ZAMBIA: JCTR Urges Government to Abandon Middle East Jobs Plan
The Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR) has advised Government to abandon plans to facilitate recruitment of 1,000 young Zambians to work in the Gulf region.
Recently Zambia Government announced its plans to facilitate the recruitment of 1,000 youths to work as maids, drivers, waiters and waitresses in Kuwait, Abu Dhabi and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
While commending the efforts to create job opportunities abroad, JCTR has urged the Government to consider pertinent factors when pursuing an option of promoting worker migration as a way of addressing rising unemployment, saying that apart from being preoccupied with financial and economic benefits that come with migrant remittances, there is need to seriously consider necessary measures to protect human rights and human dignity of its citizens working locally and abroad.
The JCTR has since reminded Government that work is more than a way to make a living; it is a form of continuing participation in God’s creation.
“If the dignity of work is to be protected, then the basic rights of workers must be respected. The Government has an obligation to ensure that its citizens working locally and abroad do so in an environment that protects their rights and promotes human dignity,” the statement explained.
The JCTR called on Government to, instead, find job opportunities for its citizens only in countries that have progressive labour laws and practices, and that have a track record of promoting decent work and workers’ rights.
In a statement issued recently, JCTR stated that the offer of jobs from the Gulf appeared relatively lucrative as workers were expected to receive up to slightly above $ 1000 a month, which is 12 times more the stipulated minimum wage for maids in Zambia.
However, there are credible reports that migrant workers working as maids, drivers, waiters and waitresses in the Gulf region are subjected to various forms of abuses, including unpaid wages, confinement to houses, abnormal working hours, physical or sexual assault by employers with some women being raped in some cases.
International Human Rights organisations and media outlets have also separately reported abuse of migrant workers in the Gulf region doing the types of jobs that have been advertised in the Zambian media.
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By Mwenya Mukuka, ZCCB Communications Officer
