November 15, 2013 (OPride) – At least three Ethiopian citizens had been killed in Saudi Arabia and scores wounded following a visa-related crackdown that began last week.
On November 8, when police started the field security sweep, in a matter of hours, police rounded up hundreds of migrants who did not have “legitimate” residency papers.
The following day, at least two people, including a Saudi national, were killed in clashes between police, foreign workers, and vigilante Saudi citizens. Reports in the local media put the number of those arrested in thousands.
Ethiopia had called on Saudi authorities to investigate the death of its citizens. And it had reportedly sent a delegation to facilitate the repatriation of more than 17,000 Ethiopians now facing deportation.
The mistreatment of foreign workers in Gulf States, including Saudi Arabia, is not new. Alem Dechasa’s assault in 2012 in front of the Ethiopian consulate in Beirut infuriated many. A mobile video showing Dechasa being beaten by her captors went viral, shedding some light on the misery of more than 200,000 domestic Ethiopian workers in Lebanon.
Early in 2012, the deportation of 35 Ethiopian migrants, 29 of them women, from Saudi Arabia for practicing a ‘banned’ religion made international headlines. But the many unreported crimes perpetrated by police against these workers are extremely revolting. Women were raped and men tortured.
Ultimately, for those who cross wild seas and travel miles in the scorching desert of North Africa and Yemen to get to Saudi Arabia, life has less to offer. But for their smugglers who make thousands in a day, it’s a spring in the middle of desert. Lest we forget, the ongoing crackdown on migrants in Saudi Arabia is just a drop in the ocean compared to the thousands abused in the households of the wealthy Arabs and those who die when boats capsized even before they get there.
As we express our collective shock at the Saudis and even praise corrupt Ethiopian officials for posting updates on social media, let us also remember that Ethiopia’s unwillingness to protect its citizens from illegal human trafficking and create better opportunities at home is equally, if not more, culpable.
No comments:
Post a Comment