Stakeholders in the labor sector in the Kabale district have raised concern over the increasing mistreatment of Ugandan migrant workers in the Middle East, especially in Saudi Arabia.

The concern was raised during a sensitization meeting conducted by the International Organization of Migration (IOM), the Ministry of Gender, Labor and Social Development, and the Uganda Association of External Recruitment Agencies at the Rukiiko Hall in Kabale District.

The meeting aimed at creating awareness and promoting Ethical Recruitment in the Hotel and Tourism industry.

According to the Northern division LC3 Chairperson in Kabale Municipality Isaac Rushoga, Uganda has seen a lot of negative stories related to labor export, especially to the Arab countries, citing examples of sexual harassment among other issues.

Rushoga now demands of the government to consider serious regulations on labor export as a measure to have the safety of Ugandan migrant workers guaranteed.

The parish priest for St. Andrews Nyabikoni Church of Uganda Rev. Edward Mwesigwa has called on the government to come out and clearly make known its position on Ugandans suffering in the Middle East.

The Public Relations Officer for the Uganda Association of External Recruitment Agencies, Ronny Mukundane, says if the government doesn’t work hard to end this challenge, Uganda will lose a lot of revenue from Labor externalization. He however attributes labor export woes to human trafficking by some companies and individuals.

The Senior Project Assistant for IOM, Susan Akoli says they are set to traverse different communities to create awareness about Labor externalization in a bid to curb cases of illicit companies taking advantage of innocent Ugandans.

According to the Bank of Uganda statistics, every year, Labor externalization earns the country remittances of 1.3 billion USD.