Kuwait: Modern Day Slavery?

Today kuwait is one of the richest countries in the world, and it hasn't been as long as some might like to think since the days of mud houses and pearl diving. Thereafter came the oil followed by privileges, followed by power, then followed by greed. An over simplified timeline we have here that doesn't show the entirety of our past, but thats one way of looking at it. Certainly is the way to look at it when taking into account the sponsorship (Kafil) system we have in Kuwait.

Sponsorship (Kafil) system

So for a non-Kuwaiti to come and work in Kuwait, he/she needs a Kafil or sponsor. Kuwaiti regulations require the sponsor to be the employer, granting him authority over the migrant worker, which may be abused. We have four systems that regulate the relationship between employer and employee:

• Private Sector Labor Law
• Civil Service Law (govt. sector)
• Ministry of Interior Decisions (migrant domestic workers)
• Aliens Residence Law (involved in all sectors)

Here's what stood out to me first "Ministry of Interior Decisions". What on earth is MOI decisions? So we have the private and government sectors both regulated, and then a vaguely titled system that has the authority to decide on the fortunes or misfortunes of domestic workers, someone explain. Perhaps this is the root of the problem and why most cases of abuse in Kuwait involve domestic workers. Who's protecting them?!

Well, theres the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor. For all their lackluster efforts, lets not kid ourselves here, we are speaking of a system that is in total disarray from A-Z. The truth is the system was never created to protect the workers in the first place, it was created by the sponsors for the sponsors. In almost all cases the sponsor will more than likely be the one getting what he/she wants at the end of the day. The sponsor has the right to terminate the worker's residence permit at any time. A sponsor is able to report his worker of escaping without having to prove it, which results in the workers imprisonment or deportation. Many employers withhold travel documents regardless of its illegality. This power given to sponsors may lead to some of them forcing their employees into forced labor. Human trafficking anyone?

Protests against modern day slavery

How do we tackle this problem 

Kuwait Civil Alliance are one of the active members of our society who focus on tackling many issues in Kuwait. They are a coalition comprised of six civil society organizations based in Kuwait working on various issues related to human rights. The sponsorship system is one of the many issues they are focusing on. These are their recommendations:

1. Amending legislation to abolish the sponsorship system currently applied.
2. Amending legislation to balance the unequal power dynamics between sponsor and migrant worker.
3. Amending legislation to enable migrant workers of having the liberty of changing their employment and being protected from imprisonment or deportation in case they refuse to continue working. 

What do you guys think?

For any migrant worker being abused email Kuwait Trade Union Federation for help.