Riyadh5 minutes ago
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Saudi Arabia has officially abolished the 70-year-old Kafala system. According to the AP report, this change was announced in June 2025 itself, but now it has been officially abolished.
More than 13 million foreign workers will benefit from the end of the Kafala system. Most of these laborers come from India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Philippines.
Saudi Arabia has abolished the Kafala system but this system is still present in middle class countries like UAE, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain and Jordan.
Kafala made to control laborers
The word Kafala is derived from Kafeel. Kafeel means sponsor or responsible person. That is, the person who is responsible for the stay and work of a foreign worker.
In the 1950s, the oil industry was growing rapidly in the Gulf countries. The demand for oil was increasing greatly, and the number of local people in these countries was small. So they needed a lot of foreign workers.
It was also necessary to control the movement and work of foreign labourers. This is why the Kafala system was created. This gave a lot of strength to Kafeel.
What are the problems with Kafala system?
When a laborer comes to work in these countries, he enters under the Kafala system, and the rules and regulations there apply to him.
Kafeel decides what work the laborer will do, how many hours he will work, what his salary will be and where he will stay.
They could not change jobs, could not leave the country, and could not complain directly to the authorities without Kafeel’s permission. Because of this, workers often got trapped under Kafeel’s control.
Human rights organizations and the International Labor Organization (ILO) have strongly criticized the Kafala system for decades, calling it “modern slavery” because it stripped workers of their most basic rights and encouraged forced labor and human trafficking.
3 big problems of Kafala system
Restrictions on changing jobs: Even if the employer treated them badly, paid them low wages, or made them work 18-hour days, they could not simply leave and look for work elsewhere. It was necessary for him to take permission from his Kafeel to start any new work.
If a worker left the job without permission, he was considered an “illegal resident” and could be arrested.
Ban on leaving the country: Workers could not leave the country and go home, even in case of family emergency. They had to get exit visas approved by their employers to leave the country, but employers often refused, leaving workers hostage.
Seizure of passport: To make the workers look like prisoners, Kafeel would often take away their passports. Due to lack of identity card and no means of travel, they were literally trapped.
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