What is kafala system?

sponsorship
Kafala originated from the Arabic word that means “sponsorship”. The Kafala scheme is a mechanism used in Arab countries to monitor, through a sponsor, such unskilled migrant laborers as household service, construction, and service industry workers.

Why is kafala bad?

The kafala system regulates the lives of tens of millions of migrant laborers in the Middle East, but growing outrage over human rights abuses, racism, and gender discrimination has fueled calls for reform.

Who suffers from kafala?

Migrant domestic workers in Lebanon are trapped in a web woven by the kafala system, an inherently abusive migration sponsorship system, which increases their risk of suffering labour exploitation, forced labour and trafficking and leaves them with little prospect of obtaining redress.

Why did the kafala system start?

According to the International Labor Organization, the kafala system began in the 1950s as a manner of regulating the use of migrant workers in GCC states. The system was aimed to be flexible and allow labor needs to be addressed rapidly but decrease during less busy times.

Which country have kafala system?

The practice of the Kafala System has been prevalent in the following countries or group of countries: Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) – Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and UAE. Jordan. Lebanon.

Which country has ended the kafala system?

Saudi Arabia
“Saudi Arabia has announced that it will end its notorious sponsorship or kafala system on March 14. Migrante-Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, together with all OFWs in the country, is glad and jubilant and is celebrating over this historic action,” Migrante International (MI) said in a statement late on Saturday.

How do you end a kafala system?

Qatar declared it ‘abolished’ the Kafala system in December 2016, implementing a contract-based system in its place. Employees with indefinite term contracts can move to another employer after working a minimum of five years with the first employer.

When was the kafala system introduced?

1950s
It is a sponsorship system between employer and employee that gives the employer extensive rights and opportunities. The aim of this system, which was established in the 1950s, was able to recruit large numbers of cheap workers during the economic growth caused by the discovery of oil.

What is kafala worker?

What is the Kafala System? It is a sponsorship system that binds migrant workers to one employer (a sponsor) in many countries of West Asia. It emerged in the 1950s with an objective to provide temporary and rotating labourers in the period of economic boom.

Is Saudi Arabia open for workers?

Authorities say workers will be able to switch jobs without employers’ permission. Foreign workers in Saudi Arabia are now able to switch jobs without their employers’ permission after the long-awaited labour reforms in the Gulf region’s most populous country went into effect.

What is the new Kafala System?

The new conditions in Saudi Arabia’s kafala system include stipulations that will allow migrant workers to transfer to other jobs upon the expiry of their work contract without the need for their former employer’s approval.

When did Kafala System end?

“Saudi Arabia has announced that it will end its notorious sponsorship or kafala system on March 14. Migrante-Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, together with all OFWs in the country, is glad and jubilant and is celebrating over this historic action,” Migrante International (MI) said in a statement late on Saturday.

What is the kafala system?

What is the kafala system? The kafala, or sponsorship, system defines the relationship between foreign workers and their local sponsor, or kafeel, which is usually their employer. It is found in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries—Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates—as well as Jordan and Lebanon.

Are migrant workers vulnerable to the kafala system?

While not all employers may conduct business this way, the kafala system makes all migrant workers vulnerable to that reality. In some states, the majority of the workforce is made up of migrant workers, and sometimes substantially.

Is the kafala system a rentier state?

Indeed, many of the countries that utilize the kafala system are classified as ‘rentier states’- states in which the majority of their revenue and the stability of their economy depends upon the rent of their indigenous resources, (eg: oil, coal) to overseas clients. Essentially, the government holds complete authority in this scenario.

What is a sponsor kafala?

Kafala, sponsorship, is an employment framework in the Gulf States – as well as Lebanon and Jordan – that requires sponsorship from a national for migrant workers to be employed and reside in the country. The sponsor, either an individual or a company, possesses substantial control over the worker.