Vani Saraswathi

Vani Saraswathi is the Editorial Director of MRRORS [Migrant Rights Research Open Repository] –– formerly Migrant-Rights.org –– and the author of Stories of Origin: The Invisible Lives of Migrants in the Gulf. The book is an anthology of reporting from seven origin countries over a period of three years. Vani moved to Qatar in 1999, working with several local and regional publications and launching some of Qatar’s leading periodicals during her 17-year stint there. During her stay in Qatar, she, along with like-minded people, mobilised a grassroots community to help migrants in distress. She writes extensively on human rights issues, with a focus on gender, labour, migration and BHR. Since 2014, in her role with Migrant-Rights.org [now MRRORS] she reports from the Gulf states and countries of origin. She also organises advocacy projects and human rights training targeting individual employers, embassies, recruitment agents and businesses in Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and UAE, working with nationals and long-term residents in these countries. A special emphasis is on female migrants, including domestic workers. Much of her advocacy effort is geared towards mainstreaming issues facing female migrant workers. She holds a Master’s degree in Human Rights from the School of Advanced Studies, University of London.