Uganda: Ugandan Women Work in the Middle East Even Though They Face Abuse. They Told Us Why

What the report says

AllAfrica republished a Conversation Africa analysis on 22 July 2026 examining why Ugandan women continue to seek domestic work in the Middle East despite documented risks of abuse and exploitation. The article, by Hanne O. Mogensen of the University of Copenhagen and Julaina A. Obika of Gulu University, says labour migration from Uganda to countries including Oman, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia has grown sharply since the early 2000s, especially among young women seeking paid domestic work.

The authors note that journalists, researchers, Human Rights Watch and the International Labour Organisation have reported abuses against Ugandan migrant domestic workers, including physical, sexual and psychological mistreatment and limits on movement. Uganda has tried to regulate recruitment firms and pursue bilateral labour arrangements, but the article says these efforts have achieved limited results, while both authorised and unauthorised recruiters continue to advertise Middle East jobs in Kampala.

Drawing on interviews conducted between 2018 and 2022 with Ugandan women who had worked in the region, the researchers found that many migrants understood the dangers but still saw the work as a path to income, independence and social standing. Women linked migration to changing gender and family dynamics in Uganda, including men’s reduced ability to provide bridewealth or support households. Some returned with savings or used earnings to support children and build homes, while others struggled to accumulate lasting gains.

The analysis argues that migrant women should be seen not only as victims but also as decision-makers responding to limited opportunities at home. It says stronger protections are needed abroad, alongside broader economic options in Uganda, because recruitment networks and employers benefit from women’s hopes for mobility while often placing them in unequal and exploitative labour relationships.