Dubai
In June, I had visited the Sonapur area of Dubai, in order to volunteer at an iftar event. After this event, we observed that temporary barber shops had come up in the area, where labourers were giving haircuts to other labourers in unhygienic conditions. On Friday, August 21, I returned to the area to investigate these makeshift barber shops. We spoke to a few workers who were walking nearby, and they advised us not to speak directly to the barbers. As the barbers were aware that their activity was illegal, they would become agitated if we tried to speak to them.
I saw two or three permanent barber shops in the vicinity of the temporary ones. However, these shops are insufficient to cater to the demands of the large number of labourers living in the area. We were told that these temporary barber shops were purely there to make money, and the cost of a haircut at these establishments was only Dh5, as opposed to Dh10 at the permanent salons.
Both barbers and customers are labourers from the same labour camp. For them, it is an easy way to earn some extra money and their customers can save up to Dh5 per haircut.
These temporary shops only operate on Fridays as it is their weekly day off. We took a few rounds of the area in our car, and noticed seven or eight barber stalls, filled with customers getting a haircut. They all seemed busy, as people waited in line for their turn.
However, the barbers know that this activity is illegal, so they are always on high alert. Oftentimes, municipal authorities and other officials conduct raids in the area, and the barbers then flee the location, leaving behind all their equipment in these temporary set-ups. Those individuals who are caught have to face legal action against them.
This practice is illegal for a reason. The conditions of these barber shops are very unhygienic. One customer was wrapped up in a plastic sheet and sat on an old wooden chair. We were told that the barbers do change blades between customers, but nobody knows how they dispose off the shaven hair. Taking into consideration the heat and humidity, it is definitely an uncomfortable situation.
However, the number of labourers frequenting these temporary establishments suggests that there is a need for cheaper services, so that such unhygienic practices go away permanently.
— The reader is a grade six student at Delhi Private School, Sharjah.
Be a community reporter. Tell us what is happening in your community. Send us your videos and pictures at readers@gulfnews.com
