MOSCOW, November 23 (Sputnik) — A total of 90 human rights groups have appealed to labor ministers in the Gulf and Asian countries to protect migrant workers by implementing immigration reforms, a statement issued on Sunday by Human Rights Watch (HRW) said.
"Whether it's the scale of abuse of domestic workers hidden from public view or the shocking death toll among construction workers, the plight of migrants in the Gulf demands urgent and profound reform," Rothna Begnum, Middle East women's rights researcher at HRW, said in the statement.
"This should include a thorough overhaul of the abusive kafala visa sponsorship system," Begnum added.
Kafala refers to a visa sponsorship scheme operating in Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the UAE.
Concerns over the scheme have already been voiced by the watchdog in earlier statements, especially because it does not allow migrant workers to switch to a new job unless their contracts expire, or unless they have secured the consent of the current employers.
What is more, migrant workers in Saudi Arabia and Qatar are not entitled to leave the country without a special "exit permit" that they have to obtain from the authorities.
Gulf Countries: Increase Migrant Worker Protection http://t.co/yk8TkWFsRc
— Human Rights Watch (@hrw) 22 ноября 2014
HRW also said in some instances migrant workers did not receive their salaries and return passports.
According to the watchdog, migrant workers have significantly contributed to the economic prosperity of both their home countries and the countries in which they work. Migrant workers sent over $60 billion to the Gulf monarchies in 2011, the organization said.
The Sunday's appeal was signed by 90 advocacy groups, including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and Anti-Slavery International. The move came ahead of the Abu Dhabi Dialogue, a forum on labor migration, which is to take place on November 26-27.
