Saudi Arabia: Indian worker allegedly subjected to conditions of forced labour while employed by travel co. Seera Group faces barriers accessing remedy & justice
MBS has declared his "Vision 2030" for the post-oil Saudi economy and is seeking gargantuan sums of foreign investment for his pet projects. But that "vision" relies on the rampant abuse of millions of foreign workers in Saudi Arabia, like my father, who spent 40 years of his life toiling in the kingdom only to be trapped in forced labor and extorted by his employer before he could escape home.Ahmed Abdulumer, Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN)
In February 2024, non-profit organisation Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN) published an article by Ahmed Abdulumer describing human rights violations experienced by his father, Abdul Majeed, an Indian migrant employed in Saudi Arabia between 1981 – 2020.
Abdulumer alleges his father was subjected to human trafficking and forced labour in the country while working as a sales manager for Seera Group, a Saudi-based travel and hospitality company. From 2017, senior fingers “linked to” Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund allegedly became involved in running the company. In 2020, when the worker requested to return to India to care for his sick partner, the company declined the request, took his passport, and “force(d) him to keep working, without pay” for six months during the COVID-19 pandemic. The denial of pay pushed the worker into poverty, and his requests to return home to his ailing wife continued to be denied. The worker was allegedly forced to pay the dues of Seera Group’s clients in order to “free himself” and leave the country.
Following his return, Majeed faced barriers accessing remedy and justice. He asked Seera Group to reimburse him the money owed; it did not reply. He later requested assistance from the Indian government, and the Indian embassy asked Seera Group to resolve the matter; the company did not respond. Abdulumer also contacted the head of the crown prince’s private office but received no response.
In August 2024, Majeed’s case was highlighted in a letter to the US Secretary of State, signed by six members of congress.
In November, Middle East Eye reached out to Seera Group but received no response.
In December 2024, the European Saudi Organisation for Human Rights published an article describing Majeed’s case and highlighting how the case shows both the abuse migrant workers experience in Saudi Arabia, and the “impossibility of holding perpetrators accountable”. It emphasises migrant rights violations will likely intensify during preparations for the 2034 FIFA World Cup.
The case is also referenced in ALQST’s 2025 Annual Report, linked below.