Gulf dream, no longer cool for Indians

As we approach the end of 2018, there are a number of media articles that describe how the “gulf dream” is slowly dying for Indians.

A recent Right to Information (RTI) request and an inquiry in parliament revealed that in the last six years, an average of more than ten Indian workers died every day in Gulf countries. In August 2018, Venkatesh Nayak from the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) submitted an RTI to the Ministry of External Affairs seeking to know the names, age, sex, and occupation of Indian workers who died in the six Gulf countries from January 1, 2012 till date. He also sought to know the cause of their deaths as mentioned in the death certificates.

About 24,570 Indian workers died in six Gulf Countries Since 2012. These include Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Saudi Arabia recorded the most deaths at 10,416 while Bahrain, at 1,317, had the least.

Mr. Nayak has also analysed the annual ‘Migration and Remittances Data’ released by the World Bank and found that Indians working in Gulf countries accounted for more than half of the remittance that India received from all over the world between 2012-2017. Out of a total of US$ 410.33 billion in remittances from the world over, remittances from the Gulf countries accounted for US$ 209.07 billion.

Articles of interest:

• Indian Express – Every day, 10 Indian workers die in the Gulf
• Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative – RTI REVEAL: MORE THAN 10 INDIAN WORKERS DIED EVERY DAY IN GULF COUNTRIES IN THE LAST SIX YEARS; 117 DEATHS FOR EVERY US$ 117 REMITTED
• The News Minute – Modern Day Slaves, how Indian migrant workers’ rights are violated in the Gulf
• Economic Times – Arabian Nights are over: Gulf no longer the dream land for Indians
• Indian Blood: 10 Indians Die Everyday While Building Skyscrapers In Gulf Countries