The Horrific Treatment Of Indian People In Dubai

While the world looks the other way, ignoring the tragedy of human trafficking

Photo by Jeet Dhanoa on Unsplash

They sweat in the hot sun and the suffering is atrocious. The host country had taken away all of their passports when they arrived — under contract — to work on whatever labor they were told to do.

When they visited the agency in rural Latur, Maharashtra they never mentioned that was going to happen. Neither were they told they had to pay for their plane tickets with their labor in place.

The agency didn’t mention a lot of things, conveniently enough. They knew they were dealing with people at the end of their rope without a way to dispute the terms or walk away to another agency. That would mean traveling to Delhi, hundreds of miles away, and without any guarantee the trip would be worth it and the contract any better.

Their families were struggling to eat, rationalizing every bit of nourishment.

Every bite counted, every scrap was currency to their health. Even close, tight-knit siblings at another time, were fighting daily for another piece of bread, one more chunk of dirt cake.

Such was Shankar’s situation. Complete and utter desperation everywhere he turns. There were no more goats, nor chickens and his old and sick cow finally collapsed one boiling day under the sun. There was nothing left.

Photo by Christoph Schulz on Unsplash

He had to follow ‌Dubai’s promise. He had to believe what he was told. He was horrified when black marketeers offered him the option of selling his organs, and maybe even those of his wife and children.

He’d never seen so much money in someone’s hands, but he did that day. The Manav Taskari as they’re called in India, was flashing bundles of 20k ($240) rupees right in front of his face. “Yes?, Yes?” He repeated it over and over.

He felt like grabbing the whole lot and running like crazy but unfortunately, he wasn’t alone and they had bikes. He wouldn’t survive that attempt in a thousand years.

Organ trafficking is a common black market practice in some Asian countries but is predominant in India as the authorities, for a few rupees, look the other way.

The country’s economy was in shambles and it was worse in the countryside, as the pandemic caused severe and insurmountable difficulties. Lack of water and a serious drought make some places unlivable. When such an event happens, everyone moves to the next piece of land that still has any resources left, primarily potable water.

The population then exploded in those small enclaves and before long, another move was necessary.

It was a never-ending nightmare with no way out.

The lady smiled politely as she pulled out the contract form for him to sign.

He attempted to ask some questions but they were evaded by one distraction after another.

All he managed to find out was that he was bound for Dubaï, UAE.

Will work as a laborer with accommodations and air conditioning and he’ll get paid twice monthly with a choice of rupees or Dubai dollars (Dirhams). The contract was for four years, renewable at the company’s discretion.

Photo by Martijn Vonk on Unsplash

He was told the day of departure and given an id with his name, emergency contact, and the company’s label.

Was told to only pack what he could carry, and not to exceed 25 lbs.

After signing, he was given an advance of 30K rupees ($362), a one-way ticket, and a handshake by someone who came from behind the curtains in the store to give him his ID and whom he’d never seen before.

That was the happiest day Shankar had in the longest time, probably when his son was born, 8 long years ago.

He secured the money in his sack, held it tight, and shouted for a tuk-tuk, a form of cheap taxi prominent in India.

He embraced his wife so tightly that almost stopped her ability to breathe, and with a smile that she hadn’t seen since forever, loudly announced “We’re going out to dinner, get dressed!, Everyone!”

He didn’t have to say it twice. As soon as they realized he wasn’t playing, they all scurried around finding attire to wear. They hadn’t gone out to dinner since their last child was born. Their little girl, three years ago.

During dinner, he explained what he did, and told her and the oldest child the details, but left the length of time he was going to be absent out of the conversation.

Photo by Darya Sannikova

She didn’t press him to tell her because she more or less knew. As soon as he said it was going to happen in Dubai.

He left most of the money with them, and the idea was to expect weekly allowances. He packed the most needed items since he figured he could buy whatever he needed over there. In those beautiful malls, he saw on the trains, on the busses, and in every magazine that circulated.

The four members of the family went to say goodbye to the airport when the day came to depart.

Long, sustained hugs and plenty of tears were the last things he’d remember of that last day in his beloved country. And a promise from his heart he’ll return to visit as soon as he can.

There were languages and dialects from his own country that he’d never heard before. Only a few spoke his own, Bengalese and that made his heart jump with joy.

No one could explain the reason why their passports had to be collected but someone suggested it might be an assurance from the advance they got back home.

That made sense and that was that.

It didn’t take long for almost everyone to realize that what was promised to them back where they came from was far from what was happening.

Their methods were typical of human trafficking. They had no protection from criminals outside their dormitories, and even inside of them, there was no real safety.

Lack of education and poverty are 2 of the main causes why these enterprises thrive.

Once you fall into their trap, it’s almost impossible to get out unless the victim manages to pay for their freedom.

The promise for the men was almost always labor; only later it became forced labor as their “employer” finds an infraction — or several — that puts their victim in the red and tells them they must now fill their quota.

To pay that debt and get back to “normal” duties, he’s told he must now engage in a certain amount of illegal activities that include drug cultivation, organized trafficking, and distribution.

If international traffickers in Dubai tricked the females into believing they’d be better off with them — and gave them a large sum right away — some in desperation made the terrible mistake of going with them.

By the time they saw reality, it was too late.

Forced pregnancies and lots of trafficking ensued. As soon as a baby was born, it was sold to an already waiting party. Or trafficked in the Dark Web to the highest bidder.

It’s a multi-billion dollar operation. Only Interpol gets involved but they also get quickly overwhelmed by the number of cases.

Photo by Darya Sannikova

Escorting and theft were some of the functions they were told to do. They never knew when any given day would be their last.

Beatings were common and encouraged by the runners of that particular operation. If they got too old or unable to perform properly, they would go to the Domestic Servitude section.

Shankar had only sent a small portion of the first 3 weeks’ pay home. There were “infractions” they made up and now he’s in debt to them and must complete the payments before he can get his regular “salary” again.

There was nothing he could do. Not when they had his passport and when he still owed them for his flight there and the original advancement.

In his bunk at night, he spoke to his room buddy about becoming a superhero and getting justice.

He dreamt of ridding the world of these monsters and avenging the suffering of the forgotten ones.

Films like Rambo, Terminator, and Alien were inspirational to him.

He thought of his heroes who, depleted and exhausted, beat a stronger evil nonetheless. He thought of David and Goliath and imagined a bigger world power invading the UAE and causing Dubai’s demise.

The beauty of that magnificent thought gave him the peace he needed to close his eyes after looking out his open window, one last time, welcoming the starry night ahead.