Tricked and Trapped: Human Trafficking in the Middle East, ‎pdf 4.1 MB

Indeed, many of those interviewed were influenced by the fact that relatives
and friends had previously travelled to these countries. Many ignored the
stark realities that awaited them as migrant workers and the possibility that
their relatives might not tell them the whole truth. “Families often distort the
facts, the narrative, as a mother will never tell her friends that her son cleaned
bathrooms abroad,” explained a migrant community leader interviewed in
Qatar. 209
Patterns of voluntary recruitment
The recruitment process of these migrant workers who voluntarily sign up
to work abroad differs by economic sector, nationality and geographical
location. There are different ways of securing work abroad. A minority can
find work more easily as they do not need a sponsor to facilitate their entry
into and exit from the destination country. This is the case of Syrian workers in
Lebanon and Jordan, who benefit from greater freedom of movement thanks
to an existing treaty of cooperation between the countries. These workers
do not need to obtain a travel visa. As an employer explained, “The Syrians
travel by bus and have a red card, which allows them to enter Lebanon. They
stay six months in Lebanon, and then cross the border to renew their red
card.” 210 In this case, the ease of migrating encourages both women and men
to cross the border in search of more lucrative work. Such ease of movement
also implies that most Syrian workers do not rely on recruitment agencies to
secure work opportunities in Lebanon and Jordan. Instead, as they explained
in their interviews, “We just came to Lebanon and began searching for a
job. Most of us work in construction, but a few are also hired by cleaning
companies.”
By contrast, under the kafala system currently prevailing in Jordan, Kuwait,
Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates, migrant workers of other nationalities
require a sponsor: a national of the destination country, who is responsible
for the immigration and residency of the migrant worker. Those interviewed
confirmed that there were different ways of finding a sponsor. One route was
to travel to the destination country with a visitor’s visa and find a sponsor
upon arrival. Indian and Sri Lankan workers at a packaging and cleaning
factory in Lebanon admitted that “we all came through on tourist visas and
then regularized our situation”.
Many of those interviewed for the present research also spoke about the
role of personal contacts, relatives and social networks already working in
the Middle East in finding work opportunities by facilitating contacts with
potential sponsors. A Pakistani employee in a food company in the UAE
explained: “My brother was working here and arranged all my papers. I didn’t
need to go through an agency.”
209
Interview with a migrant community leader, Qatar, 18 Jan. 2012.
210
Interview with an employer, Lebanon, 23 Sep. 2011.
102