Landmark labour reforms signal end of kafala system in Qatar
The Qatari government will reform its abusive ‘kafala’ sponsorship scheme, and the newest reports from the Survivor Alliance.
Last week, the ILO announced that Qatar will make "sweeping" reforms to its labor market, aimed at ending the kafala system and upholding the rights of migrant workers. The ILO, who has been working on reforms with the Qatar government since 2017, said the Gulf country’s ministers had agreed to end kafala and also introduce “a non-discriminatory minimum wage, the first in the Middle East”. The announcements were made at an event in Doha to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the International Labour Organization, attended by representatives from Oman, Morocco, the International Organisation of Employers and the International Trade Union Confederation. The legislation is expected to come into force by January 2020.
Kafala ties workers to so-called sponsorship by their employer, meaning they cannot move jobs or without the employer’s approval and require a no-objection certificate (NOC) from their employer in order to do so. The new legislation allows workers to change employers freely. In addition, a Ministerial Decree by the Minister of Interior was also signed, removing exit permit requirements for all workers, except military personnel. Together, these steps mark the end of kafala in the country.
Last month, Amnesty International published a report revealing the plight of hundreds of migrant workers who are still waiting for unpaid wages and compensation, despite established committees to rapidly resolve labor disputes.
Responding to news that the Qatari government has announced it will introduce legislation to reform its abusive ‘kafala’ sponsorship scheme, Amnesty International stated that in order to fully respect the rights of its migrant workers, Qatar must quickly and fully implement any positive measures, more rigorously enforce its labor laws and hold abusive employers to account.
Here’s a round-up of other noteworthy updates and news:
We congratulate the winners of the UK Anti-Slavery Day Media Awards 2019 for their work which brings important awareness of modern slavery and human trafficking as well as the organizations awarded for the outstanding contributions to the fight against slavery in the UK!
This Friday, the Centre for Policy Research at United Nations University will convene a lunchtime panel at the United Nations' Headquarters to allow Member States, UN officials and interested civil society, to discuss the report by UN Special Rapporteur for Contemporary Forms of Slavery, entitled Current and emerging forms of slavery, and what it means for the future of the anti-slavery movement.
The Survivor Alliance released two reports last week, providing recommendations from male survivors living in the UK and highlighting recommendations from their members regarding law enforcement, health care, the NRM, and examples of leadership.
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