Gulf-state labor contracting stripped Asian migrant workers of settlement rights and protection

Evidence

Labor migration from Asia to the Middle East developed after the oil price rise of 1973. The main labor-sending countries were Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, and South Korea. Migration took place within rigid contract labor frameworks: workers were not allowed to settle nor bring in dependents, and lacked civil or political rights. They were generally segregated in barracks, and could be deported for misconduct. Women domestic workers were vulnerable to exploitation and sexual abuse. — David Theo Goldberg, John Solomos, A Companion to Racial and Ethnic Studies, 3875

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the kafala system and modern Gulf labor abuses frequently covered in journalism; also relates to Milgrom’s extralegal-contracting material on how terms are enforced.