Spotlight on Progress
While much remains to be done in the Arab States region to better address all forms of modern slavery, some positive steps are being taken. Most notably, after several years of persistent lobbying from international rights groups and worker’s unions, the Government of Qatar has pledged a series of labour reforms to improve the treatment of migrant workers there.
In 2016, Qatar announced a landmark decision to replace the kafala system with a contract-based law system aimed at ensuring greater protection for workers.1 Under the kafala (sponsorship) system, a migrant’s right to work and live in the host country is dependent on the sponsor, so workers are unable to enter or leave the country or seek alternative employment without their sponsor’s written consent.2 In 2017, Qatar ratified Law No.15 (Domestic Workers Law) granting labour protections for domestic workers. This new law guarantees domestic workers a maximum 10-hour workday, a weekly rest day, three weeks of annual leave, an end-of-service payment, and healthcare benefits.3
Despite this, the law is still weaker than the country’s general labour law and does not fully conform to the International Labour Organization (ILO) Domestic Workers Convention.4 The government has also announced its intention to introduce a minimum wage rate for all workers and undertake the renewal of residence permits directly with migrant workers in effort to replace the kafala system. Labour Dispute Resolution Committees established by Law No. 13 of 2017 will also be operationalised to offer effective and timely remedies to workers’ grievances.5
The government had also taken steps to reimburse the recruitment fees paid by migrant workers constructing the World Cup stadiums and to cover the fees of future constructions workers, a move that will see £3.6 million return to, or remain in, the hands of migrant workers.6 In early September 2018, the government removed the requirement for migrant workers to obtain an exit visa to be able to leave Qatar, allowing most migrant workers to now be able to leave the country without seeking their employer’s permission.7 This doesn’t extend to domestic workers, however, the government is currently working with the ILO to grant this group of workers the same rights.
