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Saudi Arabia’s systemic abuse of migrant workers

Saudi Arabia’s demographics show that 42 percent of the population is made up of migrant workers, and yet the conditions and legislations to protect their rights and wellbeing are failing. The statistics indicate that 8 people a day die  as a result of it that requires urgent attention.  Individuals from Nepal, India and Bangladesh are the most affected. 

The reports indicate that migrant exploitation and abuse begins from the moment they enter the Kafala system. Even though the Kafala system that monitors the migration control is not much different from other international schemes, its regulations make it controversial. Force to pay exorbitant recruitment fees, wage theft while unsafe, unregulated working conditions under the extreme heat for excessive hours (up to 84 hours) are on top of the list. Migrants that are exposed to such illegal conditions are not given rights to speak out as they are prohibited from joining unions, striking or taking any action against it. Those that have lost family members are not given enough information, any rights to an investigation or any compensation. In more detail, 80% of 884 Bangladeshi workers’ death cases (between January-July 2024) are attributed to ‘natural causes’ which make them ineligible for compensation.  However, this system completely ignores the lack of regulations in the workplaces that do not offer enough understanding into the conditions migrants work in. All in all, the illegal human rights abuses may not be natural causes but exploitive and negligent methods that result in a drastic number of deaths. 

The abuse of migrant workers is tied to a bigger picture of the treatment of migrants in the country. The reports indicated 8 million people have been detained due to immigration-related violations, currently 40,000 people held in detention. These facilities are known as extremely inhumane; no access to phones to limit documentation of their situation, lack of access to water or other basic human needs, such as a bed to sleep on. 

Saudi Arabia proclaims itself as an Islamic state, however, the cruelty in the systematic abuse has no place in the Islamic law, mentioned by academics in the field (Azhari, SOAS, 2017). We, Rights Defenders, demand that Saudi Arabia’s systematic mistreatment to maximise profits without considering human rights needs to be held accountable. As the 2034 FIFA World Cup will be held in Saudi Arabia, international pressure to ensure that this worldwide participation does not repeat and normalise the current human rights abuses faced in the country. Human rights need to be prioritised over profit maximisation of companies and an international well-respected sports event should not cost migrants’ lives.  

References

https://www.walkfree.org/news/2025/migrant-workers-in-saudi-arabia-face-systemic-abuse-and-exploitation

https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/12/15/saudi-arabia-migrants-held-inhuman-degrading-conditions

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2024/mar/21/used-abused-and-deported-migrant-workers-land-back-in-bangladesh-after-saudi-dreams-turn-sour

https://www.amnesty.nl/content/uploads/2022/12/MDE-23.5826.2022-Saudi-Arabia-Ethiopian-migrants-briefing_final.pdf?x19665

https://www.soas.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2022-06/07%20The%20Kafāla%20Sponsorship%20System%20in%20Saudi%20Arabia%20A%20Critical%20Analysis%20from%20the%20Perspective%20of%20International%20Human%20Rights%20and%20Islamic%20Law%20file125070.pdf

https://www.ecdhr.org/migrants-rights-in-saudi-arabia-through-the-universal-periodic-review/

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