmony with international standards, especially with regards to domestic help
- Increasing the empowerment of women's role in society, increasing opportunities for involvement in a number of fields based on their skills and abilities
- Working to confront human trafficking crimes by reviewing the best international practices in the field, working to update and improve the state's legislature in accordance with international standards, working to establish institutions and agencies to confront human trafficking crimes, and working to support the foundations of international cooperation with international organizations and institutions.
The UAE government is currently studying the establishment of a national human rights commission.
See also
- Human rights in DubaiHuman rights in DubaiHuman rights in Dubai are based on the Constitution and enacted laws, which do address many of the concerns of human rights organizations. For example, the Constitution promises equitable treatment of all people, regardless of race, nationality or social status, per Article 25 of the Constitution...
- LGBT rights in United Arab Emirates
- List of human rights articles by country
- Freedom of religion in the United Arab EmiratesFreedom of religion in the United Arab EmiratesThe Constitution of the United Arab Emirates provides for freedom of religion in accordance with established customs, and the government generally respects this right in practice; however, there were some restrictions. The federal Constitution declares that Islam is the official religion of the...
- Communications in the United Arab EmiratesCommunications in the United Arab EmiratesIn the United Arab Emirates, Federal Act No. 1 of 1976 establishes the Emirates Telecommunications Corporation as the sole telephone and telecommunications provider for the United Arab Emirates, freezones and modern housing developments are exempt from this and utilise a separate...
- Human rights in the Middle EastHuman Rights in the Middle EastHuman rights in the Middle East are mostly covered in individual articles, listed below. -United States and European points of view on political rights:...
External links
- Ansar Burney Trust
- Situation of Labourers
- Australians for Extradition Justice
- Human Rights Watch reports on the United Arab Emirates
- Human Trafficking & Modern-day Slavery
- Prevalence, Abuse & Exploitation of Street Children
- Child Prostitution in the UAE
- Human Trafficking Plagues UAE video report by Al Jazeera, July 31, 2009
- UAE Prison
- Human Rights in the UAE
- Sinister Paradise: Does the Road to the Future End at Dubai?
- Censorship in UAE - IFEXInternational Freedom of Expression ExchangeThe International Freedom of Expression eXchange , founded in 1992, is a global network of around 90 non-governmental organisations that promotes and defends the right to freedom of expression....