At 16, Ganesh got a job in Qatar. Two months later he was dead

Post by contingencies » Thu, Sep 26, 2013, 4:53 AM UTC

CervezaPorFavor wrote: post #27

zizee wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You should not paint all countries in the Middle East with the same brush.

I've only been to a few countries in the Middle East, so I can't generalise. But one thing common among these countries is the lack of warmth, sincerity and humility among the locals. It is one of the most unpleasant and hostile cultures that I have encountered in my years of travel. They treat blue-collar foreigners as lesser humans. EDIT: To clarify, I've only been to Qatar, UAE and Bahrain.

Post by yapcguy » Thu, Sep 26, 2013, 5:09 AM UTC

kps wrote: post #19

dajohnson89 wrote: post #10

Why is this not front-page news of mainstream media? (I know why, it's because it's not profitable). But where is the outrage? Why is fighting back restricted to a few NGOs and some back office of the Nepalese government?

The Guardian is Britain's third biggest newspaper, and the slavery story is on the front page. Close enough?

Post by Volpe » Thu, Sep 26, 2013, 5:20 AM UTC

waps wrote: post #22

dajohnson89 wrote: post #10

Why is this not front-page news of mainstream media? (I know why, it's because it's not profitable). But where is the outrage? Why is fighting back restricted to a few NGOs and some back office of the Nepalese government?

Because it would bring uncomfortable questions about the list of states that employ slavery, or effective slavery : Sudan, Mali, Niger, Chad, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Pakistan, Bangladesh. Hmmm I wonder what is driving the advancement of slavery, given that's the places where it's happening. An exploration of slavery would bring the very uncomfortable, but pretty well known, fact to the surface that slavery is pa…

Post by azth » Thu, Sep 26, 2013, 5:40 AM UTC

waps wrote: post #21

camus wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is legalized slavery. These middle eastern countries are well known for that. That's why they are recruiting the poorest of the poor from rural areas in Asia. Foreign workers have 0 rights there. But hey these guys are US allies,the leader of democracy and the free world... they cant be bad , can they ...

Not the middle eastern countries. This is part of their legal system, which is called "islam", or "sharia" (translation: the right way for a muslim). Slavery (if you define it as forced labour without compensation), in case anyone doesn't know, is part of every religion. It is even part of Christianity, but Canon law specifies that it is a Christian's duty to, firstly, never own slaves themselves (with serious punish…

Post by lostlogin » Thu, Sep 26, 2013, 6:00 AM UTC

camus wrote: post #16

vacri wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Given that the terms change from what the worker originally agreed to - for example, a lot of these work camps don't bother paying the workers, and freedom to roam is curtailed - it's more analagous to slavery than indentured servitude.

It is legalized slavery. These middle eastern countries are well known for that. That's why they are recruiting the poorest of the poor from rural areas in Asia. Foreign workers have 0 rights there. But hey these guys are US allies,the leader of democracy and the free world... they cant be bad , can they ...