Anwar Gargash, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, says luring foreign construction workers to the UAE under false pretences is human trafficking.

Workers often pay a high fee by recruitment firms on the promise of high wages. The reality is a cycle of debt.

The Minister points out that the overseas firms cannot be prosecuted in the UAE, but that local partners could be and should be prosecuted.

The plight on construction workers in the United Arab Emirates has received more attention since a recent BBC documentary looked at their living conditions in a couple of camps in Dubai.