HYDERABAD: The case of Hyderabad native Safora Begum is one of the rare ones in which a migrant worker trapped in a Gulf country manages to return to their homeland successfully. For many migrants from the subcontinent, such a happy ending can be but a dream.
However, nothing seems to deter thousands of other Indians who, despite learning of such cases of atrocities against migrants, continue to make a beeline to these countries. Perhaps now is as good a time as any to ask why so many people suffer when they move to the Gulf.
The ideal place to start would be the Kafala or sponsorship system, which has been blamed by many for these atrocities. Found only in Gulf countries, Kafala was initially designed to ensure a steady supply of labour for economic development.
However, it has become unsustainable now, according to researchers.
For instance, Safora Begum, who had gone to Damam in Saudi Arabia in 2017, hoped to work as a lab technician, but her kafeel (sponsor) made her work as a housemaid instead. She was ultimately rescued by the Indian Embassy in Riyadh early this week.
A deeper look
The Kafala is a reputation-based system rooted in early Gulf traditions, which ensured the migrant that they would be vetted by their local kafeel, who in turn would be held accountable for the visitor’s actions and would be responsible for his/her protection.
“The current system permits exploitation by giving sponsors vast control without offering workers feasible options to redress their grievances or escape an abusive situation,” read a research paper called Migration Policies across the GCC: Challenges in Reforming the Kafala published in Gulf Research Center Cambridge.
“Generally, migrants are unaware of, or have little access to formal legal channels of redress and instead must often resort to absconding,” the paper says. Many national and international human rights organisations have criticised the system, forcing Gulf countries to reform the Kafala system in incremental ways.
However, it was found that these reforms have been watered down through the policy-making process. Take for instance Qatar, who in 2016, decided to reform its Kafala system after it won the rights to host the World Cup in 2022. A survey said that most Qataris believe the system should not have been reformed. They want it to be redacted to the previous law which made migrant labourers more dependent. “It is this preference for a dependent status that places workers in a vulnerable position,” it said.
Telangana yet to announce NRI policy
Telangana still awaits an NRI policy even as more youngsters from the state get stuck in Gulf countries each day. In March, NRI Affairs Minister had announced that the state government was in the formulation of an NRI’s policy. However, there has been no update since then. The need for an NRI policy is compounded by the fact that other states such as Andhra Pradesh and Kerala, already have policies in place that help workers. An estimated 10 lakh migrants from Telangana send remittances in crores to their families living in the state.