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The kafala system disempowers migrant workers and enables abuse. Are you able to overcome the common problems faced by migrants, using the limited tools at their disposal? Take a journey in the footsteps of a migrant worker.
Bahrain will be the first country in the GCC to allow foreigners to live and work in the kingdom without a sponsor. Undocumented migrants are now able to apply for a flexible permit that allows them to work for more than one employer in a full or part-time nonprofessional job. Workers will receive a “Blue Card” renewable every six months, which they must keep on them at all times, and are able to exit and re-enter the country at will.
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The Kuwait Society for Human Rights (KSHR) has launched a hotline for expatriate workers to submit complaints and understand their legal rights. The hotline 22215150 is available in Arabic, Arabic, English, Filipino, Hindi and Urdu. So far, over 800 inquiries have been made on issues ranging from passport confiscation, transfer of sponsorship, owed wages, and contract violations.
Read more.Migrant-Rights.org and the Global Detention Project have submitted a joint report on the UAE’s implementation of the Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD). Our report focuses on the situation of detained foreigners and migrant workers in the UAE.
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News that Saudi Arabia had joined the International Labour Organisation (ILO) governing body shocked many observers last week, drawing many comparisons to the Kingdom’s incongruous re-election to the UN Human Rights Council last year. How could a country that so visibly violates the rights of millions of migrant labourers be elected into a position of authority, in an institution intended to protect workers’ rights?
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The UAE’s Federal National Council passed the latest draft law on domestic workers last week. It now requires final approval from President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. If enforced, the law would offer the most progressive regulations for domestic workers in the region.
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Qatar released new statistics concerning its Expat Grievances Committee this week. Expats whose travel requests are denied by their employer must appeal to the committee in order to leave the country. Over 761 appeals were received between December 13 and February 15, 213 of which were rejected, 485 approved, and the remaining in consideration.
Read MoreKuwait’s Ministry of Interior Affairs announced that at least 29,000 expats were deported in 2016 – about 80 persons a day. This is a meaningful increase from the 25,000 deported in 2015. A Ministry official cast these statistics in a positive light, claiming that they “show undoubtedly that we have made deportation processes much faster.”
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