US urges GCC states to scrap sponsorship system

Monday, 14 June 2010 9:13 PM

Gulf countries must scrap their sponsorship system for migrant workers that leaves labourers and domestic workers exposed to human trafficking and forced labour, the US State Department reported on Monday.

In a 373-page report, the department said that employers in the Gulf states exploit the widely used ‘kafala’ system to abuse workers and named Saudi Arabia and Kuwait as the region’s worst offenders.

Both were described by the department as a “destination country for men and women subjected to trafficking in persons, specifically forced labour.”

The two countries were ranked in Tier 3, the lowest possible category; potentially leaving the pair open to US sanctions of non-humanitarian aid.

“These countries consistently fall at the bottom of the list when compared to others around the world,” said Nisha Varia of Human Rights Watch (HRW).

“It is disappointing that governments across the Middle East have been slow to change the kafala system when it is so easily abused.”

Qatar and Lebanon were both placed on the Tier 2 watchlist, the report’s second lowest ranking. The UAE, Oman, Bahrain and Egypt were each assigned a Tier 2 rating, indicating they have made significant efforts to tackle human trafficking.

Millions of migrants, primarily from Asia and Africa, have short-term employment contracts for blue-collar jobs in the construction, domestic work, and service industries across the Middle East.

Under the ‘kafala’ system, nationals and companies can hire migrant workers who are dependent on their employers for food and shelter.

Many workers complain that agencies or employers confiscate their passports, do not pay them regularly or deduct housing or health costs from their pay.

A number of Arab states, including the UAE and Jordan, have signed up to anti-trafficking legislation. Saudi Arabia has operated a shelter for female domestic workers since 1997, while Kuwait has maintained a shelter facility since 2007.

However, other countries, including Lebanon and Kuwait, have yet to adopt anti-trafficking legislation, Many Arab countries retain immigration laws that critics claim penalise rather than protect migrant workers.

“For efforts to end forced labour and human trafficking to be successful, governments in the Middle East should reform the current visa sponsorship system,” said Varia.

“When employers have near-total control over migrants’ ability to change jobs, and sometimes to leave the country, workers can get trapped in exploitative situations in which they are forced to work without wages, get beaten, or face other abuses.”

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Posted by: Isac Monday, 27 September 2010 8:55 PM[UAE] - UAE

Dear Brother G.U.A Kirmani, How you can control flowing of expats with Kafala system by individuals. In fact by Kafala system through private individuals results in overflow of outsiders. The government authority should be the sponsor. Unfortunately with out expats middle east cannot grow economically at the moment. I

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Posted by: G.U.A.Kirmani Saturday, 19 June 2010 5:54 PM[UAE] - Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Agreed it (Sponsorship/ Kafala) is not at all in line with Sarihah law and regularly misused. Yes, it is slavery albeit in different package. But can you suggest other measures how to control activities of over flowing number of expatriates. Ultimately if wrong is committed or anything happens to sponsored worker, it is always sponsor who is held accountable by Saudi law not such worker. Who is US to teach and instruct Saudi Arab to do this and that. What about their backyard. Please don?t interfere in affairs of a sovereign country. Are you listening Saudi nationals?

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Posted by: hassan Saturday, 19 June 2010 10:37 AM[UAE] - qatar

Not a lot of ppl know this but any expatriate employee (be white collared or blue) is required to have an EXIT PERMIT if he works in any company in QATAR. That means you cant leave the country even on a weekend or even on your vacations if your employer does not grant you an exit permit. Most employers hold this to blackmail their employees. In many occasions employers have used the exit permit as a carrot stick for employees to drop legitimate dues. The recent case of an australian ceo is a prime example - where an employee resigned and was accepted, but his exit permit was not granted for over a year. Welcome to the jail called QATAR! Expats beware before taking a job there!

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Posted by: george Friday, 18 June 2010 2:56 PM[UAE] - usa

Listen my friends, I have grown up in mideast and i know what your oil arabs do to poor muslim country men and women. As well as poor non muslim country men and women e.g philipines etc. Its time your slave master relationship ended. Bringing Israel into the picture is the way your leaders and your Imams keep real issues from being addressed. Yes, Israel is a terrible country and exists on brutal force but, that is a separate issue. george

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Posted by: Rama Friday, 18 June 2010 2:07 PM[UAE] - United Arab Emirates

After I read the article, can the GCC countries ask America to get out of the IRAQ, Afghanistan. if America says Yes, than this is removing sponsorship is also possible. GCC governments has to put conditions to USA. They are in the higher side now.

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