The United Arab Emirates will soon dedicate a special prosecution unit to domestic workers, in an effort to protect them from abuse and encourage them to report cases of ill-treatment.
The Abu Dhabi Judicial Department (ADJD) announced on Wednesday plans to establish a new public prosecution unit as well as specialized judicial departments that will look into crimes committed against domestic workers.
The unit is intended to handle cases promptly and focus all its resources on helping the workers.
The move comes as many domestic workers tend to avoid prosecuting their abusers, as they often fear the repercussions that entails or are simply discouraged by the lengthy trials.
Ophelia Almenario, labour attaché at the Philippines Embassy, has hailed the ADJD's decree as "good news."
"I think workers will now be more motivated to go forward with their cases, if the time for their prosecution will be shortened, and we believe it will be now that there will be a special prosecution, maybe they will be encouraged to fight for their rights," The National quotes her as saying.
According to Almenario, complaints of abuse or maltreatment previously submitted to the embassy did not make it to court, but this is expected to change with the launch of the new unit.
Commenting on the news, Minister of Human Resources and Emiratisation, Nasser Al Hamli, said the decision demonstrates "how much respect the UAE has for its labor force."
He went on to say that the prosecution unit will help protect the rights of domestic workers and push employers to think twice before violating these rights.
The decision comes as part of the UAE's efforts to protect domestic workers
In 2017, the Gulf country passed a law specifying the working conditions for domestic workers, such as a weekly day off, thirty days of paid annual leave, and the right to keep personal documents.
The law also mandates daily rest of at least 12 hours, including at least eight consecutive hours, Gulf News reported at the time.
However, the law has been criticized by the Human Rights Watch for reinforcing the kafala (visa-sponsorship) system, which "ties domestic workers to their employers and prevents them from leaving or changing employers without their employer's consent."