MAKATI City, Sept. 5, 2011—Migrant workers’ group, Migrante-Middle East (ME) lauded the campaign by some Saudi workers, urging fellow Arabs to be “kind and friendly” with foreign workers, who comprise a huge percentage in the Kingdom’s workforce.
Migrante-ME regional coordinator John Leonard C. Monterona said in an email, some Saudi nationals had been twitting fellow Saudi not to discriminate, instead, become friendly with foreign nationals working within the KSA.
Monterona said that the campaign was initiated by Turki Al-Dakheel, a journalist and TV personality. Turki, Monterona said, has more than 120,000 Twitter followers.
“It is a call grounded on humanitarian concerns recognizing the indubitable contribution of foreign workers on the socioeconomic progress of the Saudi society, thus it gains widespread support among the Saudis,” said Monterona.
The Twitter message about the “be kind and friendly to non-Saudis” circulated on August 30th, the feast of Eid’ El-fitr, or the end of the Glorious Ramadan.
“This is the least we can do towards this group of people during Eid. The foreign workers need moral support which is more important to them than earning money,” reads Al-Dakheel’s Twitter message.
“We welcome this Twitter campaign, and express our appreciation to the Saudis raising the social awareness of respecting migrant workers’ rights and well being,” said the migrant leader, adding that they are hoping that the campaign will lead to the reduction of abuses, maltreatment and labor malpractices, often cited as grounds why migrant workers? mostly housemaids, run away from their employers. (Noel Sales Barcelona/CBCPNews)
