"Gulf Countries: Conflict, Hardships Leave Migrants in Limbo" 31 March 2026

Migrant workers in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries face additional risks to both their lives and their socioeconomic rights due to the current regional conflict, Human Rights Watch said today...Migrant workers carry out jobs essential to the continued functioning of Gulf economies and services during the conflict, including delivering food and water, providing health care, and maintaining critical infrastructure. Yet some workers are unable to pay for everyday expenses due to loss of income, rising costs, and their lack of access to sufficient social services or social security...

“Millions of migrant workers employed across the Gulf countries are navigating threats to their physical safety and job security amid the conflict,” said Michael Page, deputy Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch...Gulf states should take emergency measures to mitigate and where necessary compensate for income loss...Gulf states should also ensure that workers seeking to return to their home countries voluntarily have airfare support. or coordinate with country of origin governments and airlines to provide affordable flight options....Human Rights Watch wrote to all GCC countries to ask about these concerns, but none have provided substantive responses...Gulf state employers are required by domestic law to provide meals or food allowances to workers, in addition to wages...

Human Rights Watch also spoke to workers who are facing reduced work or pay or compulsory unpaid leave despite having two-year employment contracts...Under international human rights law, governments have an obligation to ensure that all workers, including migrant workers, in their countries are paid a fair wage and have access to social security to be able to realize their right to an adequate standard of living, including in times of crisis...Businesses vulnerable to externalities in sectors like tourism should also activate contingency plans that acknowledge the inherent instability of the industry and protect workers during business downturns...

...