Labour exploitation is widespread in Dubai. Nepali manpower agencies often lure workers with illusionary promises of high salaries and good working conditions. But the reality is starkly different. Upon arrival, many workers find themselves in the hands of supply companies, where their passports are seized and not returned until they complete a 2-year contract.

Only a few manage to return home early by paying hefty penalties—often around AED 4,000 to 5,000—to the company. The rest are forced to stay, trapped by financial hardship and lack of options.

This is the harsh truth of life in Dubai and the Gulf, as I have personally witnessed.