The G20 Employment and Labor Ministers will gather virtually amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic on September 10 to discuss improving current labor policies and social protection systems, according to a press release from the group.
Se cancela el sistema de patrocinio, que ataba al trabajador a su empleador. Además, se introduce un salario mínimo de aproximadamente 275 dólares. Para los críticos, el monto sigue siendo demasiado bajo. Ministro de Qatar: se está creando un mercado laboral “moderno y dinámico”, en el contexto del plan Visión 2030.
African low skilled workers in Lebanon have been exposed to multiple hardships over the past months. This is due to a multiplicity of factors which includes the economic and political instability in Lebanon which has led to depreciation of the currency, inflation and job losses with Lebanese nationals unable to afford workers; the historical sponsorship (Kafala) system which gives room for exploitation and abuse, the impact of COVID-19 which has led to increased pressure on workers particularly care and domestic work due to work-from-home arrangements at workplaces; and finally the explosion in Beirut.
In a video posted on Facebook, six activists took it upon themselves to explain the “Kafala” system in six languages: English, Swahili, Akan, Somali, French, and Kinyarwanda. It is, they argue, “an exploitative sponsorship system found in the Middle East whereby the employer has full control over their employees.” The Kafala system, from Arabic for “sponsorship,” dominates the lives of migrant workers in Lebanon, Jordan, and the Gulf.
West African domestic workers desperate to return home since a chemical explosion tore through Beirut are finding themselves trapped by the stringent terms of Lebanon’s kafala system which grants employers an immense say over their lives. Joining us LIVE to review this development are Omotola Fawunmi, a social justice advocate and Dara Foi'elle , a Human Rights Activist.
International community needs to investigate conditions of migrant workers enslaved under #Kafala system and ensure safe repatriation of migrant workers and provide financial support.