Contract labour and debt bondage in the Arab Gulf States: policies and practices within the Kafala System

In: Global studies, S. 163-189

Abstract

"Migrant workers usually arrive in the Arab Gulf States with contracts valid for a period of two years, or sometimes up to four years. They are supposed to leave the country immediately after the expiration of their contracts if not renewed or extended. Regulations in the framework of the kafala system tie temporary contract labourers closely to their local employers, who are legally and economically responsible for them during their stay, and often control their mobility and ability to leave the country or change employers.; This chapter examines the main aspects and legal frameworks of the kafala system, and the recruitment policies and practices for labour migration to the Arab Gulf until the year 2016. Focussing on the UAE and Qatar and the findings of ethnographic fieldwork conducted 2014 in Dubai and Doha, it explores official recruitment practices, as well as perspectives of migrants and employers. The chapter illustrates illegal practices, which employers, recruitment agencies, labour brokers, and intermediaries have developed to circumvent certain provisions of both sending and receiving countries in order to generate additional profits out of migration processes. I will show that the kafala regulations cannot be assessed in general as a system of bonded labour, but that especially low-income Asian labour migrants often end up in situations of debt-bondage. This is particularly the case when they fall victim to deceptive recruitment, contract frauds or illegal visa trading." (Text excerpt, IAB-Doku) ((en))