Op-Ed: Indian death toll in UAE rises

The death toll of Indian expatriates in Dubai has risen exponentially, sparking concerns from the Indian Embassy to provide more support to their people.

The annual total number of deaths in Indian community in Dubai has rises from 1,157, 1,284 to 1,420 cases, in year 2006 to 2008. Suicide cases have been a big part of it. Suicide victims were predominantly male expatriates with no significant difference between Muslims and non-Muslims. The majority of incidents took place in the victim's own house. "A whole host of activities lead to suicide: from depression, to a period of frustration and then to loneliness when they feel they have no one to talk to, and others start noticing it too", said Venu Rajamony, Consul General of India. Indian is one of the biggest community among expatriates in Dubai. Many of them come from poor family, with bad condition at home. They are not always educated and willing to take great risks in seeking a better life in Dubai. They work as construction workers, security guards to restaurant workers. Due to shaky financial conditions, a lot of them fear they will lose their job and if they go back to India, they will be worse. Many workers also died in construction site accidents due to lack of safety measure. The Indian Embassy poised to provide more support, especially psychologically, to the Indian Community in Dubai.