Bangladeshi nationals ranked first among foreign workers in terms of involvement in cover-up businesses run by illegal companies in Saudi Arabia, a study by King Abdul Aziz University revealed Sunday.
The study, carried out by the chair of Prince Mishal bin Majid for cover-up business research at the Saudi University, has found that cover-up businesses sponsor 80 percent of undocumented foreign workers in the country.
It mentioned that Bangladeshi workers ranked first standing at 22.7 percent, reported a Saudi based English daily Arab News. Egyptians came next in line at 19 percent, followed by Syrians (14.1 percent), Yemenis, Sudanese, Palestinian and Lebanese nationals, it mentioned.
The study was based on quarterly statistics issued by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry’s Consumer Affairs’ Committee of Saudi Arabia.
The sectors that witnessed the highest rates of cover-up activity according to the study are construction and contracting, followed by the consumer goods sector and general trade.
Farouk Al-Khatib, a professor of Economics at King Abdul Aziz University, said the rate of remittances by foreign workers have increased and the number of fake institutions have grown in number recently, indicating the existence of cover-up businesses in the Saudi market.
Asked about impact of the report on the Bangladeshi workers, Dr Tasneem Siddiqui, founding chair of Research of Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU), said it is a matter of concern but there is no scope to blame Bangladeshis alone.
“As Saudi companies give fake ‘Iqama’ (work permit) to foreign nationals including Bangladeshis, they cannot avoid their liability. Now, the governments of Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia should work jointly to identify the quarters and take stern actions against them,” she told The Daily Star.
Contacted to Emdadul Haque, labour counsellor at Bangladesh embassy in Riyadh, however, said they did not have any information regarding the Bangladeshis involvement in cover-up activities.
“Arab nationals run their businesses and employ our workers within a procedure in which the employers become sponsors of the foreign workers. So, there is no scope for our people to be involved in such activities,” he told The Daily Star by phone on Sunday.
The study, carried out by the chair of Prince Mishal bin Majid for cover-up business research at the Saudi University, has found that cover-up businesses sponsor 80 percent of undocumented foreign workers in the country.
It mentioned that Bangladeshi workers ranked first standing at 22.7 percent, reported a Saudi based English daily Arab News. Egyptians came next in line at 19 percent, followed by Syrians (14.1 percent), Yemenis, Sudanese, Palestinian and Lebanese nationals, it mentioned.
The study was based on quarterly statistics issued by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry’s Consumer Affairs’ Committee of Saudi Arabia.
The sectors that witnessed the highest rates of cover-up activity according to the study are construction and contracting, followed by the consumer goods sector and general trade.
Farouk Al-Khatib, a professor of Economics at King Abdul Aziz University, said the rate of remittances by foreign workers have increased and the number of fake institutions have grown in number recently, indicating the existence of cover-up businesses in the Saudi market.
Asked about impact of the report on the Bangladeshi workers, Dr Tasneem Siddiqui, founding chair of Research of Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU), said it is a matter of concern but there is no scope to blame Bangladeshis alone.
“As Saudi companies give fake ‘Iqama’ (work permit) to foreign nationals including Bangladeshis, they cannot avoid their liability. Now, the governments of Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia should work jointly to identify the quarters and take stern actions against them,” she told The Daily Star.
Contacted to Emdadul Haque, labour counsellor at Bangladesh embassy in Riyadh, however, said they did not have any information regarding the Bangladeshis involvement in cover-up activities.
“Arab nationals run their businesses and employ our workers within a procedure in which the employers become sponsors of the foreign workers. So, there is no scope for our people to be involved in such activities,” he told The Daily Star by phone on Sunday.
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