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Recent labour and migration reforms across the Gulf present a mixed picture. While some positive changes have been introduced, their impact is often undermined by weak implementation and barriers to justice. The tragic loss of 49 lives and injuries to over 50 migrants in Kuwait’s Mangaf fire is a devastating indictment of the Kafala system's ongoing and systemic failures.
Here’s a round-up of our coverage from the year so far. |
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New
Stories of Origin: BangladeshThis two-part series delves into the reasons migrants leave their country despite the risks of working abroad and the isolation they face upon their return. |
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Workers pay between US$4000 to US$6000 for jobs that pay pittance at best or that don’t exist at worst. In 2023, 1.3 million Bangladeshis emigrated for work. Of them, 38.2% went to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia alone. Despite bans on recruitment from both the Bangladeshi government and the Gulf states, mass deportations, and rampant wage theft, the lure of Saudi has only become stronger. Even if things become dire, all would be forgiven given the vicinity of the holy land. A chance to perform Hajj or Umrah was worth the risks. “And if we die there, we go to jannat.”
قراءة باللغة العربية |
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With not enough knowledge while leaving and not enough support on return, migrant women are rallying around each other to build a community of resilience. In the second and concluding part of the Bangladesh report, we delve into the critical role played by returnees and families of migrants. قراءة باللغة العربية |
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Learn more about the complexities of migrant welfare in the GCC. Here's some of our coverage that you might have missed: |
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The Mangaf fire is the unsurprising result of a host of structural issues inherent to the Kafala system and exclusionary urban governance. These practices that shape the lives of Kuwait’s three million foreign residents, particularly working-class migrants, who make up the majority of non-nationals and face the most marginalisation, write Batul K Sadliwala, migration and international development expert, and Yousef Al-Shammari, the chairman of Integrated Community Center Kuwait. قراءة باللغة العربية
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As Bahrain contends with a drastic fall in its fish stocks, migrant fishermen are increasingly falling victim to wage theft. Bahraini authorities have intensified efforts to arrest and deport migrant fishermen for unauthorised fishing, rather than dealing with the crisis or holding sponsors accountable. قراءة باللغة العربية |
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Driven from their fields by increasingly erratic weather patterns that devastate their crops, more and more Nepali farmers are migrating in search of new livelihoods. But their escape from one climate disaster lands them in another, with rising temperatures in the Gulf exacerbating already dangerous working conditions. قراءة باللغة العربية |
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Kuwait’s recently rescinded amnesty for some migrant workers on irregular status is the last in a string of controversial policies, prompting the question: will Kuwait ever learn from its mistakes and prioritise the human rights of migrants? Yousef Al-Shammari, co-founder of Integrated Community Center Kuwait, writes. قراءة باللغة العربية |
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As the Kingdom steps up recruitment from Nepal, manpower supply and contracting companies have a free run. Ten Nepali migrant workers interviewed for this story recounted to Migrant-Rights.org their experiences of being tricked by recruitment firms in Nepal and their subsequent vulnerability to exploitation in Saudi Arabia. قراءة باللغة العربية |
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Saudi ArabiaBuilding and Wood Workers’ International (BWI) has filed two complaints against Saudi Arabia with the International Labour Organisation (ILO), emphasising the widespread human rights abuse of migrant workers in the Kingdom, including forced labour. The cases highlighted involve over 20,000 construction workers who are victims of wage theft and other labour abuses.
Saudi has introduced several initiatives related to the recruitment of domestic workers in the past month, including a mandatory insurance scheme for contracts, a lower ceiling for recruitment fees, and several new recruitment agreements with countries of origin. Additionally, domestic workers who are reported as absconding will soon have a two-month grace period to leave the country before their status becomes irregular or to transfer sponsorship if they have worked over two years. Corresponding reforms to strengthen regulations and make complaint mechanisms more accessible are needed for these reforms to take root.
The country is also slated to become the first GCC state to require all domestic workers to be paid through the Wage Protection System (WPS), with all newly recruited workers required to be paid through the system from 1 July 2024. The WPS mandates that employers pay workers’ wages through bank transfers instead of cash, thereby increasing transparency of salary payments. However, they are still excluded from the national labour law.
Saudi Arabia has significantly reduced fines levied on employers for various labour rights violations, including wage theft, failure to provide a weekly day off, and passport confiscation. Some fines have been reduced by as much as 80%, raising serious enforcement concerns as the country expands on major infrastructure projects for The Line and the 2034 FIFA World Cup. |
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BahrainBahrain’s Ministry of Interior recently amended regulations concerning visit and dependent visa conversions. As per the new regulations, only sponsored visit visas — as opposed to visas on arrival — can be converted to work permits, and they must retain the same sponsor who initially issued the visit visas. |
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UAEStarting next year, employer-provided health insurance coverage will be mandatory for all private-sector and domestic workers across the UAE, following a nationwide health insurance mandate ratified by the Emirati cabinet. While the move to unify health systems and implement mandatory health plans for the remaining Emirates is a positive step, healthcare in the UAE continues to be characterised by severe discrimination based on nationality and employment. Rather than offering universal provisions to workers on equal footing with citizens, the UAE has in recent years favoured private insurance-led initiatives for addressing the basic needs of migrant workers.
Migrants inequitable access to healthcare is at a crisis point with the outbreak of dengue in migrant-concentrated areas. The outbreak owes to a lack of clean-up efforts after the heavy flooding in April, according to a report released by FairSquare. Low-income migrant worker neighbourhoods were left neglected for over three months, creating stagnant water, ideal breeding grounds for mosquitoes that transmit dengue. Furthermore, the investigation revealed significant barriers to healthcare access for migrant workers who may have contracted the virus. |
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KuwaitKuwait’s Ministry of Interior (MOI) recently announced the full resumption of family (dependent) visas for migrant residents, effective from 28 January 2024. However, residents seeking family visas are now required to earn a monthly salary of KD 800 (US$ 2,600) and possess a university certificate relevant to their work sector.
Kuwait’s Public Authority for Manpower (PAM) recently introduced new fees for work permits and sponsorship transfers. The Ministerial Decision (No. 3 of 2024) also removes fees on large companies who recruit beyond their visa allocation. These new fees present additional burdens on Kuwait’s already restrictive job change regulations, forcing migrant workers into exploitative situations.
Kuwait’s Ministry of Interior had put forward a three month amnesty period that allowed residents with expired visas to adjust their irregular status after paying a fine or leave the country without paying a fine. The amnesty was in force between 17 March 2024 and 17 June 2024 and was later extended until 30 June 2024. Following this, the government has enforced several raids across the six governorates, arresting and deporting 450 residents with irregular status. |
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QatarQatar’s Shura Council has proposed reintroducing exit permits for domestic workers, though it has rephrased the practice as ‘obtaining employer approval’ at least five days before departure. If enacted, this development is concerning as domestic workers are still excluded from the national labour law and the wage protection system. This change can diminish the limited rights available to them. |
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Our new Know Your Rights leaflets are downloadable booklets that provide an overview of workers rights under the labour and domestic workers laws in each of the Gulf states. Additional languages to be added soon. |
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Updated Legal Comparisons |
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Comparison of End-of-Service Benefits For Domestic Workers In The Gulf
This policy note reviews end-of-service benefits and with annual leaves for domestic workers in each of the Gulf countries. While these workers are generally entitled to fewer benefits than their counterparts in the private sector, they are nonetheless guaranteed a gratuity at the end of their service in every country except for Oman and the UAE.
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