Human Rights Watch urged nations to expand protections for laborers exposed to soaring temperatures on Sunday, citing the report from Human Rights Watch that Gulf migrant workers were in danger of severe heat. Migrants make up a sizable portion of the workforce in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Kuwait, which are among the planet’s hottest regions, where summertime temperatures frequently top 50 degrees Celsius ( 122 degrees Fahrenheit ). According to Michael Page, HRW’s assistant director for Middle East, “every summer reveals that the climate crisis worsens the occupational health and safety crisis for the thousands of migrant workers who are extremely exposed to extreme heat.” He continued,” Migrant workers are excessively dying, experiencing kidney failure, and suffering from other chronic illnesses because Gulf state are dragging their feet on evidence-based labor privileges.” Thousands of migrant workers, especially those in development, are heavily relied on by the wealthy Gulf state, the majority of whom are from India and Pakistan. The UAE broke its May heat history last month for the next time in a row, reaching 51.6 degrees Celsius. The states have a longstanding “midday break” legislation that prohibits work in open-air areas and in direct sunlight during peak heating time from mid-June through mid-September. However, HRW claimed that” these extreme heat problems are now more frequent and earlier, in May,” before the afternoon crack comes into result, because the Gulf is particularly vulnerable to climate change. A Kuwaiti engineer who was interviewed by the New York-based rights organization claimed that while working during the summer months, he had frequently experience “dizziness, vomiting, mind anguish, and blurry vision” and that “many people fall down because of steam.” HRW urged businesses and government to switch from” calendar-based midday restrictions” to risk-based methods to assess workplace heat stress. Researchers have discovered that persistent wildfires are a sure indicator of global climate and that these heatwaves are likely to grow longer, more frequent, and more powerful. In the last three years, the number of really hot times has almost doubled worldwide. Outside staff in Arab states are among the most exposed to heat stress in the world, according to an International Labour Organization report from 2024, with 83.6 % of those affected by increased heat exposure on the job.
