RIYADH, July 15: Saudi Arabia has reacted angrily to a scathing report from the New York-based human rights group alleging that foreign laborers in Saudi Arabia suffer from extreme exploitation and work under conditions which resemble slavery.
Some officials here said the report had exaggerated the experiences of a few of the more than six million foreigners working in the kingdom, and noted that millions of families around the world were dependent on remittances from these workers.
Riyadh's embassy in Washington said Saudi Arabia had effective labour laws to protect all workers, including foreigners. "We disagree with the report by Human Rights Watch and do not believe it is a fair or accurate reflection of Saudi Arabia and grossly exaggerates the few instances which in no way reflect the positive experiences of the millions of foreign workers in the kingdom," the embassy said in a statement.
