"For migrant workers, sheltering in place is as pointless as social distancing" 14 April 2026

At the best of times, the Kafala system and its provisions render migrant workers – especially low-wage earners – vulnerable to extreme exploitation and severely dependent on their employers/kafeels for survival. In times of crises, this vulnerability is exacerbated: something we have seen time and again...According to Human Rights Watch, “As of March 25, conflict-related deaths in Gulf countries have included migrant workers, among them a Pakistani driver, a Nepali security guard, and a Bangladeshi water-tanker driver, according to media and official government reporting. Others have been injured.”...

Except if you are a migrant worker completely dependent on your employer to provide you with food and shelter, and access to information is limited in your native language. The labour accommodations are not only crowded; most often, these are flimsy portacabins in remote areas outside the main cities. Hence, the scenario of workers in labour camps having an extra supply of any essential items is unlikely...The most impacted amongst them are the fishermen who earn a commission based on their catch. The Persian Gulf waters are risky even in peacetime, with fishermen always in a precarious situation...

“The abdication of responsibility of the state and employer is the hallmark of the Kafala system only two of the GCC states have a minimum wage, and both are so low that workers on that wage scale are completely dependent on their employer for their very sustenance and survival...The ease with which workers can be hired and fired, retained and deported – with all of the incidental costs of reintegration, social protection, skills training and recruitment borne by the migrant and their home state – is not only the reason why Kafala endures against all criticism...In the coming months, the efficiency of grievance mechanisms and labour institutions will be tested once again...

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