March 9, 2026 (AMMAN, BEIRUT, GENEVA, KATHMANDU, KUWAIT CITY, LOME, LONDON, WASHINGTON, D.C.) – The Coalition on Labor Justice for Migrants in the Gulf and its allies stand in unwavering solidarity with the more than 31 million migrant workers across the current conflict zone including the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, Jordan, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, and Iran who face extreme risks due to the escalating war following the U.S. and Israel’s military campaigns in Iran and Israel’s bombing of Lebanon, and the spreading violence to neighboring countries.

Migrant workers account for nearly half of all workers in the GCC, which includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Migrant workers comprise the majority of the total population in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE. Migrant workers also make up a significant population in Jordan and Lebanon, and are employed across Iran and Israel.

Low-wage migrant workers are foundational to the economies in the region, working as domestic workers, care workers, construction workers, app-based workers, hotel workers, farmworkers, and more.  And it is well-documented that these women and men migrate under coercive immigration regimes and work without the protection of fundamental labor rights and collective agency.

It is well established that migrant workers face layered risks in conflict zones, and more so in the GCC context given that migrant workers make up the majority population in the region. Language, employer permission, and legal discrimination may limit their access to information, shelters, and/or evacuation channels. Migrant workers are routinely excluded from emergency evacuation protocols and denied access to bomb shelters.

Under the deeply exploitative kafala (sponsorship) system in the GCC, many migrant workers do not hold their own passports and are legally tied to their employers. This systemic lack of mobility further traps migrant workers in conflict zones limiting their movement.  The armed conflict further exacerbates economic vulnerabilities with the risk that employers will use the conflict as a pretext to withhold earned wages, deny leave, or dismiss workers without compensation. This economic paralysis also severs their ability to send vital remittances, impacting families and economies across Asia and Africa.

Unsurprisingly, as the impact of the violence and conflict has been reported on, migrant workers are among the initial death toll and are particularly vulnerable in the streets, high rise homes and hotels, airports, and other locations where they live and work.

The Coalition on Labor Justice for Migrants in the Gulf and the undersigned organizations raise our voices to make this population visible and remind governments, international institutions, and employers of their immediate and ongoing obligations to migrant workers during armed conflict. The laws of war and international human rights law protect civilians in armed conflict and their protections do not distinguish between citizens and non-citizens. Migrants have the rights to humane treatment, protection against violence, non-discrimination based on nationality, and voluntary departure and governments of destination countries must take immediate steps to ensure these rights.

Early Documentation of the Growing Casualties Among Migrant Workers

Just a week into the war, publicly available information already indicates that migrant worker casualties are among the initial deaths including:

• In the United Arab Emirates, at least three migrant workers from Pakistan, Nepal, and Bangladesh were killed, including 29-year-old Nepali security guard Sandesh Shrestha who was killed at Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi. Roughly 70 workers from at least 15 other countries from across Asia and Africa were injured in the attacks, including workers from Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Eritrea, Ethiopia, India, Iran, Lebanon, Philippines, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Uganda, and Yemen.
• In Kuwait, workers from Bangladesh and the Philippines, alongside workers from 10 other nationalities, were injured during an attack at the Kuwait International Airport.
• In Bahrain, 48-year-old Bangladeshi ship builder SM Tareq (also identified as Abul Mohsin Tarek) was killed by missile debris at the Arab Shipbuilding and Repair Yard (ASRY) in Salman Industrial Area.
• In Oman, a drone struck worker accommodations in the port of Duqm, which injured one migrant worker.
• In Israel, Mary Anne Velasquez de Vera, a 32-year-old Filipino care worker who had worked in Israel since 2019, was killed in an attack on a residential building.

An Urgent Call to Action

The Coalition on Labor Justice for Migrants in the Gulf, along with undersigned organizations, demand immediate action by governments of destination countries and countries of origin, employers and supply chains, and international institutions to safeguard the rights of migrant workers in all countries affected by the conflict. We call for an immediate ceasefire and de-escalation by all parties to the conflict, and for strict respect for international humanitarian and human rights law and the UN Charter by all parties to the conflict and governments of all conflict-affected countries. We also call for full respect for freedom of association, freedom of expression, and democratic rights for all citizens and migrants across conflict-affected areas.

• Immediate Ceasefire and De-escalation: All parties to the conflict should cease hostilities and fully respect international humanitarian law and human rights law, which protect the rights of all civilians in armed conflict, regardless of citizenship or national origin.
• Equal Access to Emergency Protection: Destination governments must ensure that early warning systems, bomb shelters and other protection infrastructure, and humanitarian assistance are fully accessible to all individuals, regardless of citizenship or immigration status. Destination governments and embassies of countries of origin should provide information about emergency services in languages and channels that migrant communities can understand and access, so migrant workers can receive accurate, timely information and assistance.
• Safe Passage and Repatriation: Destination and origin governments should coordinate actions to facilitate immediate, safe, and free repatriation for migrant workers who choose to leave conflict-affected countries. Employers must not be allowed to prevent workers from leaving, including by withholding documents or pay, and must immediately pay all owed wages and compensation to migrant workers who want to leave.
• Freedom of association: Destination governments and employers should refrain from any action that has the intent or effect of interfering with migrant workers’ freedom of association and ability to access their organizations in destination or origin countries, including their rights to freedom of expression and to access and impart information. Freedom of association is essential to ensuring that migrant workers have the ability to make informed decisions.
• Protection for Migrant Domestic Workers: Governments of destination countries, countries of origin, and international organizations should take specific measures to ensure the access to information, resources, repatriation, and protection from discrimination, gender inequality and sexual abuse for migrant domestic workers employed in the GCC, who work in private homes and face significant barriers to freedom of association, movement, and access to information that may impede them from accessing aid, leaving unsafe workplaces, or the ability to repatriate.
• Abolition of the Kafala System: Destination countries should immediately dismantle the kafala system, especially tied visas and exit permit requirements, to ensure that migrant workers have the fundamental right to freedom of movement, fundamental labor rights, and access to justice.
• Wage Protection and Remedy: Governments should implement emergency financial safety nets and strictly penalize employers who engage in wage theft or illegal dismissals during this crisis.

The Coalition rejects the systemic sacrifice of migrant lives for geopolitical gain. We stand with the working people of the Gulf, Jordan, Lebanon, and migrant workers across the region, and call on the global community to center the safety, dignity, and human rights of all migrants.

Signatories: 

Coalition on Labor Justice for Migrants in the Gulf
Anti-Slavery International
Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI)
Equidem
Global Labor Justice
International Domestic Workers Federation (IDWF)
ITUC-Africa
Shramik Sanjal