Author: Sabrina Toppa

Migrant Labor Qatar

Qatar’s migrant mothers toil for a pittance, continents from their children

Despite recent reforms in the country, Doha’s restrictive employment policies continue to challenge migrant mothers and split families On an average day, Faith sends nearly 100 messages on WhatsApp to her children and family back home in Nairobi, Kenya. “It’s cheaper than calling,” she said. “And I’m only working in Qatar to support them.” In […]

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Bangladesh Destination Country Migrant Labor Nepal Qatar Saudi Arabia

The embargo of Qatar is hurting foreign workers more than Qatari citizens

When Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates led the imposition of a political and economic blockade on Qatar last month, there were immediate, far-reaching consequences: Flights were canceled and rerouted, Qatari citizens were expelled from other Arab states of the Persian Gulf, shipping routes were closed and airspace was suddenly off-limits to Qatar’s pilots. […]

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Destination Country Migrant Labor Qatar

Qatar’s Struggle to Reform Labor Laws

On March 22, the International Labor Organization (ILO) moved to give Qatar until November to reform its laws governing migrant labor. This builds on an ongoing investigation following a complaint lodged with the ILO in 2016 that workers are drawn into “forced labor.” The ILO will determine if Qatar’s labor laws contravene the forced labor […]

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Destination Country Jordan Migrant Labor

Photo Essay: Migrant Workers in Jordan’s Garment Industry

South Asian migrant workers in a garment factory in Jordan. Photo by Sabrina Toppa.

Over the past twenty years, Jordan has emerged as a critical node in the global apparel supply chain, which in Jordan employs more than 60,000 workers. Almost 70 percent of the kingdom’s garment employees are female foreign workers from South Asian countries like Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. Yet while the kingdom offers comparatively favorable […]

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