Below is a letter we received from the president of the Federation of Kerala Associations in Saudi Arabia (FOKASA). FOKASA is a social organization of Indians working in Saudi Arabia that regularly provides assistance to Indians deprived of their human rights. The letter brings to attention an issue rarely discussed: forcing workers into a runaway status, which deprives workers of any rights, to make a profit of punish the worker.
Here is the letter (some minor edits were made for clarity):
The FOKASA wishes to make you aware of a very serious social issue concerning the expatriate workers from the South-East Asian countries, especially from India.
There is a provision in the Saudi Labor Laws (for expatriate workers) that states that a sponsor has absolute freedom to declare his/her workers “runaway” (Huroob in Arabic) if he is absent from duty for few days without permission from the sponsor. When the sponsor informs this matter to the passport department, the worker will become a runaway person. The consequences of becoming runaway are disastrous. The runaway person cannot go out of Saudi Arabia through normal channels like airports or seaports. He can leave to his country only through the deportation centres, and this only happens if the sponsor wishes to allow his worker to leave. Practically the life of a person becomes hell if he is made runaway. At present there is no solution to the Huroob.
This is a weapon as well as a business to many Saudi swindlers. They procure work visas from the Saudi Ministry of Interior to recruit workers to Saudi Arabia. They sell these visas to local agents in South-East Asian countries and make a nice profit. As soon as the worker lands in Saudi Arabia, the agent will declare him as a runaway, so that the Saudi man can approach the interior ministry and ask for the same number of visas that he made huroob.
A Saudi employer may declare his employee as a runaway if he feels that the worker is trying to approach the labor office to settle a dispute with him. There are innumerable occasions where the Saudi sponsors can punish their workers by making them a runaway. This is in fact a very very sharp weapon in the hands of unscrupulous Saudi employers. They use this weapon any time, even for minor issues.
We’ve documented scores of cases in our records where the Saudi employers declare poor workers runaway and make their life hell. The sponsor in this country is “owner” and the worker his “slave”. He has absolute freedom to inflict maximum damage to the worker.
I earnestly request you to look into this issue and take up it with utmost concern.
Thanks and best regards.
R. Muraleedharan
President, FOKASA
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May 7, 2010
The president of Fokasa has addressed one of the long standing issues in Saudi Arabia in the right perspective. Slavery appears to be abolished from the world, but the mentality to make the weak as slave is always there as the hidden agenda of the strong. Article 1 of the Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the UN in 1948, says: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and act toward one another in a spirit of brotherhood.”
But, in Saudi Arabia, such spirit of brotherhood is more often invisible when it comes to expatriate workers. Even though the Saudi press brings in focus the pathetic conditions of the expatriate workers now a days, the result-oriented settlements or solutions do not arrive in full swing. The sponsor is the determining factor to the destiny of the workers. The Saudi Labour law guarantees many benefits to the expatriate workers. But the nexus between the sponsors and the vested interest sabotage to exploit the workers here. This is the issue to be taken care of by the top authorities in the government. The government has to issue stringent directives to punish the sponsors and their accomplices as and when they breach the existing labour law. It has to appoint a special wing to monitor such human violations.
May 23, 2010
STOP going to work there !
do not leave your country unless you have a decent contract.
July 17, 2010
If anybody can force Jawazat office to remove huroob, it will a great great help work for poor Indians. I am also in Huroob.
July 24, 2010
I am also a victim of Horoob. I was locally hired in Saudi Arabia and worked in a company for 4 years and My sponsor terminated me with one months notice. After finishing the notice period I secured a Job in Binladin Group and this company gave me a release letter to change my sponsorship but unfortunately Binladin group could not change the sponsorship as they were having problems with the labor office. But after 5 months my previous company complained to passport office saying I have escaped and put my name in Huroob. Anyone who knows how to get rid of this Huroob please call me [censored for worker's safety who was contacted by Migrant-Rights.org]
September 2, 2010
PLEASE HELP ME.IF ANYBODY KNOW HOW TO REMOVE HOROOB IN JAWAZAT.PLEZZZ HELP ME
[Writer was contacted by Migrant-Rights.org]
September 30, 2010
How to remove huroob can anybody help in this regard, my sponsor also placed me in huroob while taking transfer from him. How come I can resolve this issue its unbearable situation I never broke any rule whether it was India or in Saudi Arabia but suddenly it is my sponsor who made me illegal without any fault of mine so please anybody who can help me in this regard he can help me by providing information of how to process and remove the huroob jazakallah hu khairan
December 8, 2010
Who became huroob…. he lost his career future…
I am facing a big trouble…
Once I removed huroob by giving SR.10,000 to sponsor..
Then after two months… it automatically again huroob…
Allahu aalam… who worked behind huroob issue.. they cannot die normally…
December 26, 2010
PLEASE HELP ME HOW TO LEAVE THIS COUNTRY IAM IN HUROOB PLEASE HELP ME,MY MAD SPONSOR PUT ME IN HUROOB.
May 13, 2011
Go to the Embassy and complain them that your sponsor is lost and company is closed. They will send you giving out pass. Huroob cannot be removed as per todays notice. Before it was getting removed but Saudis made this as business so they stopped removing huroob.
June 12, 2011
Assalam walaikum
Dear All Reader’s
Iam also in huroob….
I am facing a big trouble…
Once I removed huroob by giving SR.8,000 to sponsor and 15,500 to agent, He remove my huroob.Then after 15 days it automatically came again in huroob…Allah Akbar.
One thing i got from this people they think them only human being and rest are animals especially to these Countries (Bangladesh, Pakistan, India and many more).
Pray for all Huroob brothers
Everyone come legal in this Country and become illegal and all other countries illegal entry and become legal
July 9, 2011
Can Huroob be removed in Saudi Arabia. The officer of my father’s ex company put huroob on him because he refused to pay an exhorbitant sum to get a release for transfer.
Please advise how this can be removed. Kindly contact me.
July 9, 2011
I need advise if huroob can be challenged or removed in UAE.
July 23, 2011
i have problem help me