Migrant Exploitation and the Kafala System in the Middle East

With 30 million migrant workers in the Middle East, the region’s workforce depends almost entirely on migrants from Asia and Africa. In Qatar, these essential workers account for 80-90 percent of the labor market, in UAE, Kuwait, and Bahrain the share is nearly identical, and in Saudi Arabia and Oman they comprise anywhere between 60-70 percent.[1] This labor market operates under the umbrella of the kafala system, employed by every country of the Gulf Cooperation Council as well as Lebanon. This system, considered a modern form of slavery, allows private enterprises to manage the visas of their migrant employees. As a consequence, migrant workers are unable to report exploitative employers, fearing retribution and possible expulsion from the countries they reside in.