Domestic workers exploitation in Bahrain getting still worse?

This video says about itself:

Migrant domestic workers in the Gulf: Trafficking and forced labour

22 October 2012

Over 100 million mostly migrant women work in someone else’s house. Many of these domestic workers are not covered by labour laws or social security and cannot form or join a trade union. Exploitation and abuse are common and often go unpunished.

From Gulf Daily News:

Move to lower wages rapped

By RAJI UNNIKRISHNAN

Saturday, February 07, 2015

RIGHTS groups have raised concerns over a pan-GCC recruitment agency syndicate that aims to keep wages low for some of the poorest in society.

The GCC Task Force of Recruitment Agencies, as it is known, was formed last month with the express intention of keeping down the cost of hiring housemaids.

…

Many domestic workers in Bahrain live on subsistence wages of as little as BD70 a month and send as much as they can to their country of origin in order to support families or loved ones.

Bahrain Human Rights Watch Society secretary general Faisal Fulad told the GDN that it was inhumane to suggest that these workers‘ wages should not increase.

‘Our society thinks that migrant workers deserve better wages,’ he said.

‘We have around 2.5 million housemaids in the GCC, but unfortunately the six member nations are yet to accept the International Labour Organisation‘s convention on domestic workers ‘ which guarantees them basic rights such as minimum wages, eight hours of labour a day and freedom of movement.

‘Instead, we have maids here working for more than 16 hours a day without holidays, not being paid for months, having their passports withheld and being abused.’

It was obvious that this so-called task force’s sole interest was to act as a pressure group maximising profit, Mr Fulad said.

‘The conditions set by the sending country are there to protect the rights of their nationals, but these agencies only have their business interests in mind and are not concerned with the rights of workers,’ he said.

Migrant Workers Protection Society chairwoman Marietta Dias was similarly dismayed by the news.

‘Already workers are not being paid enough and their wages do not match their skills,’ she said.

‘Recruitment agencies cannot be so restrictive when it comes to wage demands ‘“ instead, there needs to be a revision of domestic workers’ salaries across the board.

‘We don’t have minimum wage agreements in place yet, but this doesn’t mean that recruiters can just decide on a wage that suits them.’ …

According to the latest Labour Market Regulatory Authority figures, there are currently more than 105,000 domestic workers in Bahrain, or approximately 8.5 per cent of the population.