Abuse and extortion of migrant workers in the construction, housekeeping, childcare and other sectors is common in the Gulf region. These migrant workers are predominantly from various countries in South East Asia and suffer various kinds of abuse from their employers. This includes extremely long working hours, hazardous work places, confiscation of their pasports and other travel documents, sexual harrasment and physical abuse. Member States in the region have, in the past years, failed to address this issue, so it is now up to the Human Rights Council to do this.
