Dubai, Mar 21 - Human Rights Watch today urged Emirati development companies and Western cultural institutions building branches of the Louvre and the Guggenheim in the UAE to do more to curtail abuses of Asian migrant workers involved in the landmark multibillion dollar project.
The New York-based group said that although those behind the museum projects in Abu Dhabi have made important commitments, Òprotection gaps remain,Ó such as a failure to reimburse workers for recruiting fees, which often take months or years to repay.
They are Òthe single greatest factor in creating conditions of forced labour,Ó Human Rights Watch said in an 85-page report on the ambitious projects on Abu Dhabi's Saadiyat Island.
Along with the Louvre and the Guggenheim, the island will also include a satellite campus of New York University, a maritime museum and a futuristic-looking performing arts centre. Thousands of labourers are believed to be involved in the construction, many of them migrant workers from Asia.
ÒFor too long, migrant workers in the UAE have toiled in abusive conditions, with private and public developers showing little concern,Ó said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch.
ÒNow, finally, Emirati developers and their international partners have stepped up to the plate on Saadiyat Island to start to protect workers, but they will need to do more to curtail the abuses,Ó she said.
The group said that since its first report on labour conditions on Saadiyat island in 2009, measures have been taken Òto ensure regular payment of wages, rest breaks and days off, and employer-paid medical insurance.
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