The legal system in GCC countries does not offer sufficient protection to migrant workers, and new legistlation is needed to give them 'special treatment', according to Nepali migrant rights activists at a recent conference in Kathmandu. Experts at the conference called on the GCC countries to revise the kafala system, while Nepali migration expert Nizar Kochery suggested that countries sending workers to the GCC countries should also set up a migration deparment to deal with issues facing migrant workers.

The conference was organised by the  Pravasi Nepal Co-ordination Committee, a Nepali NGO that advocates for the rights of migrant labourers.

Most Nepalis who migrate to the Gulf states for work do so under the kafala system (see our FAQ for a brief explanation of the kafala system).

See a video of the discussion (in Nepal and English) here.