The deputy director of the Middle East and North Africa division at Human Rights Watch (HRW), Adam Coogle, said Saudi Arabia is applying the worst model of the kafala system despite recent reforms announced by the authorities. Adam Coogle recalled that millions of domestic workers have been excluded from these reforms, leaving them dependent on their employers.
Last October, Saudi Arabia announced a series of reforms to the kafala system that ties foreign workers to their employers. This system facilitates exploitation and attacks on foreigners, who may even be victims of forced labor.
HRW stressed that the reforms announced by Saudi authorities do not affect the more than 3.7 million domestic workers and called for the complete abolition of kafala. The NGO reported that several workers testified that their employers forced them to work more than 18 hours a day without any time off, even though Saudi law stipulates that each worker has 9 hours off per day and one day off per week.
Five workers reported that they filed complaints about unpaid wages, moral aggression, and exploitation without any concrete result.
Adam Coogle called on Saudi Arabia to permanently abolish kafala so that foreign workers are no longer dependent on their employers and can enter and leave the country without permission. He added that the authorities must also develop the provisions of the Labor Code and apply it to all foreign workers regardless of the nature of their work.
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