UAE launches special OFW courts
In a report posted online by Concept Central, the special tribunals were set up to protect migrant workers against abuses and ill-treatment by their employers. Philstar.com/File Photo
MANILA, Philippines — To ensure speedy justice for household service workers including overseas Filipino workers (OFW), the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has launched special judicial units that will handle their cases.
In a report posted online by Concept Central, the special tribunals were set up to protect migrant workers against abuses and ill-treatment by their employers.
The establishment of special tribunals was contained in a resolution issued by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, deputy prime minister of presidential affairs and chairman of the Abu Dhabi judicial department, the report said.
Under the scheme, special public prosecutors and judicial departments will be assigned in every court of first instance to hear the cases in Abu Dhabi.
The UAE is among Middle East countries that employ thousands of OFWs.
According to Yousef Saeed Al Abri, acting undersecretary of the Abu Dhabi judicial department, the resolution was intended to speed up verdicts on the cases.?The resolution was released following a federal law issued by President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan in September 2017.
The law prohibits any kind of harassment against the workers and forced labor or human trafficking, and grants them the right to keep their official documents.
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