The BBC published a documentary and related story on labor exploitation in Dubai, planting reporter Ben Anderson amidst construction workers living in terrible conditions, as they work on luxury properties in the city.
“The latrines are so filthy we cannot use them, we are so disgusted. The roads are full of garbage and waterlogged. Living and moving about here is a great problem. We suffer greatly,” one of the workers told us.
We decided to find out for ourselves.
Armed with a secret camera we sneaked into the camp to be met with the smell of raw sewage. Sewage had leaked out all over the camp, and workers had to create a network of stepping stones to cross it and get back to their accommodation blocks. One toilet block had no water supply and the latrines were filled with piles of raw faeces.
The documentary itself is sadly unavailable on the BBC’s Panorama website outside the UK.
There’s another interesting but longer article with the same title that addresses some of the same issues on laborer exploitation. But I found the first part about the woman living in her Land Rover fallacious; instead of blaming the couple’s greed and ineptitude at managing their finances and the exploitative Western financial system, the author implicitly blames Dubai’s ruler and capitalism.
Bashing Dubai is a media trend right. They should really focus their energies on other vastly more corrupt cities all over the Arab world.
About the article you have tagged Abdullah, i agree its not just prejudiced in its tone, it not an objective account altogether. I mean take this extract for example:
“Jules Taylor tells me: “If you have an accident here it’s a nightmare. There was a British woman we knew who ran over an Indian guy, and she was locked up for four days! If you have a tiny bit of alcohol on your breath they’re all over you. These Indians throw themselves in front of cars, because then their family has to be given blood money – you know, compensation. But the police just blame us. That poor woman.”"
Why would you even take this person’s view into account. This doesn’t mean that we are oblivious to the problems within the Dubai or the Emirates, but this is unprofessional journalism that does not seek truth but is merely a mudslinging attempt to generate some publicity for the “shockingly candid and courageous journalist”. All in the name of morally and ethically responsible journalism. Everyone is excitedly posting this link on their facebook profiles for its supposed shock value. Dubai Bashing is deeper than just a trend. I am not one that heeds into conspiracy theories but it reveals the genuine envy and jealousy that was quietly kept inside by many in the western world towards the Dubai Boom and it being in the limelight. The same people that hurried to jump on the band wagon and earn a quick buck are now blaming Dubai despite knowing all well its history and track record in every field.