Reuters | 4 September 2018 DUBAI (Reuters) – Qatar amended its residency laws on Tuesday to allow most foreign workers to leave the country without exit permits from their employers, a provision which labor rights groups have long said should be abolished. Doha is keen to show it is tackling allegations of worker exploitation as […]
Qatar Lifts Controversial Exit Visa System for Most Workers Read More »
Current sponsorship regimes in the Middle East have been criticized for creating an asymmetrical power relationship between employers and migrant workers – which can make workers vulnerable to forced labour. Essential to the vulnerability of migrant workers in the Middle East is that their sponsor controls a number of aspects related to their internal labour
KUWAIT: Even as a number of lawmakers called for the formation of a special temporary committee to study the demographic imbalance in the country, a government committee entrusted with studying the cancellation of the kafala (sponsorship) system is forging ahead to find a solution that will protect the rights of both employers and employees, achieve
Kuwait: Govt mulling cancellation of kafala system Read More »
13 February 2016, Migrants-Rights Qatar’s failure is due largely to its stubborn stand of not recognising migrant workers as critical players in national building, deserving of equal status. It is also in part due to weak implementation of existing regulations, and a stranglehold over any form of independent rights-based social work. With growing criticism of
27 October 2015, Doha News After more than a year of debate, Qatar has adopted changes to its controversial Kafala sponsorship system, which will make it easier for some to switch jobs and leave the country. The main reforms appear to be that there will be a new system to appeal refused exit permits. Additionally, expats who
Qatar’s Emir signs into law kafala changes Read More »
11 May 2015, Rappler MANILA, Philippines – The use of mega-recruiters or large-scale recruitment entities in Gulf states is “a system worth trying for domestic workers” to counter the ill effects of a visa sponsorship set-up that has oppresed many migrant workers, Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) chief Hans Leo Cacdac said. Under the Kafala
Mega-recruiters in Gulf states answer to Kafala? Read More »
19 February 2015, Aljazeera America Qatar announced Thursday that it was introducing labor law reforms to aimed at ensuring that thousands of migrant workers building venues for the 2022 World Cup are paid on time. The news comes months after the U.N. urged the Gulf nation to amend its labor practices and only a few days before
Qatar to introduce pay reforms for migrant workers Read More »
17 February 2015, New Vision KAMPALA – The Ugandan ministry of gender, labour and social development has released a list (at bottom of page) of only 25 licensed private overseas recruitment companies in Uganda. The companies complied with the requirements of externalization of labour, most of which is to countries in the Middle East, according
The 25 licensed private overseas recruitment companies in Uganda Read More »
10 February 2015, Dhaka Tribune Saudi Arabia is going to import around 10,000 workers from Bangladesh every month in 10 categories of household jobs, free of cost. The decision came at a meeting between Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Khandker Mosharraf Hossain and a 19-member delegation led by Saudi Deputy Minister for International Affairs
KSA to recruit 10,000 workers every month for free Read More »
7 February 2015, Gulf Daily News RIGHTS groups have raised concerns over a pan-GCC recruitment agency syndicate that aims to keep wages low for some of the poorest in society. The GCC Task Force of Recruitment Agencies, as it is known, was formed last month with the express intention of keeping down the cost of
Move to lower wages rapped Read More »
