Last week, the Bahrain government announced a new flexible work permit that would allow migrant workers to act as their own sponsor. The new permit is unprecedented as it’s the first mechanism of its kind in the Gulf designed to dismantle the kafala system of sponsorship-based employment, which tethers migrant workers to their employers and[…]
26
Oct
Oct
On 25 October 2016, Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB), along with Bahrain Institute for Rights & Democracy (BIRD), and Amnesty International co-hosted a panel at the United Kingdom Houses of Parliament. The event coincided with the release of ADHRB’s newest report, Living as Commodities: Human and sex trafficking in the GCC,[…]
04
Oct
Oct
In September, hundreds of Saudi and foreign workers employed at a private hospital in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province went on strike in protest over months of unpaid wages. The strike, coordinated and orchestrated by both Saudi citizen-workers and migrants, marks a turning point in migrant and labor relations in the Gulf, and indicates the escalation[…]
15
Sep
Sep
On 15 September 2016, Erin Sigmon, ADHRB’s Advocacy Associate, delivered an oral intervention at the 33rd session of the Human Rights Council under item 3 on the Emirati government’s use of enforced disappearances & issue of debt bondage in Saudi Arabia Please continue reading for full remarks or click here to download a PDF. Esteemed Rapporteurs, Americans[…]
12
Aug
Aug
Two weeks ago, Bahrain’s Labor Affairs under-secretary of the Labour and Social Development Ministry, Mohammed Al Ansari, stated that the Gulf country is not considering a minimum wage for domestic workers or anyone working in the private sector. In 2011, Bahrain implemented a BHD 300 minimum wage for employees in the public sector. While the Bahraini[…]
