Distress

It is not easy to be a foreign worker in the Gulf area .
If one has a first class nationality, say American or Canadian, and goes there on a contract for a big company, then will get all things done, since the day of arrival .
But for other nationalities, like for example Asians, life can be a nightmare to say the least .

This of course happens everywhere here in the West .
The difference is that we have a wider set of laws to combat it and many groups, political parties, unions, religious charities, ready to fight for the rights of minorities .
The peculiarity of some Arabs, of course not all but many, is to think of the "expat", like a second class citizen, or not a citizen at all .
Sometimes foreigners are merely a number, people to fill positions which can't be taken by nationals or that must be given in exchange for commercial partnerships with foreign companies .
Another factor is the level of corruption in public offices .
Actually, to get a document or a visa, it is necessary to go through "wasta", connections, in the police or government departments .

Some time ago, during a joint press conference with the Italian prime minister, the Emir of Qatar stated, that what had prevented him from investing in Italy in earlier times, was the corruption .
I must agree with him, that the level of frauds in the land of Colombo is pretty high, but what makes it worse in an Arab country of the Persian Gulf, is the penetration in the social tissue .
Corruption there, is not just a matter of broken legality , it is a state of mind .
It is rare to meet a local who starts a new business or engage in any challenging activity, without resorting to a little help, by paying bribes .
This of course damages the entire country not only for how it comes to be known abroad, but slows down its economy .

Living in such system, for an exploited person, is cause of great distress .
One must run here and there to find the right sponsor (person or company in charge of his sponsorship) .
Must pay small amounts when requested and so on .
It needs to be noted that there is also the other side of the coin, that is for example the foreigner coming from out, who is welcomed by a family , all of a sudden runs away, making huge damages to his employer who must give account to the ministry .
The sponsorship system has proved to be a big failure, but up to now, no government has been able to plan anything more feasible .

India is the nation with the highest number of workers in the Gulf .
Although it will level down with time and nationalization , still they have an important role .
I was happy to read how they helped one of their citizens in Oman .
It is just one story of many . They do a lot of these .
But to be completely honest, the government of India is primarily responsible for this situation .
As there is little or no work at home, they try to send as many people as possible, outside .
And some of those who are already living overseas, take advantage of the it, as they for one, exploit their fellow nationals .
With a tighter control and better will, they might put an end to these trafficks .