The epidemic of suicides of migrant workers in the UAE continues unabated: on June 13, UAE papers reported about two suicides of Ethiopian migrant workers.
At 4pm on June 11, police rushed to a house in Ras al-Khaimah where a 29-year-old Ethiopian maid attempted to end her life by overdosing on pills. She was taken to the hospital in time. Just 12 hours following this suicide attempt, an 28-year-old Ethiopian woman jumped to her death from the third floor of a building in the Mussallah area in Sharjah. The report also mentions the death of a 50-year-old Indian man who “fell” to his death from the 11th floor of a building al-Khan area in Sharjah.
Recently the suicide of a migrant worker who jumped to his death from Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, has shed light on this alarming phenomenon. Among Indian migrants alone, 26 have committed suicide in 2011. Migrant workers are often driven to suicide as a result of poor working conditions, abusive employers and heavy debt due to exploitation of recruitment agencies.
Source: Gulf News
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