Kafala system

For kafala in the sense of children's adoption laws, see Islamic adoptional jurisprudence.
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The kafala system in Qatar has been linked to labor abuses that occurred during the construction of the venues for the 2022 FIFA World Cup[1] (pictured here, Al Thumama Stadium; one of the World Cup stadiums, under construction in 2013).

The kafala system (also spelled "kefala system"; Arabic: نظام الكفالة, romanized: niẓām al-kafāla; meaning "sponsorship system") is a system that exists in many Arab countries in the Middle East, including most of the nations on the Arabian Peninsula,[2] which involves binding migrant workers to a specific employer throughout the period of their residence in a country. The same system existed in Israel under the label "binding labour", until that country's supreme court eliminated it in 2006.[3][4]

The system, which blocks domestic competition for overseas workers in the Gulf countries, [5] requires migrant workers to have an in-country sponsor, usually their employer, who is responsible for their visa and legal status. This practice has been criticized by human rights organizations for creating easy opportunities for the exploitation of workers, as many employers take away passports and abuse their workers, with little chance of legal repercussions and even repatriation.[6][7] The International Trade Union Confederation estimated 2.4 million enslaved domestic workers in the Gulf countries in its 2014 report, mainly from India, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, and Nepal.[8]

  1. ^ Armstrong, Jeremy (20 May 2019). "Qatar World Cup stadium migrant workers being paid as little as 82p-an-hour". The Mirror. Archived from the original on 24 May 2019. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
  2. ^ "What is the Kafala System? | Council on Foreign Relations".
  3. ^ https://people.socsci.tau.ac.il/mu/adrianakemp/files/2017/03/Kemp_et_al-2014-International_Migration_Review.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  4. ^ Englert, Sai (2023). "Hebrew Labor without Hebrew Workers: The Histadrut, Palestinian Workers, and the Israeli Construction Industry". Journal of Palestine Studies. 52 (3): 23–45. doi:10.1080/0377919X.2023.2244188. hdl:1887/3640524.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference econ130810 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference BBC090506 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference cnn130501 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Falconer, Rebecca; Kelly, Annie (17 March 2015). "The global plight of domestic workers: few rights, little freedom, frequent abuse". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 3 June 2023. Retrieved 21 October 2023.