Indian migrant workers seek work in Gulf despite risks

The Ministry of Labour in the United Arab Emirates, is still refusing to assist 38 migrant workers trapped in a squalid camp with no money. Their employer abandoned the men from Bangladesh and Pakistan, owing them ten months pay. They are surviving on charity in searing summer heat, with no electricity. They cannot work, claim what they are owed, or afford a flight home. Labour officials say their hands are tied because the mens' case went to court . But that was almost five months ago. Despite the plight of those men, many say they still want to work in the Gulf. And that is because it is the only place they can earn a living. And as Prerna Suri reports from Malappuram in Northern Kerala, India, millions more are keen to follow (5 August, 2010).