Human rights groups are urging governments in the Gulf to ease restrictions on free internet calls, in order to allow low-income foreign workers to affordably connect with their families during the coronavirus pandemic.

Workers from the Philippines, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh — many of whom are employed in the construction and retail industries — form the majority of the population in Gulf states such as Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

Applications that use Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology, including WhatsApp and Skype, have long been restricted to varying degrees in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and Oman. No such blocks exist in Bahrain or Kuwait.

In Qatar, which is home to 1.9 million migrant workers, residents told Coda Story how the restriction of such services affects their lives.