ABC News 20/20 Dark Side of Dubai

Description

Welcome to Dubai, a city with a glittering skyline, world class shopping malls and luxury resorts. In fact, Dubai may be the world's biggest boomtown. But as ABC News reports, human rights groups say that Dubai's gleaming towers are being built on the backs of exploited foreign workers. In an exclusive report,ABC News went inside Dubai to learn how the emirate has grown so far so fast - Dubai's building boom has been made possible by some 500,000 migrant construction workers, most from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Many work 12 hours a day, six days a week, in extremely hot temperatures that have led to illness and, in some cases, death. The workers live in crowded camps, with eight or more men sharing one small room. Just days after ABC News began asking questions, the government of the U.A.E. announced a series of reforms to improve the conditions of workers. Correspondent: Brian Ross This "20/20" program also contains the following story: The Heart Attack Grill Airdate: 11/17/2006