With its strong economy and stable society, the UAE consistently draws people from across the world seeking a better life. Many of these new arrivals are domestic workers from low-income countries
According to the International Labour Organisation, a UN agency, domestic work accounts for between a fifth and a quarter of the labour force in many GCC countries. Such employment is particularly important for female workers, many of whom are supporting families in their home countries.
Around the world, the opportunity for those seeking such employment to work, save and send remittances has often been exploited by some unscrupulous recruiters, who take advantage of workers and clients alike. Although the majority of recruitment agencies working in the UAE are legitimate and respect local laws, others don’t hesitate to engage in illegal practices. There is also the challenge of unregulated recruiters in the countries of origin.
Workers can be pushed into handing over exorbitant fees to a recruiter, arrive to find no job waiting for them or find themselves left without a work visa. Those seeking domestic workers can also fall prey to scammers, with The National last month reporting how one woman in Dubai was swindled out of Dh10,000 ($2,720) by criminals posing as a recruitment office.
This is an ongoing problem that spans several countries, but thanks to the work of national law enforcement agencies, rogue recruiters are finding their attempts to sidestep the law increasingly fraught with risk. This week it was reported that the UAE authorities closed 12 offices involved in the unlicensed recruitment of domestic workers, with the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation saying these cases had been referred to the public prosecution service.
It is the latest step in a long-running effort. Earlier this month, more than 200 social media accounts promoting domestic worker recruitment services without a licence were shut down. The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation says it takes a zero-tolerance approach to rogue recruiters and has warned that repeat offenders would face severe penalties, including losing their operating licences.
Much of this action is based on wide-ranging legislation enacted in 2022 that expanded the number of offences punishable by fines or prison for breaches of working conditions and rules. People who hire unlicensed workers, recruit staff but do not provide a job or use permits for domestic workers for purposes other than those for which they were issued will be fined a minimum of Dh50,000 and a maximum of Dh200,000. The same penalty applies to those who close recruitment agency operations without settling wages owed to domestic workers. This follows ground-breaking amendments in 2012 for labour laws that ensured the rights of employees, including prohibiting employers from charging staff for recruitment and employment costs.
It is a fact that such crimes thrive in secrecy. Often, domestic workers duped by bogus recruiters may feel reluctant to come forward to the authorities, fearing they could be sent home. This can make it difficult for the authorities to help cases they are not aware of. However, the experience of the UAE’s 2024 visa amnesty shows that the legal and immigration system tends to take a humane view of people’s circumstances and is willing to work with them, not against them, when it comes to securing their status.
Where there is opportunity, there will always be those willing to exploit others. However, with the publicising of actions taken against rogue recruiters, authorities in the UAE are once again signalling that such exploitation will be not tolerated.
