Migrant workers’ mistreatment by Saudi Arabia remains of global concern amidst systemic abuse and staggering fatality rates in the kingdom’s massive megaprojects. According to estimates, 21,000 migrant laborers have already perished as construction on Saudi Arabia’s centerpiece megacity NEOM, got underway as part of the Vision 2030 plan.
This amounts to over 8 fatalities per day in the last 8 years, with thousands of workers having gone missing. Most of the dead are Nepalis, Indians, and Bangladeshis. Over 14,000 Indian workers alone have died in this period.
The statistics highlighted in the Kingdom Uncovered: Inside Saudi Arabia documentary show the serious dangers to which migrant workers are exposed in the country. Apart from deaths, migrants experience poor working conditions, wage theft, and long hours of work that are more than international labor standards. Workers are said to work 84 hours a week, although Saudi law sets a limit of 60 hours of legal working hours, including overtime.
The plight of domestic workers
Saudi domestic servants are some of the most exposed to abuse and exploitation. Most of them use social media as a last resort to report instances of sexual abuse and harassment. Individuals who try to run away from abusive employers end up outside the formal labour framework, forcing them into exploitative black-market contracts. The issue of runaway workers continues to be a priority, as they risk being detained and further abused.
Conditions in detention centres
Saudi Arabia has imprisoned more than 8 million individuals for immigration-related offenses since the current regime came to power, with more than 40,000 individuals detained in detention centres.
Conditions in the centres are said to be abysmal. Detainees are said to be forced to sleep in plastic bags, have restricted access to water, and have no minimum services. The Saudi Government is said to have banned mobile phones in such establishments to avert the recording of atrocities instead of eradicating inhumane treatment.
The global reaction
The Kingdom’s handling of migrant workers has been compared to the exploitation during the preparation for Qatar’s 2022 FIFA World Cup, when at least 6,600 workers lost their lives. Despite such glaring flaws, Saudi Arabia was officially named the host of the 2034 FIFA World Cup in 2024.
Human rights groups and labour rights activists continue to call on FIFA to reconsider, pointing to the structural and endemic nature of the abuses of labour in Saudi Arabia. Demands for accountability have been louder since Saudi Arabia’s bid for a seat on the UN Human Rights Council was recently turned down. Civil society groups and foreign governments are putting greater pressure on the Saudi government to strengthen migrant protections, close gaps in enforcement, and extend labour protections to all workers, including domestic workers.
Saudi Government’s reaction and ongoing challenges
The Saudi Government has vigorously denied claims of systematic abuse, pointing to reforms to the kafala system and enhanced occupational safety and health standards. These include safeguards against extreme summer working conditions and the inclusion of health insurance provisions. But major gaps in enforcement and the exclusion of domestic workers from major labour protections weaken these reforms.
The role of civil society and global influence
It is argued by rights activists that unless the Saudi Government takes action a large to secure the rights of the migrant workers, civil society has to take the initiative to hold them accountable.
This requires urging FIFA to prioritise human rights first while assessing evaluations and to revoke Saudi Arabia’s hosting rights for the 2034 World Cup.
The heightened attention from global media outlets, including the ITVX documentary, boosts these initiatives. This documentary features unique footage of labour conditions, accounts of mistreatment, and proof of extensive exploitation. There are calls for Western governments to reevaluate their approaches to engagement with Saudi Arabia.
Migrant workers are the backbone of Saudi Arabia’s economic ambitions. But they continue to face dangerous and inhumane conditions. Abuse will persist without substantive reform and accountability. This is a shadow on the image of the Kingdom and detracts from assertions of progress and modernisation.