Kuwait First in GCC to Implement Minimum Wage for Domestic Workers

On 14 July 2016, the Kuwaiti government set a minimum wage for the over 660,000 domestic workers within the country. The Ministry of Interior published the notice, which specifies the new minimum wage as 60 Kuwaiti dinar per month. Before the implementation of the minimum wage law, domestic workers in Kuwait earned less than 20[…]

A Victim’s Crime: Forced Prostitution in the UAE

The majority of women working as prostitutes in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are victims of human or sex trafficking; some are victims of both. Prostitution is an established and growing industry in the country, with the Guardian reporting in 2010 that an estimated 30,000 prostitutes worked in the emirate of Dubai alone. There are[…]

Internet Censorship and Surveillance in the UAE

On 29 June 2016, various internet users in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) reported that Middle East Eye, an online news organization, was blocked by Emirati authorities. Internet users in the country receive the following official message when attempting to visit the website: “Access to this site is currently blocked.” Middle East Eye notes that[…]

US Department of State Releases Trafficking in Persons Reports, Remains Critical of GCC Governments

Yesterday, the US Department of State released the 2016 Trafficking in Persons country narratives. Reports revealed that none of the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states have attained a Tier 1 status indicating compliance with minimum standards in eliminating human trafficking. Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) welcomes these thorough reports[…]

United Nations Special Procedures Report on GCC for HRC32

On 27 May 2016, the Special Procedures of the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) published the 14th iteration of their joint communications report documenting allegations of human rights abuses from around the world. In the most recent edition of the report, the Special Procedures singled out Kuwait for sentencing – and attempting to revoke[…]