Gabriella Mikiewicz WRD 104 - Evans May 17th, 2013

BEHIND THE LUXURY: A CLOSER LOOK INTO THE UAE CASTE SYSTEM
CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS FIRST DRAFT
Derek Mikiewicz Photography

Introduction
You would never believe that youre standing in the middle of the desert. How can there be blooming owers and palm trees, and skyscrapers so tall in the middle of the vast wilderness of the Arabian Desert? But just a few miles out of the city sky lines of Abu Dhabi and Dubai, you start to see those rolling hills of golden sand. Wild camels roam and gazelles leap over sand dunes, and RVs almost ip over while going dune-bashing. The moon is your only source of light all night long out in the freezing cold desert air, and you can even see over 20 shooting stars in one night while camping.

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History
Pearling, Dates, and Oil The UAEs capital, Abu Dhabi, was built in a relatively small matter of time, from a small shing, pearling, and date farming village to the richest city in the world. Not so long ago, the UAE was inhabited by nomadic Bedouin tribes. Abu Dhabis largest export in the early 20th century was pearls, and the city suffered a huge hardship after the Japanese invented cultured pearls in the 1930s. The rst oil wasnt found until 1953, but the money came slowly and the Sheikh decided to save it carefully. The rst paved road wasnt built until 1969. While Abu Dhabi was exporting oil, Dubai tried to build itself up to be the worlds largest and most populous trading post. In the 1960s, they found oil of their own. Sheikh Zayed, who is now an idol throughout the country, helped to unify the Emirates to independence until the British left in 1971. Zayed became the rst President of the UAE (The Story of the UAE). Now, his face can be seen on huge posters taking over entire walls of sky scrapers, and billboards while driving down the highway. Oil vs Tourism, Real Estate, and Economy The two largest, richest, and most-populated cities in the UAE are Abu Dhabi, the capital, and Dubai. Unlike Abu Dhabi, Dubai doesnt have oil of its own to fuel its expensive luxurious taste. The main revenues of Dubai come from tourism, real estate, and nancial services. (Worth)

Me in front of a Sheikh Zayed Poster in the Emirates Palace

The population of the UAE was estimated to be 7.8 million people in 2011. (CIA World Factbook) The population of locals was estimated to be at 11.5% in 2011, one of the Gulf countries with the lowest percentage of national population. (Expats Make up over 88% of UAE Population) About two-thirds of immigrants in the UAE are Asians, mainly from India, Pakistan, Iran, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and the Philippines (Khalaf).

Locals
Symbols of the Elite Social Class The United Arab Emirates is made up of seven constituent monarchies, one for each of the Emirates. Hereditary dynastic rule still operates in each emirate as a local government system under the umbrella of the federal system. Members of the ruling families occupy the most important positions in their political administrations. Time after time, local nationals of the UAE have gotten away with crimes simply because they believe that theyre allowed to. Only several instances of locals going to jail for abuse, rape, and even murder have been documented. The police allow this behavior to happen. Police & The Judicial System For months, police covered up evidence, including the blood results of an HIV test from a rape case in

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2007. Young Alex was only 15 when he was picked up by a friend in his car, and saw three Emirati men in the back seat. He was taken to the desert and raped. He was taken to the desert and raped.

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The authorities not only discouraged Alex from pressing charges, he, his family and French diplomats say; they raised the possibility of charging him with criminal homosexual activity, and neglected for weeks to inform him or his parents that one of his attackers had tested H.I.V. positive while in prison four !years earlier. (Thanassis Cambanis)

This is only one example of several cases that made it to the media of police covering up crimes where locals are involved. Apart from neglecting their duty, there are also many reports of police brutality and squalid conditions in prisons in the UAE. According to the US State Departments Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labors 2006 report about the UAE, a common sanctioned punishment for prisoners is ogging and lashes. The police have access to large sums of money, since many policemen are locals. They splurge their money on things like luxury cars for their security police forces patrol squad. The Dubai police now have a Ferrari, a $550,000USD Lamborghini, and even a $3million USD Aston Martin (Jandaly). According to the US State Departments Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labors Country Reports on Human Practices for 2012, there is a high level of nepotism and corruption within the legal system. individuals connected to the ruling families went unpunished for corruption due to the lack of an independent judiciary. Also mentioned in the report was the polices lack of transparency: they are not required to disclose any information about their income or assets, which leaves much room for taking bribes. Womens Rights Schools and universities are segregated, but female enrollment in schools has outnumbered male 2:1. There was a time where most women chose marriage over continuing schools, but Lamborghini of the Dubai Police. Taken from GulfNews recent trends show that women are now choosing to pursue higher education and a career over starting a family (Mikiewicz). According the the Islamic Law of the UAE, men are granted privilege in family matters such as divorce, child custody, and inheritance. When a woman does ask for a divorce, she loses her nancial rights (World Report 2012: United Arab Emirates). What may be surprising to some is that wife-beating is not illegal, according to the highest court within the UAE, the Federal Supreme Court. According to the law, a man can beat his wife after he has rst tried admonishing them, and then abstaining from sexual relations with his wife. Also legal is a mans right to discipline his children if they fall under a certain age (Islamic Court: OK to beat wife if no marks left). Lately, trends show that the mothers importance in a family is rising within the traditional nuclear household; shifting slowly from father to mother. Each local family has on average two domestic servants. (EveryCulture)

Laborers
The Help : When Indentured Servitude is Legal While some people in the UAE live with such luxury, it can make you dizzy, some people live in some of the worst conditions that you would expect in a third-world country. House maids and nannies can be found in almost every household in Dubai. Household help is cheeper than most places in the
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world. A typical wage for housemaids is from 700 to 1,200 Dirhams per month. Thats about $190 $330USD per month. There are so many cases of maids running away from their sponsors on allegations of abuse, non-payment of wages, overwork, lack of food and sleep, and others are not uncommon in the country. (Ponce de Leon) Although it is illegal to conscate passports by any employers, it is still a very common practice, employers continue the practice totally unfettered by any concern that the government will enforce the law. Many maids would chose to run away from rapist, abusive employers, but would not be able to leave the country without their passport. Another option in any other country, would be to move employers. Unfortunately, the contracts that maids sign can only be voided with the employers consent. Construction Workers Construction workers are brought in from countries like India, Pakistan, China, and Bangladesh. The workers dire situations begin in their home countries, and continue until they are worked to exhaustion in the UAE. Many laborers take out loans from about $2000-$3000 to pay for work visas, ights to the Emirates, and for mediators to organize contracts with construction companies. Once they get to the UAE, their passports are taken from them, which is a common practice in the UAE for more than just construction laborers, but for all workers brought in from other countries. (Human Rights Watch) While the UAE government encourages tourists not to spend ve minutes outside in the desert sun during the summer, immigrant workers work from sunrise to sunset every day. Temperatures can rise to 130 degrees Fahrenheit in August. Only very recently was a midday lunch break issued as a law, during the hottest part of the day.
Workers at the Burj Khalifa. From Wikipedia

Millions of laborers have poured in from these countries to work on construction projects, such as the Burj Khalifa. During the initial building of the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa, riots broke out after angered workers revolted against security ofcers and their authorities, after saying Derek Mikiewicz Photography they have not been paid their wages, and being mistreated (Labor unrest hampers Burj Dubai work). Along with extremely low wages, the workers are risking their lives every day. Many workers face the possibility of injury or even death, and without assurances that construction companies will help to support their medical needs. Conclusive data for work-induced injuries or deaths, or even employee beatings, are basically unavailable. There is a large problem of lack of reporting on behalf of the construction companies and the lack of enforcement to report by government ofcials. According to the Human Rights Watchs report, Building Towers, Cheating Workers from 2012, there are 140 government inspectors were responsible for overseeing the labor practices of more than 240,000 businesses employing migrant workers.

Construction sight in Dubai.

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Derek Mikiewicz Photography

Other Cheap-Labor Jobs When I come back to America and visit family and friends, a lot of habits from living in the UAE appear. For example, after eating at the food court in the mall, I just stand up and leave, and forget to throw out my garbage and put my tray away. After a weird look and gentle reminder from whomever Im at the mall with, I quickly realize that this isnt how things are done in America: there isnt someone walking after you to pick up your trash all the time. It was common in Dubai to leave your food, expecting a worker to pick it up and take care of it for you. Sometimes, my friends and I would even leave some money there, maybe even ve dirhams (about $1.36USD) on the tray for the man to pick up. We all knew that he wouldnt be getting much otherwise.

When you drive through the streets of Dubai for the rst time, you notice things like the beautiful clear blue sky, the brand new buildings, and the cleanliness of the city. It looks nothing like Chicago or New York, where rats roam the streets and garbage blows on the sidewalks. This is because there are specic jobs created for keeping the city looking awless. Abu Street cleaner in Abu Dhabi. Dhabi and Dubai both have city gardeners who spend hours every day in the intense heat, picking up liter that locals throw from their cars right in front of them, and watering the perfectly green grass. The UAEs reaction The UAE government was disappointed by several reports by Human Rights organizations and even the US State Department about violations of Human Rights in relation to construction workers, housemaids, and even other jobs. The government said that the reports only focused on the negative aspects of the government, and not the positive steps that the UAE has taken. (UAE disappointed by US human rights report)

Tourists
Gold-Plated Walls and Islands Made from Scratch Tourists often come to Dubai with expectations of grand luxury, and thats what they get. They experience living like the Sheikhs themselves, in 7-star hotels with walls plated with gold, and can nd many amenities that arent available in other local middle eastern countries. With these promises of luxury, many tourists end up committing crimes that they didnt even know were possible, such as being under the inuence of alcohol, or even photographing government buildings. Along with these crimes that we might think are arbitrary, comes a lengthy and usually expensive jail sentence. A recent example comes in the form of a doctor who practiced in Abu Dhabi for 6 months, several years ago. He then moved to South Africa, his home. Recently, while going on vacation with his family, he had a layover in Dubai. Suddenly, he was arrested at the airport on charges that he had no idea were even issued against him. While he was practicing in Abu Dhabi, a young patient with cancer died under his care. According to him, the childs parents had refused certain types of treatment. While he was out of the country, he was charged with murder He has been in jail for 8 months without a criminal trial, while the police keep prolonging the trial dates and losing the les and evidence against him (Polgreen).

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As well as drawn-out court cases, there are many reports of arbitrary arrest and detention within the UAE. The constitution prohibits arbitrary arrest and detention; however, there were reports that the government held persons in ofcial custody without charge or a preliminary judicial hearing (US Department of State). Human Trafcking and Prostitution Though prostitution is illegal in the United Arab Emirates, multiple sources claim that the business thrives there. According to a 2007 State Department report on the UAE, there are over 10,000 victims of human trafcking within the country (Carey). More than half of the women who end up being sold or used as prostitutes in the UAE willingly went to the country under false promises of a normal job, to work as a housemaid. 8% of women were invited to the UAE as tourists, but then forced to work as prostitutes. Within those women who are sold, 89% said that they were sexually and physically abused (Stats Reveal Extent of Human Trafcking as UAE Ofcials Launch Crackdown). Many women who were lured with lies of a better life ended up having to pay their pimps up to 6,000 dirhams per month, almost $1,700USD (Dubais Promised Land of Luxury Lures Women into Sexual Slavery). According to actual personal reviews and recommendations on the website, World Sex Guide, the most sought-after and highest-charging prostitutes are Russians and Filipinas. Other reviews mention racist comments about other women who charge minimal amounts, but have a bad reputation for carrying many STDs including HIV/AIDS. The government has responded to these astounding gures of human trafcking by enacting a four pillar strategy legislation; enforcement; victim support; and bilateral agreements and international cooperation (United Arab Emirates Ministry of Foreign Affairs). These methods include laws, refuge shelters, and even compensation for a victims ight back to their home country. Another startling and little-known part of human trafcking comes in the form of young boys, usually under the age of 15, used as jockeys. In 2005, a law was enacted to prevent anyone under the age of 18 being used as a jockey during the popular spectator-sport camel racing. During the year, the government rescued, rehabilitated, and repatriated 1,034 underage boys from camel training and racing. (US Department of State)

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Works Cited
Hari, Johann. "The Dark Side of Dubai." The Independent. Independent Digital News and Media, 7 Apr. 2009. Web. 12 May 2013 http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/commentators/ johann-hari/the-dark-side-of-dubai-1664368.html Photography by Derek Mikiewicz. http://dmfotos.com Laid-Off Foreigners Flee as Dubai Spirals Down. New York Times 11 Feb. 2009, online. 28 Apr. 2013. http:// www.nytimes.com/2009/02/12/world/middleeast/12dubai.html? ref=dubai Polgreen, Lydia. Emirates Laws Trap a Doctor Just Passing Through. New York Times 11 Apr. 2013, online. http:// www.nytimes.com/2013/04/12/world/middleeast/united-arabemirates-laws-ensnare-a-doctor.html?pagewanted=all Slaves of Dubai. Ben Anderson. Vice News. Vice, 2009. Web. 12 May 2013. http://www.vice.com/vice-news/the-slaves-of-dubai Teaching the Limits of Media Freedom is Tricky in the Gulf.New York Times21 Apr. 2013, online. 28 Apr. 2013 http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/22/world/middleeast/22ihteducside22.html?pagewanted=all The Story of the UAE, Zayed University. http://www.zu.ac.ae/ main/en/_careers/living/story.aspx Worth, Robert F. "Laid-Off Foreigners Flee as Dubai Spirals Down." The New York Times. N.p., 12 Feb. 2009. Web. 14 May 2013. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/12/world/middleeast/ 12dubai.html?ref=dubai "United Arab Emirates." CIA World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency, 2013. Web. 14 May 2013. http:// data.worldbank.org/country/united-arab-emirates "Expats Make up over 88% of UAE Population." Emirates 24/7. N.p., 17 Apr. 2007. Web. 17 May 2013. <http:// www.emirates247.com/news/expats-make-up-over-88-of-uaepopulation-2011-04-17-1.381853>. Ponce De Leon, Janice. "Special Report: Abuse Pushes Maids to the Edge." Gulf News. N.p., 3 May 2013. Web. 13 May 2013. http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/society/special-report-abusepushes-maids-to-the-edge-1.1178909 "UAE Disappointed by US Human Rights Report." Gulf News. N.p., 28 Apr. 2013. Web. 17 May 2013. http://gulfnews.com/ news/gulf/uae/general/uae-disappointed-by-us-human-rightsreport-1.1176441 "Labour Unrest Hampers Burj Dubai Work." Khaleej Times. N.p., 26 Mar. 2006. Web. 17 May 2013. http:// www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xle=data/theuae/ 2006/March/theuae_March745.xml Building Towers, Cheating Workers. E1808. 8th ed. Vol. 18. New York City: Human Rights Watch, 2006. http:// www.hrw.org/en/reports/2006/11/11/building-towers-cheatingworkers Cambanis, Thanassis. "The New York Times." The New York Times. The New York Times, 01 Nov. 2007. Web. 17 May 2013. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/01/world/middleeast/ 01dubai.html?pagewanted=1 Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. "United Arab Emirates." U.S. Department of State. U.S. Department of State, 8 Mar. 2006. Web. 17 May 2013. http://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/ hrrpt/2005/61701.htm Al Jandaly, Bassma. "Dubai Police Will Add More Luxury Cars to Its Fleet." Gulf News. N.p., 5 May 2013. Web. 17 May 2013. http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/general/dubai-police-willadd-more-luxury-cars-to-its-eet-1.1179602 Khalaf, Sulayman N. "Culture of United Arab Emirates." Countries and Their Cultures. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 May 2013. http://www.everyculture.com/To-Z/United-Arab-Emirates.html "Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2012." U.S. Department of State. U.S. Department of State, 2012. Web. 17 May 2013. http://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/ humanrightsreport/index.htm?year=2012 Mikiewicz, Gabriella. "Marriage Can Wait for Many Emirati Women." The National. The National, 19 June 2010. Web. 17 May 2013. http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/marriagecan-wait-for-many-emirati-women "World Report 2012: United Arab Emirates." Human Rights Watch. N.p., 2011. Web. 17 May 2013. http://www.hrw.org/ world-report-2012/world-report-2012-united-arab-emirates Carey, Glen. "Dubai's Promised Land of Luxury Lures Women Into Sexual Slavery."Bloomberg. N.p., 5 Nov. 2007. Web. 17 May 2013. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news? pid=newsarchive "Stats Reveal Extent of Human Trafcking as UAE Ofcials Launch Crackdown."Yahoo! News Maktoob. N.p., 18 Apr. 2013. Web. 17 May 2013. http://en-maktoob.news.yahoo.com/statsreveal-extent-of-human-trafcking-as-uae-ofcials-launchcrackdown-051514759.html "World Sex Guide Document: Dubai." World Sex Guide. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 May 2013. http://www.worldsexguide.org/ dubai.txt.html "Human Trafcking." Ministry Of Foreign Affairs. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 May 2013. http://www.mofa.gov.ae/mofa_english/ portal/5b8a314e-750b-4f70-b75c-b3a71687b828.aspx

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