Opinion Analysis by Layan Eissa, Contributor

July 30th, 2020

Board games are all about the adrenaline that comes with impatience, the rush that precedes the result, the temper that follows a mistake, and the victory that comes with cunningness.

Monopoly, for instance, is a property-trading board game aiming at a goal of collecting cash from fellow players through owned properties in order to become the wealthiest and win. In the Middle East, however, the same principles are applied to reality through a system called Slavery, only with actual humans as the properties that are traded and injustice being the sole and final result.

Slavery is described as system where individuals are permitted to own, buy, or sell other individuals, as if they were a form of property. An individual could be enslaved as a result of retribution, abandonment (children), war, the birth of one into a slave family, or even debt; and they are chosen by the buyer based on the skills they require. Once an individual is enslaved; they do not have the freedom to withdraw from those terms.The history of slavery does not date back to a specific time, yet Sumeria is believed to be its birthplace and so, as the world progressed and modernized, human slavery had branched out towards Greece and the Middle East; other countries adopted the practice at later stages. As unfortunate and devastating as may seem, slavery has never been completely eliminated, meaning that it still exists in the Middle East to this very present day. 

Amongst the Arab countries, Libya had been involved in horrendous acts, where pictures of several people in boats attempting to cross the Mediterranean have surfaced in 2014, as the ‘migrant crisis’ emphasized the growth of the slave market. In 2017, a CNN report had surfaced of sub-Saharan African migrants being ‘sold’ in Tripoli, Libya for 400$ each at a slave market/auction. The flow of migrants moves towards Italy from the Libyan coastline for 300 km; however, due to the heavy flow, the authorities lack the ability to control it and so, they are subjected to rape, slavery, and torture. 

A shocking revelation has been uncovered about Doha, Qatar in which the country had violated human rights standards for the workers that have been invited to work on the Khalifa Stadium that is to be used during the 2022 World Cup held in Qatar. The workers, including North Koreans, Bangladeshis, Indians, and Nepalis, had been forced to live in inhumane conditions with almost no pay. It is also reported that there are cases where Nepali workers have lost their lives and their bodies shipped back to their homeland with no explanation as to why they’ve passed.  FIFA had stated that the allegations will be investigated and dealt with accordingly, as they have a zero-tolerance policy on human rights violations. 

A heartbreaking practice that is carried on in countries, such as the UAE, KSA, Qatar, and Oman, is ‘Kafala,’ a custom that is meant to sponsor aid in migration processes mainly for domestic workers; nonetheless, it also allows the employer to control the worker’s life with no questions nor complaints. The women tend to become victims of rape, abuse, blackmail, and even murder at times. Since the Kafeel, the sponsor, controls all legal documents and permits regarding their specific worker, they can also choose not to renew their passports or visas as a form of punishment. 

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has a reputation for its modern-day slavery. Women that voluntarily fly to the KSA in hopes of finding jobs, mainly domestic work. Unfortunately, some are pressured into restricted movements, abuse, threats, or even a refusal in paying salaries! Women, mainly from African or Asian countries, are allegedly being kidnapped and forcefully inserted into prostitution after being found avoiding their abusive employers’ households. In addition, American women who had married Saudi locals have stated they’ve been kept hidden in compounds that belong to the local’s family, deprived of basic living needs. 

It is devasting how not only the Middle East, but also countries all over the world treat the nationalities they consider to be ‘minorities’ like they are any less solely because their privilege will never allow them to be in this position. Rather than inserting dominance on those who are doing nothing more than trying to earn their basic human needs, providing them with the necessary and needed aid would nourish their survival and create a safer environment for everyone. No matter where any individual comes from, humanity is something everybody must have in common and simply cannot be taught. Nobody should have the authority to deprive others of their essential needs, no matter the privilege or the background.