Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07MUSCAT879
2007-09-12 12:13:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Muscat
Cable title:  

LABOR SENDING COUNTRIES DISCUSS TIP

Tags:  PHUM PREL KCRM KWMN SMIG ELAB KMPI MU 
pdf how-to read a cable
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RR RUEHDE RUEHDIR
DE RUEHMS #0879/01 2551213
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 121213Z SEP 07
FM AMEMBASSY MUSCAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8751
INFO RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE
RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA 0036
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 0300
RUEHJA/AMEMBASSY JAKARTA 0016
RUEHKL/AMEMBASSY KUALA LUMPUR 0020
RUEHML/AMEMBASSY MANILA 0036
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 0289
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 MUSCAT 000879 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/ARP, G/TIP, AND DRL
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR FOR JAMES RUDE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/12/2017
TAGS: PHUM PREL KCRM KWMN SMIG ELAB KMPI MU
SUBJECT: LABOR SENDING COUNTRIES DISCUSS TIP

REF: A. MUSCAT 206


B. MUSCAT 388

C. MUSCAT 822

Classified By: Ambassador Gary A. Grappo, reasons 1.4 b/d.

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 MUSCAT 000879

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/ARP, G/TIP, AND DRL
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR FOR JAMES RUDE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/12/2017
TAGS: PHUM PREL KCRM KWMN SMIG ELAB KMPI MU
SUBJECT: LABOR SENDING COUNTRIES DISCUSS TIP

REF: A. MUSCAT 206


B. MUSCAT 388

C. MUSCAT 822

Classified By: Ambassador Gary A. Grappo, reasons 1.4 b/d.


1. (SBU) Summary: During a recent luncheon hosted by the
Ambassador, chiefs of mission (COM) from trafficking source
country embassies in Oman asked for U.S. assistance in
pushing the Omani government to improve conditions for
foreign workers by: enforcing existing labor and immigration
laws; instituting a minimum wage for expatriates; and
providing support for TIP victim services. The Ambassador
called on his colleagues to help raise awareness about TIP,
and encouraged them to educate their nationals about their
rights to union membership. The Embassy plans to continue
developing opportunities for dialogue with representatives of
labor source countries. End Summary.


2. (C) On September 5, the Ambassador hosted a lunch for COMs
from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and the Philippines -
countries that supply most of Oman's expatriate labor - to
discuss ways to jointly combat TIP in Oman. (Note: The
Ambassador from Malaysia also attended because Indonesian
housemaids who run away from their sponsors often seek
shelter at the Malaysian Embassy in the absence of an
Indonesian mission to Muscat. End note.) The COMs
appreciated USG leadership on TIP in Oman, but candidly
stated that they are unwilling to address a sensitive topic
like TIP directly with their Omani hosts for fear of
jeopardizing their access to Oman's labor market. They
identified a number of issues related to TIP, however, that
they hoped the Ambassador would address on their behalf with
Omani authorities.

- - - - - - - - - - -
Enforce Existing Laws
- - - - - - - - - - -


3. (C) The COMs complained that the government of Oman is not
doing enough to enforce its labor and immigration laws. They
stated, for instance, that Omani recruitment agencies and

their foreign partners remain largely unregulated despite the
fact that an agency must be licensed with the Ministry of
Manpower (MOM) before it can operate in Oman. The COMs
agreed that the government must provide greater oversight of
this sector and begin imposing stiff penalties on agencies
that engage in exploitative practices, such as switching
contracts, charging exorbitant fees for recruitment services,
and withholding passports.


4. (C) The Ambassador of the Philippines stated that the
Royal Oman Police (ROP) is not enforcing its own regulations
that require housemaids from the Philippines to be in
possession of a contract certified by their embassy in Muscat
before being allowed to enter the country. He claimed that
despite the ROP regulations, Omani sponsors are hiring
housemaids from recruitment agencies in the United Arab
Emirates (UAE) and bringing them into Oman without the
embassy's knowledge. Roughly half of the women who seek
shelter in his embassy's safe house to escape abuse
(including nonpayment of wages and sexual assault) had
entered Oman via the UAE, he said (ref A),but the government
still has not taken action to investigate or stop this
cross-border traffic despite his repeated complaints to the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).

- - - - - - - - - - - - -
Establish a Minimum Wage
- - - - - - - - - - - - -


5. (C) The Bangladesh COM asked for USG help in advocating
for a universal minimum wage. (Note: Oman currently has a
minimum wage for citizens only, which is 140 Omani Riyal
(OR)/month (USD 363). End Note.) Some laborers from
Bangladesh earn as little as 30 OR/month (USD 78),he said,
which makes it extremely difficult for them to pay off debts
to recruitment agencies or improve their living conditions
(ref B). He argued that the government of Oman could
eliminate many cases of exploitation simply by ensuring a
base level of remuneration for both Omanis and expatriates.
The Philippine Ambassador stated that his government has

MUSCAT 00000879 002 OF 003


instituted a worldwide mandate that housemaids earn at least
USD 400 (153 OR) per month, and the Indian Ambassador added
that his government is in the process of adopting similar
regulations. The Philippine Ambassador admitted, however,
that in the absence of Omani government action to enforce a
minimum wage, average wages for Filipina housemaids remain
low in reality.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Provide Support for Victims
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -


6. (C) The COMs also identified a need to increase the
availability of services for TIP victims. The Philippine
Ambassador claimed that his embassy's shelter supports 30 to
50 runaway housemaids per month. The Indian embassy's
shelter can accommodate only 12 women at a time and is
regularly filled to capacity. The Ambassador of Bangladesh
lamented that although he is confident there is demand for a
similar refuge among his nationals in Oman, he does not have
the resources to open a shelter. The Indian Ambassador
further remarked that while the government of Oman has given
tacit approval for his embassy to run a shelter, it provides
no assistance for its operation or maintenance. He and the
other COMs suggested that they would be open to greater
cooperation with Oman to develop a coordinated system of
support for potential TIP victims.


7. (C) The Bangladeshi Ambassador cautioned, however, that
tying service provision too closely to the Omani government
may scare victims away from the therapy and services they
need. He stated that social and religious taboos likely
would stop many Bangladeshi women from identifying themselves
as victims of sexual abuse even to professionals who speak
their language and understand their culture. He added that
the problem of providing effective services is compounded by
the reality that his embassy rarely knows how many
Bangladeshis are in Oman, let alone how many of them are
possible victims of TIP. He suggested that the government of
Oman institute a policy requiring foreign workers to first
register with their embassies when they or their sponsors
renew the workers' residency permits.

- - - - - - - -
Raise Awareness
- - - - - - - -


8. (SBU) The Ambassador stressed the key role that each
mission has in promoting awareness among its nationals - as
well as Omani sponsors - about the warning signs of TIP and
how to avoid becoming a victim. The Ambassador also
encouraged his guests to inform their workers about their
right to join unions, which, although still in their infancy,
could provide foreign laborers with collective protections
against exploitation. Regarding unions, the Bangladeshi
Ambassador commented that many of his nationals are
illiterate, and that some are even unable to speak
Bangladesh's national language - "How do I speak to them
about unions?" he asked. Others agreed that most of their
nationals simply want to earn money and go home, and lack the
experience or knowledge to understand their rights or how to
demand them. The Ambassador stressed once again that Oman's
new laws legalizing unions, collective bargaining and strikes
present an opportunity to improve working conditions for
low-skilled expatriates across the board.

- - - -
Comment
- - - -


9. (SBU) This was the second time that the Ambassador has
hosted a lunch for colleagues from source country embassies.
On both occasions, the lunches provided a valuable
opportunity for the Ambassador to educate potential partners
on the USG's TIP policy in Oman, as well as solicit ideas on
how to prevent TIP and protect its victims. The Ambassador
reviewed for the COMs the Department's recent Tier 3 ranking
of Oman, our reasons for the ranking and actions we are
seeking from the Omani government to address its TIP
shortcomings. Despite their reticence to individually
address TIP directly with the Omani government, the COMs
expressed their interest in cooperating with the Embassy -

MUSCAT 00000879 003 OF 003


particularly at the working level - to share data and monitor
trends in trafficking among their respective populations.


10. (C) Some of the COMs' ideas - such as pushing for
stronger enforcement of existing laws and developing a
coordinated system of victim services - track with our TIP
action plan and warrant raising with relevant Omani
authorities. Although a minimum wage for expatriates would
help reduce labor exploitation - the Embassy continues to
pursue its own efforts to increase the level of remuneration
for workers under contract to clean the Chancery (ref B) - it
may be politically difficult and/or ultimately unproductive
to champion this issue now, particularly since there are
indications that the MOM is beginning to consider
recommending an expatriate minimum wage on its own (ref C).
GRAPPO