Reports
Delivering the Digital Economy: African Migrant Workers in the United Arab Emirates E-Commerce and Delivery Sectors
This briefing by Equidem documents the experiences of African migrant workers employed in e-commerce and app-based delivery platforms in the United Arab Emirates. Based on testimonies from 13 workers originating from Kenya, Uganda, Ghana, Cameroon, and Sudan, the report exposes a hidden labour system marked by recruitment debt, deceptive hiring practices, excessive working hours, wage…
Decent Work in the Platform Economy Must Include Outsourced and Migrant Workers: Equidem Briefing for the International Labour Conference Negotiations on Decent Work in the Platform Economy
As the International Labour Conference (ILC) negotiates new global standards on decent work in the platform economy, Equidem’s latest research reveals a critical gap: millions of workers powering the platform economy are invisible to the protections being discussed. Platform companies increasingly organise work through third-party logistics firms, outsourcing companies, and staffing agencies — maintaining algorithmic…
Placing Migrant Workers’ Rights at the Centre of Nepal’s Governance Agenda
This public statement by Equidem calls on the newly formed Government of Nepal to place migrant workers’ rights at the centre of its governance agenda. Drawing on research and direct engagement with Nepali migrant workers, the statement highlights systemic failures in Nepal’s migration governance—from deceptive recruitment and debt bondage to unsafe working conditions and barriers…
Free to be exploited : The abuse of platform-based food delivery riders in Saudi Arabia and the UAE
Free to be Exploited presents the findings of a three-year investigation into the labour conditions facing migrant delivery riders across the Gulf — workers who power platforms like Deliveroo, Talabat, HungerStation, and Careem, yet remain largely invisible. Based on 108 in-depth interviews with riders in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, the report examines one of…
Protect Migrant Workers on the Frontlines of Conflict in the Middle East
As the crisis in the Middle East escalates, Equidem is issuing this statement based on rapid investigation findings from conversations with 44 migrant workers across six Gulf countries, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, and Kuwait. The statement documents the immediate impacts of the crisis on workers’ safety, livelihoods, and well-being, while…
Decent Work & the Care Economy: Migrant Care Work Corridors from Ethiopia, Uganda and Kenya to Saudi Arabia and the UAE
This research briefing by Equidem examines the labour and human rights conditions faced by migrant care workers travelling from Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda to work in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Based on confidential interviews with 92 migrant workers, including domestic workers, nurses, and in-home caregivers, the briefing documents patterns of exploitation across…
