Saudi Arabia scrapped kafala system that turned Indians into modern-day slaves

Saudi Arabia has abolished the decades-old kafala sponsorship system, a move expected to transform the lives of nearly 13 million migrant workers, including 2.5 million Indians, long trapped under exploitative labour practices, the India Today reported.

The kafala system, derived from the Arabic word for “sponsorship,” tied a worker’s legal status to their employer or kafeel, giving sponsors control over visas, movement, and even passports.

Originally meant to regulate foreign labour during the Gulf’s oil boom, it soon became a mechanism of “modern-day slavery”, say rights groups.

Workers needed employer permission to change jobs or leave the country, leaving them vulnerable to unpaid wages, confiscated passports, and physical abuse. “This corrupt strategy resembles a form of indirect slavery, making it harder for migrants to escape such dreadful situations,” said a Boston University op-ed this May.

In one example, Haseena Begum, a nurse from Karnataka, was trafficked to Saudi Arabia in 2017. Promised Rs 1.5 lakh per month, she faced beatings and starvation. “She was thrown from the third floor of a building in Dammam by her kafeel,” The Times of India reported. She was freed only after Indian authorities intervened.

Saudi Arabia’s decision to scrap kafala aligns with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030, aimed at diversifying the economy and improving the Kingdom’s human rights image.

Migrant workers will now be able to change jobs, leave the country, and access courts without employer approval.

While the reform marks a breakthrough, 24 million workers across Gulf nations, including 7.5 million Indians, remain under similar systems in the rest of the Gulf.

As Amnesty International’s Iain Byrne warned, “If this program is to be truly transformative, it must address the core features of the abusive kafala system.”

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