Briefing paper: Migrant rights and the Kafala system in the United Arab Emirates

Summary  The United Arab Emirates is the country with the highest proportion of international migrants in the world. Labour migration in the kingdom is governed by a restrictive and abusive system, named kafala, that causes numerous and well-documented abuses. This briefing paper contextualizes the kafala system in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and the[…]

ADHRB at HRC41 Condemns the Violation of the Rights of Female Migrant Workers in the UAE

On Thursday 27 June, during the 41st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) delivered an oral intervention during the Annual Full-Day Discussion on the Human Rights of Women. In the intervention, ADHRB discussed the issue of violence against women in the work place. Specifically,[…]

Gulf States Remain Areas of Deep Concern on World Day Against Trafficking in Persons

30 July 2018 – Five years ago, the United Nations Member States convened to adopt resolution A/RES/68/192, a resolution that officially designated 30 July as World Day Against Trafficking in Persons as a day to bring both awareness to human trafficking and promote the rights of trafficking victims. As the world recognizes this 30 July,[…]

Qatar’s Migrant Workers’ Rights a Cause for Great Concern in the Face of the 2022 World Cup

In 2010, Qatar won the bid to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup that has since fielded corruption allegations, into which investigations are still ongoing. A leading question surfacing after the announcement, among other environmental and climate concerns, revolved around the nation’s lack of necessary infrastructure to host such a high-profile, global event that many[…]

US State Department Neglects Persistent Rights Abuses in New TIP Designation for Bahrain

On 28 June 2018, the United States (US) Department of State released its annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report for 2018, improving Bahrain’s ranking despite persistent concerns over the efficacy of sponsorship reforms as well as broader human rights abuses. It is particularly concerning that the State Department labeled the head of Bahrain’s Labor Market[…]