The Saudi Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development announced Wednesday the easing of restrictions on the kafala regime in favour of millions of foreign workers from next March. This relief comes through major reforms of the regime in question which does not, however, affect the 3.7 foreign domestic workers working in the kingdom.
The kafala regime is contested by several NGOs, which constantly call for its abolition so that Saudi employers no longer have the possibility of arbitrarily withdrawing workers' residence cards.
Last week, Human Rights Watch (HRW) published a report explaining that if Saudi Arabia wants to abolish this regime, it should deal with all its components on a case-by-case basis. HRW added that the kingdom has built its wealth at the expense of millions of foreign workers and that it has become urgent today to grant the necessary legal protection to these migrants.
With the global health crisis, many workers have found themselves stranded with debts that they must repay before they can return to their countries of origin. This precarious financial situation has been accompanied by a large campaign on social networks initiated by Saudis who are calling for the deportation of migrants, accusing them of being the reason for the spread of the virus.
In a statement granted to AFP, Rothna Begum, senior researcher on the Middle East and North Africa at the Women's Rights Division of HRW, explained that the recently announced reforms remain important even if they are insufficient to dismantle the kafala regime since employers can still cancel the residence of their employees. Rothna Begum added that this means that workers will still be exposed to exploitation and abuse since employers still hold significant power over them.
She also said that the exclusion of domestic workers from these reforms is problematic as many are forced to work long hours without rest while others are victims of physical and sexual assault. The head of HRW considered that the Saudi authorities should abolish the entire regime in order to allow all foreign workers to enter and leave the country without depending on an employer.
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