Dissertation: Domestic Workers in Saudi Arabia and the Emirates: A Socio-Legal Study on Conflicts
Amsterdam Law School Research Paper No. 2011-49
General Subserie Research Paper No. 2011-08
337 Pages Posted: 3 Dec 2011 Last revised: 14 Dec 2011
Date Written: December 2, 2011
Abstract
This dissertation concerns a socio-legal study on the following questions: Which factors influence the (emergence and character of) conflicts in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates between domestic workers and their employers, the norms both parties (may) refer to, and the related (im)balance of power? In what way and to what extent do domestic workers and their employers refer to Islamic, customary, contractual, and formal legal norms? Do conflicts concern disagreement over norms or disputes regarding behavior contrary to the norms upon which both parties agree? Which factors influence the Islamic, customary, contractual, and formal legal norms that both parties (may) refer to in conflicts? Which party is able to enforce its own norms or to act contrary to norms on which both parties agree and which factors influences this (im)balance of power?
Keywords: domestic workers, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, legal pluralism, Sharia, human trafficking, migrants, rentier state theory, gender, access to justice
JEL Classification: K19
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation