In the summer of 2021, the UAE Government arrested hundreds of African workers in "racially-motivated" raids, detaining workers without due process and deporting them en masse. Many workers were abused in detention, some experienced sexual abuse, and were deported without their personal belongings, including documentation.

While the raids were co-ordinated and carried out by public authorities, many of the workers had not been paid outstanding wages and have experienced barriers to accessing what is owed to them, Reuters reports. While workers should theoretically be able to access a labour complaints mechanism in the UAE - through a government website, mobile application or phone number - in practice it is difficult for many of them to navigate the system.

Business & Human Rights Resource Centre invited two companies named by Reuters whose workers were owed outstanding wages to respond to the article; neither provided response.